Over the past week, I’ve made some progress on a number of projects that I currently have on the go. My NYC 86′ auto parts boxcar is a step closer to completion.
I don’t have studio lights, so I posed the model in the afternoon sunbeam shining into my livingroom. Don’t be fooled though, it’s -11 degrees Celcius outside.
Since my last post on this car, I’ve come up with a number for the car (NYC 67208) that falls within a block of cars that were equipped with Hydra Cushion draft gear. Here’s an outline of the work that was required to bring this $5 model up to its current condition:
- carved off all of the molded-on details, which included reshaping the ribs in the ends
- weighted the car to NMRA specifications
- reconfigured the floor/frame/coupler mounting system
- body-mounted Kadee couplers in Cal-Scale cushion draft gear
- reshaped the body bolster
- installed Kadee trucks
- added Hydra-Cushion detail parts underneath (only what can be seen when the car is sitting on the rails)
- reshaped the top and bottom side sill beams at either end of the car to more closely represent a Greenville car (see my previous post on this car for more details on this)
- added grabs on sides and ends
- added crossover platforms to each end (cut from Plano roofwalk etchings)
- added brake details to b-end.
- repainted the entire car with Polly Scale NYC Jade (Century) Green
Still to do: paint the trucks, couplers, draft gear, and the whole underbody in a grime/rust combination, shoot some gloss coat on the car and then decal-bash the lettering from a number of different Microscale sets. Of course, it will have to be weathered like a ten year-old car to be appropriate for my layout. I’ll post again when there’s more to report.
Here’s a shot of the A-end of the car, just to be thorough.
Ontario in HO Scale 