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!

Speedwitch Media R-40-25 Part 4

 And there we are 7 roofs all ready to go

 They would have been done sooner but I had some minor back surgery July 8, recovery has been a bit slow. We're all good now, this Spinal Cord Stimulator implant now seems to be working as advertised.

 First step was locating some Details West ice hatch covers. Fortunately, I found a set in an old Sunshine kit which I promptly made a mold of and cast up a number of sets. Modified as per the Speedwitch instructions.
These were glued in place along with the Morton running boards.
I made a simple jig for drilling the mounts for the hatch rests.

It just hooks over the edge of the hatch giving consistent distance from the edge.
The hatch rest is a bit finicky but well worth the time. First make a 90 degree bend in the one end and secure it to the hatch with a 0.010" wire pin.

Clip the wire flush , then with very fine tip tweezers make the 2 bends in the rest, then make the back bend for the mounting foot

 

Press that down onto the hatch, adjust the angles and length and secure the foot with another pin

 Do that 7 more times. :-)
The hatch latches are exquisite bits of etching. Again a bit fiddly to assemble, but not near as difficult as one might imagine, due in large part to the very careful design work by Ted.

The corner grabs will be mounted after the car is assembled, with the way the side ladders mount I don't want the corner grab to be in the way.
Next it's onto the ladders
This will take some time

Speedwitch Media R-40-25 Part 3

 That's all the brake rigging done.

It's worth noting, all the wee brackety bits all fit exactly as described. The slack adjustor bracket merits a special shout-out. Such a lovely bit of etching work!
I will concede that the AB valve bracket was a fiddly challenge but deep breaths and a logical approach results in success.

The air lines are all 0.010" wire and the brake rods are 0.012". Clevis' are shortened Tichy turnbuckles.

The bunker drains are another lovely bit of detail that has been very nicely designed.
Long overdue for us to get a correctly shaped drain detail part

So that's the floors all done, now it's onto the roofs.
Lots of details there. They will take longer I suspect to complete, but they will look stunning

 

Speedwitch Media PFE R-40-25 Part 2

 That's the structural members of the underframe complete on all 7 cars. The etchings only required a bit of filing for final length to have them drop in, as one would expect with a kit like this.
I'll be saying many times I feel, but these etchings are exquisite. Even better than I've seen from some military modeling aftermarket parts.
Once you get into the groove of folding the parts, it's really quite simple. Just repetitive.

A couple of things to note.
While the instruction photos show the task done, it's missed in the text. A minor thing, but something you should pay attention to, the side sills need to be notched for the crossties, so that they sit properly. It's one of those things that for an experienced builder should become obvious.

  

The other issue is there's an error with the left side bolster tabs. Ted is aware of it and is figuring out a solution at this time. Stay tuned. 

I should mention that I will be deviating from the order of construction laid out in the instructions.
I will be detailing the ends and roofs separate from the car body, then painting them, then assembling the components. I loathe masking and this method greatly reduces that task.

Now it's onto brake gear and all those lovely wee brackets.

A Care package from Speedwitch Media

It's kinda like Xmas in June!
This came in today's mail.

All of which I've been very much looking forward to building.
Ted has really amped up resin kits. The level of design effort he puts into the etched parts is truly remarkable. Making for some epic models.
I know that some are intimidated by the amount of tiny parts, but I revel in this stuff. 
What I'm most excited about are the R-40-25s.
My layout can use a good number of PFE reefers and the prospect of a few highly detailed reefers has great appeal. So much so that I'm going upgrade all 7 of the RTR R-40-25s that I have in my collection.
And I will be posting regularly as I make progress
So we start with
The parts I received from Speedwitch

 

 

Correct ends, piles of etched details and correct "as built" decals

 The 7 plastic shells. All details removed, underbodies prepared for additional details, paint stripped and sand blasted.
Now to clear space on the bench and dive in!
This is going to be fun

Track Plan

 It's been pointed out to me that I've yet to post a track plan of the current layout
So here you go

Calling these 3 done

 

A trio of Sunshine Models T&NO stock cars.
As always with resin stock cars, much time was spent sanding, sanding and then more sanding. Those slats won't clear themselves! But the effort is well rewarded.
The weathering was something a little different.
An oil colour wash of medium grey was first applied, only on the slats, followed up by a wash of dark brown. Then the whole car was dusted with road dust from the air brush.
The look was inspired by a number of colour photos I looked at in ATSF Livestock Operations book I have.
The cars were kept fairly cleaning and the frequent washing caused additional wear on the wooden slats.
I'm very pleased with the results.
Wait till you see what is next!

 

Yarmouth Model Works pilot models

 I have decided to sell some of the pilot models I built for my former company.
Rather than have them collect dust here, maybe they can find a good home.
I am asking $150.00 USD ea, plus shipping and tariffs.
Email me direct if you're interested

 pierre.oliver@elgincarshops.com

It will be first come first served.
I will send PayPal invoices once I determine the shipping fees

 

Thanks for looking

A change of pace

 I've been having a rather pleasant time building the latest offering from Imagine That Laser Art ,

https://itlascalemodels.com/products/itla-alleyscape

 

This kit was a lot of fun and a nice change from resin freight cars.
The laser cut brickwork is exquisite. The design is very well thought out and all those extra details really bring the scene to life.
I am offering this model for sale.
Contact me by email if you're interested pierre.oliver@elgincarshops.com

Turnout improvement

 I am a big fan of the Fast Tracks track building system. This and 2 previous layouts were built using that system exclusively. My only complaint is the connection of the point rails to the throwbar. It may be a me thing but I have at least one solder joint fail every operating session. There's a slight rotational force applied to the solder joint every time the points are thrown.

So I put on my problem solving hat and came up with a solution I'm very happy with.
The task is to hold the point rails exactly in place and allow a bit of rotational freedom.
I sat down with Ryan and we came up with a design

 

In the photo from bottom to top, the photo etched tabs, a drilled and tapped throwbar and the drilling jig.
I found the smallest machine screws I could, 000-120, 1/16 long.
The idea is to solder the tab onto the inner web of the point rail and then bolt the tab to the throwbar.

I'm delighted to report that I managed to tap over 100 000-120 holes and not snap the tap

Installation is a tad fiddly and hanging to those tiny screws can be a challenge, but I'm delighted to report that the concept works.

To date I have 4 turnouts redone and they move far more freely than they did with the original method.
Once I get more done I'll break out the airbrush and paint them up, and I'm sure they will look just fine.

 

Love it when the tech works

 For the last few weeks I've been working on a window display layout for my local hobby shop,
Railway City Hobbies.
A local modeler who had remarkable talents in kitbashing industrial structures passed away and his daughter wished for an ongoing legacy of his skills. So a few of his structures were loaned so that they could be on display, (I'll be showing photos at a later date).

We determined which  structures could be incorporated into the space and a track plan was figured out.

 A simple switchback with 3 turnouts which would feature a short train and a couple of cars shuttling back and forth. The key to this was finding a control system to make this work.
Cue those fine folks at Iowa Scale Engineering and their Motorman control system. A bit of electronic wizardry that does exactly what we require for either DC or DCC equipped locomotives.
The auto-reverse is triggered by an under the track photo receptor, Trainspotter, which we also used to control the turnout motors, MP1. 
All in all a rather simple setup
I'd post a video, but it exceeds the file size allowed, take my word for it, the layout works exactly as desired
Now I can work on ground cover and other such things another couple of weeks it'll be in the store window

Two more for the collection

 Nice timing
I just finished these 2 cars
The B&O M55 & M55A mini-kits from National Scale Car
https://nationalscalecar.com/product/mk-105-1-baltimore-ohio-m55-boxcar/

 https://nationalscalecar.com/product/mk105-2-baltimore-ohio-m55a-boxcar/

I say good timing because just this weekend National Scale Car has begun shipping to the US again, now that they've figured out how to navigate the maze of tariffs.
These were an interesting project with the Duryea underframe to build and an uncommon slack adjuster. And one should not forget to note the interesting roof and ends for these cars

Useful projects to have on hand to get us through this rather harsh winter.

More cars are being worked on and a rather interesting project is in the offing
I'm building a window display layout for the Local Hobby Shop, photos and details to come
Later

 

Sunshine Models CRI&P rebuild #

 Sunshine kit #64.54

 Progress continues as I work through the stash of kits accumulated over the years.
This Rock Island car being the latest.
I have a real affinity for the variety of rebuilt cars that were present back in the day.

This model started with the stock Sunshine kit with improved details.
Rivets were added to the inside of the corner notches
The end ladders used etched ladder stiles to better represent how the prototype secured the grabs to the ends
Laser cut running board

Painted with Scalecoat and weathered with oils and an overspray of dirt

More cars coming 

Speedwitch Media C&NW PS-1

 

Sort of the last of 2025, or the first of 2026.
Another one of Ted's more recent offerings.
A really neat car. I confess an affinity for 40' Autocars. Much like the BX-34, Ted has included a large amount of photoetch details.
There's a clear path that Ted is on with his newer kits, and I for one, am fully onboard. I welcome the challenge of newer techniques and finer details.
But next will be a couple of NSC mini-kits that I've ignored for a few years now

Happy New Year 

Speedwitch Media Bx-34

 It's been 4 months now since I decided to cease my business operations with Yarmouth Model Works and YMW_Modelu. And I have to say it was a very good decision for me.
Gone are the stresses associated with running a small business in vastly uncertain times. Now every morning starts with, "What do I want to do today?", vs "What do I have to do today?"

I've been able to get more done on the layout, as well as some modeling projects for the pure joy of building great models.
One of them is this beauty from Speedwitch Media

ATSF Bx-34

 https://speedwitchmedia.com/product/p126-atsf-bx-34-duryea-cushion-underframe-modified-aar-box-car/

 This Mini-kit as to be one of the most detailed offerings I've ever seen.
A Fully accurate Duryea underframe, almost 70 parts go into the underframe alone.
Etched ladders with detailed rungs and mounting brackets, etc

The model was a challenge, but well worth the effort. The instructions are well written and guide you through the trickier processes. A normal resin kit I could get ready for paint with 8-10 hours of work, I've built almost 2000 over the years. This model took a good 40 hours. 

I am already started on my next Speedwitch project, the C&NW PS-1. It too has some challenges, but that where the fun is.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Ted releases next. I have some inside knowledge on upcoming projects and there is some really cool stuff looming.

 And in other news;
After more than 40 years of struggle, I'm finally getting relief from a chronic pain issue I have as a result of an accident when I was in college. I had a fall of about 20' and damaged my feet, and until very recently no treatment offered any relief including opioids.
I recently learned about a wholly different approach to addressing chronic pain,
Spinal Cord Stimulation
https://www.pain.com/en/chronic-pain-solutions/spinal-cord-stimulation.html
Basically a device is implanted near the spine which sends electrical impulses that interrupt the pain signal to the brain.
I had a 3 week trial period and have been approved for a full implant, surgery likely in January. Which will allow me to spend more time on my feet thus getting more accomplished on the layout.
So excited!
Happy Holidays everyone