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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 1, 2020 14:21:17 GMT -8
^ Thanks for commenting. I will need to seal the entire car with dullcote or similar type of matte finish prior to painting as I don't want my water-based paints to warp the model. No stain on hand here. Meanwhile, the car seems to be coming together fairly nicely and accurately while following the handy drawing on page 3 of the instructions.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 2, 2020 19:38:08 GMT -8
This is what the car looks like underneath. The train air line should also be installed at this time.  |
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Post by fr8kar on Nov 2, 2020 20:09:17 GMT -8
This is a fun build to follow. It's especially interesting to me since I haven't worked with wood kits since the 80s. Keep up the good work, Manny!
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 2, 2020 20:37:22 GMT -8
^ Thanks for commenting, Ryan, and I am glad to read you are enjoying the build. In this age of lockdowns and house arrest, the RTR format doesn't require much time and effort from us other than weathering. OTOH I am finding that kits like this are the perfect companion to anyone bored at home and needing to keep mind and hands occupied. I must give this hobby a lot of credit in terms of all the different types of products available which offer modelling enjoyment at any stage of life. Who knew when this flatcar kit was designed decades ago, it would provide entertainment during such a pandemic.
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 3, 2020 15:47:14 GMT -8
Step 9 says the needlebeams go on now, so I filed and installed them. You can also see my light pencil marks used to locate the bolsters. Be mindful of coupler draft gear, truck swing and brake line and truss rod locations when deciding where to place the bolsters.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 4, 2020 14:12:22 GMT -8
In preparation for step 10, I found the supplied kit turnbuckles are too small for either the supplied fishing line or my own. The kit includes a piece of fishing line for the truss rods but it's too thick for my taste. I prefer to use my own 6lb line and have the correct size of turnbuckle that fits. I also replaced one of the queenposts that broke when I was installing the needlebeams. Should now be just about ready to move onto Step 10.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 5, 2020 4:11:14 GMT -8
This is covered in Step 14 of the instructions but I started this out of order. I considered 3 different types of draft gear for this kit. While very nicely detailed, I found the Moloco parts too long. The side ears on regular Kadee boxes interfere with truck swing. Looks like these narrower Kadee boxes without the side ears are the best fit for this car. I was trying to avoid using Kadee boxes as their placement requires me to drill at wood joints. I have added extra ACC to the joints to hopefully alleviate any problems with mounting a screw there. The bolster is just test-mounted at this point to ensure everything fits together properly.  |
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Post by Christian on Nov 5, 2020 7:30:23 GMT -8
How do you keep from knocking off the air hoses this early in construction? Well, I guess with a flatcar it isn't early, but trucks, couplers, air brakes, and truss rods mean a lot of handling.
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 5, 2020 7:47:10 GMT -8
How do you keep from knocking off the air hoses this early in construction? Well, I guess with a flatcar it isn't early, but trucks, couplers, air brakes, and truss rods mean a lot of handling. Hi,
Thanks for the comment.
I wanted to make sure the hoses aligned with the train air line as best as possible. The bolsters, air line and hose bags all need to align together and the brake details and truss rods are the very next steps in this build.
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Post by GrandeGould on Nov 5, 2020 10:16:10 GMT -8
Regarding warping, I and most people who focus on 19th century modeling actually have not found any difference between lacquer and acrylic paint. Neither warps any more than the other; the advice to avoid acrylic is a modeler myth that just won't die. I use nothing but acrylics with no priming and have only had an issue on paper parts that come with some brands of laser cut kits but once glued down properly there is no issue.
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 5, 2020 10:52:59 GMT -8
Regarding warping, I and most people who focus on 19th century modeling actually have not found any difference between lacquer and acrylic paint. Neither warps any more than the other; the advice to avoid acrylic is a modeler myth that just won't die. I use nothing but acrylics with no priming and have only had an issue on paper parts that come with some brands of laser cut kits but once glued down properly there is no issue. It's possible that we're discussing various materials here but I hand painted these 1/32" thick basswood floors with water based paint and they warped quite badly. OTOH when I subsequently did a test by first spraying dullcote and black enamel spray paint onto this same wood, there was no warpage even after hand applying 3 subsequent coats of water based paint.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 6, 2020 5:50:10 GMT -8
After reading the helpful upthread posts by Christian, GrandeGould and others, I decided to make a load out of some spruce branches I had cut up for kindling. I picked out a few sizes to simulate old growth logs. Best of all, no shipping charges, USD exchange or need to wait and go to post office. This was totally free!  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 7, 2020 4:28:55 GMT -8
Step 13 in the instructions talks about brake gear. I decided to install these parts between steps 9 and 10 instead. That is after the needlebeams and before the truss rod installation steps. Easier to work on the brake gear without the truss rods in the way.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 8, 2020 5:18:30 GMT -8
Close up of the K brake system prior to truss rod installation.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 9, 2020 3:52:33 GMT -8
We had a beautiful stretch of 7 days of way above seasonal temps here that coincided nicely with the painting stage of this build. Here trucks and coupler boxes are being prepared for black spray paint outside.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 9, 2020 16:19:46 GMT -8
Everything up to Step 13 has been completed and the car is ready for paint. Here's a view of the highly-detailed underframe on this nice old time flatcar. Although tedious, doing this work was actually very enjoyable and took up a lot of time. I'm quite pleased with the results.  |
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 10, 2020 3:42:17 GMT -8
After studying some late 19th century photos, I decided on a tri-log load tied down with chains. According to prototype practice, the height of this type of load was not to exceed 9' above floor level.  |
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Post by Christian on Nov 10, 2020 4:24:40 GMT -8
Those logs look good. Especially the cuts. Are you still hiding weights in the logs?
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Post by sd40dash2 on Nov 10, 2020 4:57:43 GMT -8
^ Thanks. I tried to follow what I was seeing in photos.
As it turns out, the logs themselves plus the finished car are within 0.25 oz of the NMRA recommendation so I am not going to bother grafting.
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Post by edgecrusher on Nov 10, 2020 6:31:24 GMT -8
Very nice. The whole thing is coming together really well. And the logs look perfect for HO scale. Do you know what kind of tree those came from?
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