New Kit Announcement

New Kit, , ,

Resin Cars Works is pleased to announce the release of our sixth kit; Insulated AC&F Type 27 Class 103/104 tank cars!

The first series of kits have 10,000 gallon tanks, which were generally used in the transport of asphalt. Decals have been produced to offer the standard Shippers Tank Car Lines lettering and for lessees Paluxy Asphalt, Cities Service, and United States Rubber Company.

These tank car models have not been available as HO scale kits and are produced from completely new masters. The frame is a one piece part where only the details need to be applied. The tanks and domes were created as 3D models to ensure that the various dome sizes and tanks fit. Decals were created directly from prototype images.

The kits are composed of cast resin parts, decals, cast brass parts from Precision Scale Company, etched parts from Yarmouth Model Works, plastic parts, wire and grabs from Tichy Train Group, and appropriate truck side frames from Tahoe Models.

These kits are $65 each, plus shipping and Illinois State taxes, if you happen to live in Illinois. Check the Kits page on the Resin Car Works website for prototype photos, model-specific details, and an order form.
http://resincarworks.com/kits.htm

Other tank sizes and lettering schemes of these insulated tank cars are future release possibilities!

Upgrading a Western Pacific 50-foot Automobile Box Car

Upgrades, ,

Pete Hall has been busy working through a few projects. Here’s his update on a pair of HO scale Western Pacific automobile box cars.

I had two 50-foot MDC/Roundhouse single-sheathed automobile box cars with end doors that were lettered for Southern Pacific, but the bracing was wrong. They languished in a drawer until Frank Hodina sent me reprints of some old articles about this car. These cars can be made into very good models of Western Pacific (and others) 40000-series prototypes with some work. I owe a debt of gratitude to Frank and to those who have published articles on this process before me. Click on any image here to review a larger size.

Continue reading Upgrading a Western Pacific 50-foot Automobile Box Car →

Weathering tips

Techniques, , , ,

Craig Zeni displayed several fine models at the recent RPM-East event. Here’s how the models looked on March 25. Craig shared updated images of these cars recently in a weathered state so we thought you might enjoy his techniques. Here’s Craig with more details.

I had a really good time at the recent RPM-East prototype modeler meet in Greensburg, PA. After arriving back home, I was inspired to move a couple of the display models through the weathering steps.

Continue reading Weathering tips →

Roadbed and Track – Layout Design with Nelson Moyer, part 3

Layout Design, , ,

Nelson Moyer returns with another installment on his layout developments.

With a substantial part of the benchwork in place, I turned my attention to the right of way. I want bulletproof track. I’ve operated on layouts where derailments are common, and I find that they steal my joy. I want quiet track, so that I can hear decoder sounds at reasonable levels without blowing out my operator’s hearing aids.

Continue reading Roadbed and Track – Layout Design with Nelson Moyer, part 3 →