Category Archives: Details

Building Yarmouth Model Works Etched Brass Ladders

Details, Techniques,

Nelson Moyer sent along assembly tips for etched metal ladders that offer another step in freight car detailing. Here’s Nelson with more.

Yarmouth Model Works has introduced a line of etched freight car detailing products that includes freight car ladders and ladder rungs. Stiles are etched to accept 0.012-inch brass wire rungs, or you may choose to use the etched rungs available separately. If Tichy 0.0125-inch grab irons are used, the holes must be drilled out with a #80 bit before removing the stiles from the fret. The stiles are phosphor bronze, which is harder than brass, and while it is more durable, it is harder to bend. Scribing the fold line with a #11 blade makes the stile easier to bend.

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End sill details

Details, Models, Techniques, ,
These freight cars have three different couplers installed. At the far right are Kadee #5 with Kadee #58 on the middle two cars. The trip pin has been snipped on the C&O box car. The hopper at left has Accurail Proto:HO couplers installed without the trip pin.
These freight cars have three different couplers installed. At the far right is a Kadee #5 with Kadee #58 on the middle two cars. The trip pin has been snipped on the C&O box car. The hopper at left has Accurail Proto:HO couplers installed without the trip pin.

Blog manager Eric Hansmann steps in with some thoughts about details on the end of freight cars.

To snip or not to snip, that is the question. I’ve been installing couplers without trip pins for about a decade. Many modelers notice the missing trip pins and ask why would I do such a thing. In 2005, I realized I was not going to have a layout using magnetic uncoupling and the club layout where much of my equipment was in service also did not use magnetic uncoupling. Building models without trip pins was an easy personal choice. Click on any image here to review a larger size.

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Paint failure

Details, Techniques, Weathering,
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Just before Christmas, discussion on the Steam Era Freight Cars YahooGroup was focused on box car roof paint failure. Many felt the overall effect was interesting, but far less common in the steam era due to more accumulation of soot on freight cars. Nonetheless, paint does fail, most noticeably on galvanized metal roofs. The above image is a portion of a 1943 Jack Delano photograph of the Milwaukee Railroad freight house in Galewood, IL. Of the nine box cars in the edited image, three of the roofs show signs of paint failure. The most apparent example can be seen on a car in the second row and second from the left. The two cars in the front row on the right side also show some paint failure.

We invited modelers to share images and techniques to inspire others to add this detail to a few of their freight cars.

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Creating Eucalyptus trees

Details, Scenery, Techniques, ,

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And now for something completely different! Peter Hall needed trees to set the distinct scenes on his California layout. Read along to discover his techniques. Click on any image here to review a larger size.

If you model prototype railroading in California, there is a good chance you will need to create good-looking Eucalyptus trees. I model the Southern Pacific Coast Line, and they seem to be everywhere, in groves of many trees or sometimes in lines along the right-of-way or a road.

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