Speedwitch Media PFE R-40-25 Part 7

 Where we fling some paint,

With the ends mostly detailed, it was time to add the B end specific items.
Hand Brake, Brake step, retainer valve etc.
I used the Tichy Ajax handbrake mounted to the etched brake housing brackets, the brake steps are a Morton style which I had leftover from my YMW days as were the retainer valves. A bit of 0.008" wire for the retainer line and we're good to go.
Also bent up some cutlevers.

 These were affixed a strip of styrofoam with carpet tape and were set aside for priming.
The last detail on the roofs were the running board end braces which were assembled and secured to the underside of the running boards

As the ends and roofs are painted the same colour, these are all ready for paint.
With the variety of materials used in construction, priming was very much in order.
I sprayed a coat of Tamiya Grey primer and let that cure. I like to use the bottled stuff vs the rattle can generally. Waste far less paint that way.

I wanted to use Starbrand SP freight car  brown for the ends and roofs;

 But the gods of airbrushing had other plans. I almost had enough paint.
Yes I could of ordered another bottle from Starbrand, but;
Shipping would be more than the paint, and I'm not sure if PBL even ships to Canada these days.
Fortunately I had a plan B.
Scalecoat Boxcar Red #2. You'd be hard pressed to note the difference.
And while that was going on;

I applied decals to a group of cars that I've been working on for a couple of years.
Ted was kind enough to run me a custom set of decals for these cars, Ted's artwork is far superior to what was available when this kits were first released

 

Now I just have to decide which process I want to use to weather these babies.

Speedwitch Media PFE R-40-25 Part 6

 End Ladders

The end ladders are mounted to the model using brackets that very closely replicate the prototype. The order of assembly is critical, lest you paint yourself into a corner. I'll review the process I used step by step.
But first, mounting holes need to be drilled into the end for the inboard ladder mounts. These L shaped brackets mount to the outside of the ladder stiles and bend under or behind the ladder stiles. The inboard mounts have shorter "feet" than the out board brackets, which require you to pre-drill the holes for the pins.
A simple jig was made from styrene and hole spacing was derived from the ladder stiles and referring to the prototype photos for placement.
 

With those 2 holes drilled, the cutlever brackets can be assembled and mounted

Attach the inboard ladder mounts, using 0.010" wire pins and small dabs of CA.

 

Secure a length of 0.010" wire into each of the holes in the inboard stile. About 3/8" will suffice.

Take the outboard ladder mounts and attach a length of 0.010' wire through the ladder mounting hole with about 0.040' protruding. You don't want that protruding bit to be seen past the face of the ladder stile.

 Thread the wires on the ladder into the inboard mounts, and secure with CA, clip the wire flush.
Make sure the ladder is squarely mounted, then thread the outboard mounts onto the outboard stiles and secure with CA.

Drill into the "foot" and the car end for another pin. I would drill all the way through and adjust the wire pin so a tiny amount protrudes past the face of the mount, and clip the backside flush after gluing.

 It sounds more involved than it actually is. The whole process goes quite quickly once you've the order of tasks figured out. And the end result is well worth the effort, clean solid mounts.
You'll also note that I mounted the airhose brackets and this time as well.

Now it's onto B end details.
The pile of parts is diminishing! 

Speedwitch Media PFE R-40-25 Part 5

 LADDERS!

So that's 28 ladders, 196 rungs, over 400 holes reamed out(including the holes for mounting brackets) and lots and lots of bits of 0.010" styrene rod.
But they are so worth the effort. The end result looks fantastic!
I learned a couple of things that make using Ted's method of assembly somewhat easier.
Use his supplied jig.
Get a 0.0126" drill bit and ream out all the holes in the etchings. In fact do this for every etched part that has a hole. Life is much simpler as a result.
The tolerances on the plastic rod is variable enough to be frustrating if you don't do that preparatory step.
And, when chopping up the plastic rod to insert into the holes, don't cut the ends square, rather chop a long angle cut, so as to make a bit of a point. things will slide together nicely. 

The side ladders have the sill steps mounted to them with a special bracket that also attaches the ladder assembly to the car sill
It's a delicate process. The first one took an hour, the second one took 5 minutes
Here's how I did it.

Bend up the sill step and the brackets as shown and cut 3 lengths of 0.010" wire longer than the width of the ladder. Staggering the lengths will help as well. 

Thread 2 lengths of wire through the sill step, use a tiny dab CA to secure the wires on the inboard side of the straight leg. Then pass the outboard bracket over the 2 wires and secure with another wee dab of CA.

Take the third wire and thread it through the holes in the ladders stiles and secure it with a tiny dab on the inside of the outboard stile.

 

Now the tricky bit.
Slide the sill step assembly onto the wire in the ladder, another tiny dab to help secure that in place, then carefully manipulate the assembly to align with the the holes in the inboard mounting bracket and slide that on. Staggering the lengths of the three wires will greatly help. Also, CA remains slightly flexible for a few seconds so you can move parts around as your lining things up.

Once the CA has hardened , take your flush cutters and nip off the extra wire.
And, Ta Da, one side ladder assembly

 Once you get started it becomes easier. It's a bit tedious, but you will wind up with the nicest HO scale ladders on the market. IMHO

The side ladders will be mounted after  painting, so it's onto the ends!
Closer to painting day!