Category Archives: Models

Fun Builds – 1

Models
The latest build is ready for service!
The latest build is ready for service!

I need to get into the habit of posting stuff. Recent events around the home have conspired to make me completely forget about the blog. A big distraction has been the garden while a smaller distraction has been this Nickel Plate Road mill gondola.

The prototype for the model.
The prototype for the model.  Joe Collias photograph from the collection of Frank Hodina.

I wanted something to build that wouldn’t take more than an evening and had this HO scale Chad Boas kit among the stash. This is a very nice, very simple kit composed of a resin underframe and sides, resin side braces, and laser cut wood deck and sides.

nkp_proto_diagram

Prototype info
The Nickel Plate installed 500 of these gondolas in 1923 from the Standard Steel Car Company in the 70000-70499 series. These were the first 48-foot long mill gondolas on the Nickel Plate. Many were converted to all steel cars in the late 1940s.

nkp_model_above

My build
I replaced the resin ends with plastic ends from the extra parts bin to get a thinner part. As this is an operating model where the brake gear can’t be seen, I did not install any brake system. much of the underframe space was packed with weight.

The fish belly side sills would obscure any view of the brake system, so why not fill the area with weight?
The fish belly side sills would obscure any view of the brake system, so why not fill the area with weight?

The model was ready to paint in about an hour! I don’t believe I have ever built a resin car that fast. I think it took maybe ten minutes to paint. The most time was spent waiting for the Scalecoat l paint to dry. The decals are scraps from used NKP sets and the weathering was done with Pan Pastels.

nkp_model_side

This gondola build was so much fun I think I’ll get a couple of Chad’s flat car kits! Check out his current model list.

Frank

Illinois Central Twin Hoppers

Models, ,
In-process Illinois Central hopper.
In-process Illinois Central hopper.

There was some recent discussion on the STMFC YahooGroups list concerning the likes and dislikes of cast on grab irons on resin freight car kits. The March 2015 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist mentioned in their news section that one of the future kits being considered by Resin Car Works (RCW) is an Illinois Central Twin Hopper with cast on grabs. One of my goals with RCW is to simplify the construction of resin freight cars to lower the cost and to make it possible for large fleets of such cars to be constructed. There are many freight car prototypes that won’t be made in plastic as the sales aren’t enough to recoup the cost of development and production. The only other economical means to produce such cars is with low production, low development cost, rubber molds and resin castings.

Illinois Central prototype hopper image.
Illinois Central prototype hopper image.

One of these cars is the Enterprise offset side twin hopper that was owned in large numbers by the Illinois Central. As a mid-fifties modeler whose layout is set in Central Illinois I need dozens of these IC hoppers for operations. I also have several friends that need dozens of these cars. My operations are based on coal mines around Taylorville with the coal being moved to dumpers at Havana Illinois. Click on any image here to review a large size.

CI&M rail-river transfer facility.
CI&M rail-river transfer facility.

These dumpers had a capacity larger then what the home road could supply so coal in other roads hoppers would be seen at this site. The two largest numbers of foreign road cars were from the New York Central and IC. If you look closely at the second photo you’ll notice a long string of NYC hoppers.

CI&M transfer yard.
CI&M transfer yard.

To have a large number of IC hoppers on any layout, the construction had to be simplified which the cast on grabs has done. As RCW is a basement type businesses very short on available time, the choice was been made to issue only one kit with the cast on grabs. Those modelers who only desire one or two of these kits can easily remove the grabs just like on a plastic kit.

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