Category Archives: Resin Freight Cars

Another MP gondola

Resin Freight Cars, Techniques,

Bill Pardie sent a note and some photos of his Missouri Pacific gondola build about the time Bill Welch posted his tips and techniques on the model. We thought it would be neat to show another Bill’s version of the same MP gondola kit! Here’s Bill Pardie with comments on his kit build.

My initial venture into serious model railroading was in detailing brass locomotives. I then wanted the rolling stock to be as well detailed as the locomotives. This started out with Ambroid and Quality Craft kits as these kits were the only way to have stand-off grabs and ladders without performing major kit surgery. I now want the trackwork to be as well detailed as the models, but that is another story.

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Wabash 12-panel welded box car from Yarmouth Model Works

Models, Resin Freight Cars, Techniques, ,

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Craig Zeni recently built an HO scale Yarmouth Model Works Wabash box car kit. He steps in with thoughts on the model and construction processes.

At first blush upon opening the box, this Yarmouth Model Works kit is a lot like many other kits with folded printed instructions, the one piece car body, and the separate floor wrapped in tissue paper. What is different is that one is greeted by the etched running board taped to the inside of the box lid and the balance of the parts in small zip lock bags. One thing I found very refreshing to see are etched parts for the ladders, brake levers and other brake brackets instead of resin pieces. Kadee grabs, Kadee Miner brake wheel, Moloco Miner brake housing, Tichy brake parts, and phosphor bronze wire make up the rest. The included decals are from Black Cat and are very nice, and trucks from Kato. This is a top shelf kit.

The castings themselves are outstanding. Very little flash was evident on the main body casting. I had it cleaned up and ready to go in about 10 minutes; the crossbearers and such not much longer. There are a lot of styrene kits that wish their parts were this clean.

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“Like Things at Like Times:” Building Two Kits at Once – Pt 2

Models, Resin Freight Cars, Techniques,

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Here’s part two of Bill Welch building two gondolas at once. Part one can be found here.

In preparation for painting, I like to media blast models with Baking Soda to slightly roughen/etch the surface. A thorough soaking in Ivory Snow is next followed by a good rinse in clear water. I like to do this kind of work in batches of four to six models.

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“Like Things at Like Times:” Building Two Kits at Once – Pt 1

Details, Resin Freight Cars, Techniques,

welch2gons_intro

Bill Welch returns with a double treat. Click on any image here to review a larger size.

For years now whenever I can, I try to build two models at the same time. There are many similar steps for each build, such as washing parts, removing flash, drilling holes, mounting brake systems, installing grab irons, and more. Adding work time to an extra model on the bench seems to reduce the overall build time for two models.

Resin kit building usually involves a lot of hole drilling. I like to use a sharp object to create a starting point for the drill bit so that it will not wander. Mine is different from the one pictured in that link. When drilling holes for sill steps, I like to make a starter hole with a smaller bit before I drill the final hole with a #75 bit. It is just as easy to do this on two cars at once as it is to do it on one. Body motions like changing bits require time, so doing two models at one time can actually save time. My modeling/railroad historian/general raconteur friend Dr. Frank Peacock, DDS, observes that in dentistry this approach is termed “like things at like times.” As my description with the two Funaro & Camerlengo gondola kits will demonstrate, the two models only need to be similar, not identical.

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