New life for a tarnished old brass caboose a la Evan

[sd40dash2]

Hand paint the inside bottom edges of the interior side walls flat black and allow to dry.

[sd40dash2]

Underframe has been reworked with new draft gear mounting pads and a nice primer, paint and weathering job. I don't see how that "gold" brass finish is better than this but ok.

[sd40dash2]

It's also a good idea to paint the TOP of the underframe so that un-prototypical "gold" finish doesn't shine through the windows. The blobs show how everything on this van was soldered together.

[sd40dash2]

Underframe is complete and ready for installation.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Amazing transformation going on here...Do you find the Rustoleum goes on thin enough? Is that what you use for gloss, too?

[sd40dash2]

^ Agreed, I too am always amazed when I see how transformative a new paint job can be. Yes, the Rustoleum goes on thin enough to where I sometimes need a 2nd coat to get proper coverage. Yes, I buy their gloss and dull when I can find it. I once created a review thread in the crew lounge comparing the store gloss and dull products to dullcote a few years back.

Same can be said for the others as well including Tremclad, Krylon and various store brands. I think spray paint technology has advanced considerably in recent years. It's not the thick, inconsistent, goopy stuff it once was.

[slowfreight]

Feb 11, 2024 6:33:02 GMT -8 kentuckysouthernrwy said:

Amazing transformation going on here...Do you find the Rustoleum goes on thin enough? Is that what you use for gloss, too?

Since Floquil was made by Rustoleum in the end, I suspect that the bug Rustoleum spray cans are formulated very close to my newest Floquil bottles.

I use their primer and clear coats quite a bit on rolling stock, and the camouflage series is good for structures.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

I used to use Camo brown for track but CFO upstairs dislikes the odor. She can be gone 4-5 hours and come home well after I used some and no more than two steps thru the door she's not pleased. Altered my hobby to some extent.

[sd40dash2]

I don't like how the bolsters turned out after the trucks were painted, so I'll just repaint those flat black. Otherwise this section is ready for final assembly.

[sd40dash2]

Last look before final assembly.

[sd40dash2]

MODEL FINISHED: I still say a painted and finished model is far nicer than original brass. What do you think?

[Colin 't Hart]

Very nice!

[Christian]

Another beauty. The little fixes - cupula sheeting, walkway soffits - put your stamp on this car.

[cnwman]

Agreed! Nicely done!

Mark Ratzer

Feb 15, 2024 5:48:35 GMT -8 sd40dash2 said:

MODEL FINISHED: I still say a painted and finished model is far nicer than original brass. What do you think?

[edgecrusher]

Did you say what you used for the "glass", I might have missed that post.

[sd40dash2]

^ .005 acetate affixed w Weldbond.

[sd40dash2]

MODEL FINISHED: Most people who would remember have since passed away, but it bears mentioning this was the standard CP paint scheme for 50 years on their default caboose design that applied for nearly 70 years.

[sd40dash2]

MODEL FINISHED: Nice view of the top details as well. Disregard the dust, it isn't visible without the hi-res digital photography.

[sd40dash2]

MODEL FINISHED: And of course, the obligatory underframe shot. After seeing this photo I decided to repaint the trucks and they now look much better now. The four corner mounting screws are the only remaining visible evidence of the original finish of the model.

[sd40dash2]

Select and label the storage box, put it on the shelf and the model in display case. This will be my last post in this thread unless there are any questions or corrections later. Thanks for following along!

[Colin 't Hart]

Great stuff! Please start a new thread and post all of your finished caboose models there. I'm curious :-)

[sd40dash2]

^ Interesting idea, let me noodle on that. I do have a couple of display case shots showing groups of vans. Would that work?

[GP40P-2]

Nice little unit, AND number 6 with a couple more almost there! Meanwhile, I have looked at the internet and gotten nothing done.