Fenton Wells has been busy working on several pandemic projects. Here’s his overview on a couple classic.
Back in the early 1990s Model Die Casting released a series of 50-foot, single-sheathed automobile boxcar kits. There were seven different kits with various door and end combinations. I pulled a couple from my kit stash and made a few upgrades.
Continue reading Upgrading an MDC classic
George Toman sent this along as a fine tribute to a man who inspire so many of us to push our modeling further.
My good friend Bill Welch received bad news in September 2020 when he was diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer. During this period, I kept in close contact with him and we discussed many things about modeling, world events, and his beloved Dodgers. Bill was always challenging me to raise the bar and try new methods, tools, and materials.
Continue reading A tribute to Bill Welch
George Toman shared his latest workbench update. He’s upgrading a kit with Duryea underframe parts.
The Duryea underframe is a cushioning device used to reduce damage. The center sill can slide about 12 to 16 inches to cushion impact when coupling. This requires different mounting than the more conventional AAR underframe. National Scale Car has captured the Duryea underframe in great detail using resin castings and photo etched parts in their MK 106 kit that upgrades an Intermountain 1937 Modified AAR boxcar model.
Continue reading Workbench Wednesday
Bill Welch keeps our heads spinning with his modeling project shares on discussion lists. Here are his notes and photos covering some gondola details.
Ever since I saw the Greenville designed 52-foot mill gondola in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia (RPCyc) Volume #3, I have intended to build the SL-SF version discussed in the article. Since the FRISCO served Birmingham, Alabama, I consider it an honorary Ya’ll Road.
Continue reading Gondola details