This is the Stuff that really ticks me off

I have made it my habit to not make negative comments about other peoples work to date, however this one I can not let pass unremarked.
I'm in the process of assembling 3 SAL B-7 Turtleback roof cars. When I first saw these cars I was pleased with what I saw, particularly the end roof interface. A tricky detail.
But as I worked on these cars a major problem popped up when I checked the coupler height against my Kadee gauge.

As shown in the photo above the car sits too high, a full 0.60". And this is on the kit supplied trucks.
The solution of course is to remove bolster material, until the car sits at the correct height, as well as using trucks that have a lower bolster height, such as Tahoe Model Works trucks.

The entire cast on bolster pad has to be milled off and the bearing surface kept square to insure that the car rides properly.
Now none of this is work that is beyond my abilities, but it should not have to be done in the first place.
In this day and age of 3D printing, advanced CAD programs and many other modern wonders, how can it be so hard to get the car floor at the right height?
I'm appalled and not just a little irritated.
There is no excuse for this.

And Here It Is!

Finally, it's finished! The 2 pilot models of our CPR plywood sheathed car. Painted, decaled and weathered.
I'm very pleased with how this has turned out.
With the right weathering the rivet strips really show up well.
I noted on the prototype photos that the metal capping strips over the plywood sheets weathered differently than the surrounding panels. As I was building the cars a lot of thought went into how to replicate that effect.

I decided to try a variation on a technique I've been using of late and masked the strips and sprayed a thin mix of Floquil Rail Brown along the rivet strips. I removed the masking tape and sprayed the individual panels with a thin mix of Floquil Foundation. From there the roof was sprayed with rust tones and the underbody was sprayed with a thin mix of Railroad Tie Brown.
I think it works.

Today I'll finish writing instructions and in a couple of weeks I expect to have castings and I can start selling these puppies.
Onto other things.

Getting Closer

The pilot models for the CPR plywood sheathed war emergency car are getting decals applied.
Almost there.
A few more pictures to take for the instructions and we'll be there.
We've had a series of unexpected delays in getting the bodies cast for this project and we're working on that problem. To all who are waiting, thanks for your patience. It will be worth the wait.
How do you like the rivet lines?

What Were They Thinking?

While they can be visually appealing, and a pleasant departure from the the long strings of red/brown, some of the paint colours chosen by certain railroad companies leave me wondering.

Take these two cars as an example. Certainly a visual stand out, but they're going to look fairly nasty in short order with all the filth and crud they'll be subjected to.
For me it's a head scratcher.

A Little Work in Jarvis

With my now owning Rich's lovely model of the Jarvis station, I was motivated to do a little work in Jarvis this weekend.
Working with the photos I have and the survey, I chose a location for the station and built the rest of the scene around it.

In the foreground is Highway #6. The crossing was protected by manually operated arms, controlled from the little structure between the highway and the station. As seen in this image.

I cut a "foundation" for the station from 0.060" styrene, which will give me something to bring ground cover up against. And you can see the beginnings of the station platforms on the 2 sides. A train order board will go up on the Wabash main once the platform is done.
All this only took a few hours, but it actually helps me look ahead to a more complete layout.
Next I'll add plaster to the road edges and start adding ground cover, mostly cinders for a start. I've noticed that there was a lot of cinder cover around all these station areas in the time I'm modeling.

Ladder Lunacy?

Since I've managed to get a few client's projects out the door the last week or so, I thought I'd reward myself by working on a personal project. I'm upgrading the details on 4 Funaro & Camerlengo kits. More on that later.
One of the big jobs was adding better ladders.
4 cars with 4 ladders = 16 ladders.
32 stiles to fold
112 preformed grabs to clip the legs of.
 The task was done in 3 hours and the ladders all mounted on the cars. Phew!
But well worth the effort.

Etched running boards and B end details now make up the balance of the assemble work to be done.
We'll see what the day brings.

My Favorite Prototype Boxcar II

Well here it is in it's finished glory.

I do like this car.
And I've just acquired 2 HO Sunshine Models kits for my own collection. So I'm a happy camper right now!

A Difficult Day

Yesterday a few friends and I got together for a sad task. We had to demolish our late friend's, Rich Chrysler, layout.
Almost 20 years to build and 3 hours to get it in the bin. Hardly seems fair. I've been reflecting a lot that this is the eventual fate for all of our layouts. Dust to dust.
A couple of scenes were saved. All the structures as well. Many went to new homes already and the balance will be sold at local flea markets along with some of his rolling stock and locomotives.
Rich's eldest son, Geoff, who is an accomplished modeler in his own right is writing an article on his Dad's layout and hopefully it will see the press in a year or so. Stay tuned.
This is one of my favorite scenes from the photo shoot we had a few weeks ago. The interchange at Caledonia.

On the upside, I came home with Rich's very nice model of Jarvis station. Rich modeled the Canadian National Hagersville Sub and I model the Cayuga Sub. To get into Simcoe proper and on to Port Dover and Port Rowan, the Hagersville Sub shared the main with the Cayuga Sub between Jarvis and Simcoe North. We both model both stations, just from opposite sides of the tracks.
I'm pleased and honoured to have this model on my layout and will cherish it for sometime to come.

Once I get the scene developed and fully sceniced, Rich's Austin Healy will take up residence in the parking lot.