A major goal of the Resin Car Works blog is to inspire modelers to build their kit collection. We feature works that share tips and techniques to increase your skill set. We also strive to make this site a resource. The RCW Helpful Links page offers connections to files, smaller vendors, and additional sites for inspiration.

Here are a few blog posts that have caught our attention. These posts share ideas on specific kit building or finishing steps to keep your workbench busy.

Marty McGuirk has a very popular blog that has documented his layout building adventures. He has another blog that deals with modeling steam era freight cars. Marty posted a few helpful tips on assembling resin freight car models a couple of months ago.  You will find several interesting posts as you explore this site.

Lester Breuer has shared many ideas here on the RCW blog. He started his own blog a few months ago and has several posts illustrating more of his modeling techniques. Many of us fuss over grab iron details and Lester has published his processes in removing these cast-on details . He has also posted a tutorial on bending grab irons using simple tools and a jig. These two posts cover issues that I overhear among many modelers. Lester offers great ideas to keep you moving forward.

Ted Culotta has been posting quite a few information nuggets on his blog. There’s a great mix of fine detail ideas and prototype information. I’m glad I found his thoughts on handling the new Kadee trucks as it made for an easier painting job.

Many years ago, Ted created the Steam Era Freight Cars website that is loaded with images and information. It remains an important place to visit when searching for prototype details.

Not long ago, the St. Louis Mercantile Library launched an extraordinary Flickr image site. Thousands of images from the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library have been scanned and posted. This is an amazing resource that documents the ever changing rail industry across the lengthy career of John W. Barriger III. There are many photo albums with a specific company focus. A favorite among freight car modelers is the extensive American Car & Foundry collection with more than 4300 images.

We are very fortunate to have these images at our fingertips. It wouldn’t have happened without generous grants from the Barriger Library Board, the Union Pacific Foundation, the CSX Foundation, the NS Foundation, and the KCS Foundation.

We will stop here so you aren’t too overwhelmed with the information on these sites. If you have a favorite Internet resource that inspires your modeling work, please share a comment and link below.