M-K-T boxcar conversion, pt 3

Bill Welch, the Xxtreme Modeler, continues sharing his M-K-T boxcar project. Here are Bill’s latest notes.

Close examination of the M-K-T prototype photos reveal diagonal brace members extending just beyond the bottom sill and are squared off. Since I plan to paint this car in Sloan Yellow scheme this detail will be visible. What to do?!

First, I cut 0.030 x 0.030-inch strip styrene into short sections. The ends were cut at a slight angle as the diagonals on the model were angled to match the bottom of the car. The extra length you see makes the sections easier to handle. I glued the section to the angles with Testors styrene cement. Next, I cut up 0.020 x 0.020-inch strip styrene and glued these behind the 0.030 x 0.030 parts to provide extra strength when cutting. After the Testors had set up overnight the joints were reinforced with CA.

I used my close cutting sprue tweezers to cut the 0.030 x 0.030 pieces at a 90-degree angle. Even with the reinforcement two of the joints failed so I repeated what I had done previously

Here is how the diagonals look from the back of the car side.

Here’s the link to Bill’s previous post on this M-K-T boxcar project. He promises to share more soon.

What’s on your workbench?