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Post by Colin 't Hart on Sept 14, 2017 1:46:08 GMT -8
Wow! They turned out real nice. When were these cars introduced? The prototype I mean, not the model :-)
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wictl
Junior Member
Posts: 76
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Post by wictl on Sept 14, 2017 4:09:32 GMT -8
That WC car should look a lot like the ATSF car as it was an ATSF car at one point in time. The WC acquired the car from the SP whom got them from the ATSF after being rebuilt as per the article. Darin Umlauft A WC, SOO and GBW fan in Sligner, WI That WC flat really has me intrigued, Dave. The articles in Model Railroader I used to prepare drawings of the ATSF FT-33 TOFC flat showed a simplified version of the scratchbuilt model that was created using an MDC Roundhouse flat, a hitch and some rub rails. In other words, this WC flat bears a striking resemblance to this simplified flat. What would be a good match for the WC flatcar? |
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wictl
Junior Member
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Post by wictl on Sept 14, 2017 4:14:46 GMT -8
They look good. I may have to dig out the two or three cars that I have squirreled away and rebuild those.
Darin Umlauft
A WC, SOO and GBW fan in Slinger, WI
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Post by fr8kar on Sept 14, 2017 5:28:32 GMT -8
Thanks for the comments, guys.
Colin, the build date on the decals shows 12-83.
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Post by riogrande on Sept 14, 2017 9:11:07 GMT -8
Awesome and inspiring. I still have my single and I was never happy with that seam along the sides which should be flat. Hopefully I'll get around to tackling it in the next year.
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Post by fr8kar on Sept 14, 2017 15:33:53 GMT -8
Awesome and inspiring. I still have my single and I was never happy with that seam along the sides which should be flat. Hopefully I'll get around to tackling it in the next year. Thank you, and I'm especially glad to read that you are inspired. Considering how much inspiration I get from other modelers - including several who regularly post their work here - I'm happy you're getting something out of what I'm sharing. Despite how long I spent on these models, there's not that much work put into them. A few evenings of work could easily have that single car up and running. |
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Post by dtinut on Sept 14, 2017 20:22:19 GMT -8
Ryan,
Wow! Those turned out really nice. Wish I could use them, but cutoff is 1-1980, so too new for my layout.
Brian
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Post by valenciajim on Sept 14, 2017 20:30:56 GMT -8
Very nice work. I see you harvested rivets from an old blue box box car. Would it have been easier to use the Micromark rivet "decals"? I have never used the Micromark rivets and was wondering if anyone else has and what they think of them.
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Post by fr8kar on Sept 14, 2017 21:49:06 GMT -8
Thanks Brian and Jim.
I've never used the rivet decals. I already had the boxcar so that was one less thing to buy. Plus the rivets are styrene, so they attach easily and permanently in an instant with MEK. I think the decals are resin, so I guess the carrier film holds them in place?
I need to get a better source of rivets, though. I think Bobby Pitts has said he uses an Athearn snowplow, which if I remember correctly is covered in rivets.
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Post by cr9617 on Sept 15, 2017 2:53:00 GMT -8
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Post by riogrande on Sept 15, 2017 5:43:01 GMT -8
The 1983 date is at the extreme end of my cut-off dates with my sweet spot being 1978-1982 these days but I'd still like to upgrade my model per Ryans specs when I finally get moved and a work area set up.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2017 6:25:05 GMT -8
Ryan:
Excellent work, Ryan. I remember seeing these roll through Centralia on the Southern!!!
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Sept 17, 2017 8:19:58 GMT -8
The 1983 date is at the extreme end of my cut-off dates with my sweet spot being 1978-1982 these days but I'd still like to upgrade my model per Ryans specs when I finally get moved and a work area set up. Same here -- and I model the mid 1970s now. But I'd love to have one of these to go with the small quantity of early 1980s equipment that I've kept. Keeping my eyes open on eBay now :-) |
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Post by roadkill on Sept 18, 2017 7:54:22 GMT -8
Talk about making a silk purse out of a sow's ear! Very nice work!
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Post by Mr. Trainiac on Dec 28, 2023 12:28:24 GMT -8
I'm bringing back this long-dead thread, because it looks like Ryan has some competition on the block. I remember seeing this thread a few years ago when I was interested in this car. I recently picked up a two-car set at a hobby shop on consignment to have my own shot at this project. Most of the build will be similar to Ryan's model, but I will make a few changes based on my interpretation of the prototype. The first step was sanding away seam lines and cutting out the center floor section. I will be modeling the Norfolk Southern version of the car, since I model the early 2000's. Most photos show the flatcar deck with a corrugated surface instead of the nailable steel floor. This seems to vary car-to-car, with some nailable planks sometimes retained on the ends. I opted for full-corrugation for simplicity sake. Here's one of the reference photos I was using as an example: www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4147081The first step was filling the gaps with Tamiya putty and sanding it smooth. At this point, the car is more putty than plastic. I used a Plastruct chain link fence kit to represent the square corrugated pattern on the deck. It's a bit oversize, but it's the best thing I had on hand. The rounded edges of the molded plastic give it a softer texture than an etched roofwalk sheet from Plano, which I also considered using.  Next up will be some work on the ends and underframe, which I will scratchbuild rather than using the kit frame. The crossmember arrangement is a bit different on the prototype. |
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Post by Mr. Trainiac on Jan 2, 2024 19:40:46 GMT -8
I made some progress on the scratchbuilt replacement frame of the car. I discarded the frame included with the kit since the location of the molded brake equipment, as well as the crossmember design, were incorrect. Tangent 50 ton Barber S-2-A trucks are correct for this car. I attempted to cut the bolster off the frame and reuse it, but the car rode too high with the Tangent trucks, so I had to fabricate the bolster along with the center sill. There are two different crossmember designs. The small ones are simply Evergreen z-channel styrene, while the main beams were fabricated from three pieces. The top has a saddle shape where the floor of the car was removed, so I had to cut that profile into the web and then glue the top and bottom of the beam onto it. There are also holes drilled so the train air line can pass through. The weight is visible from the underside of the car. It doesn't look very professional, but this is how the kit was assembled too. There isn't much room to hide weight on a plastic flat car kit, and I didn't want to compromise the weight of this car more than I already did. The depth of the center sill is reduced in this area to account for the thickness of the weight, but hopefully the brake equipment disguises it a little bit. You can see some markings where I was laying out the hardware. The triple valve and reservoir sit across from each other on opposite sides of the car, and the brake cylinder appears to sit near the centerline of the car between the two. I still need to do some more photo analysis before I commit to a design.  |
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wictl
Junior Member
Posts: 76
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Post by wictl on Jan 4, 2024 5:36:23 GMT -8
It is quite funny how this thread popped back up as I just found my two Front Range kits that I built many years ago (20+). I have always wanted to upgrade these models and and this has just inspired to do so.
Darin Umlauft
A WC, SOO and GBW fan in Slinger, WI
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