Trimming the Stash, Future Layout Plans

  I completed two more cars from my Stash.  Both are kits from InterMountain and came factory painted.  These are the first two cars for my future layout.

  The new layout will be the Grand Trunk Eastern Lines in 1966.  Centered around South Paris Maine and the branch line to Norway.  I hope to include Danville Junction as well.

 This is all a couple of years off, but since the Algonquin layout is pretty much 98% done, I need something to work on.  Building the rolling stock, locomotives and structures for the future layout will keep me busy for a couple of years, while I plan it all out.

  I am working on modelling Train #748, The eastbound Way Freight out of Portland to start things off.  These two cars represent ones I have found in photos of this train.  If you have any knowledge of operations, industries, photos, waybills etc I would love to here from you.

  First up is CN 527172.  40' PostWar Boxcar.  This is a 10'6" IH Car.  I added full under floor brake rigging as well as Kaddee grabs irons, Yarmouth running boards and brake platform, cut levers with Yarmouth eyelets (these things are small!), Tichy 8 rung ladders with attached stirrups and finally A line stirrups.  Trucks are Kadde National B-1's, that match what was installed when this series of cars were buillt.

  I sprayed a thin wash of white paint to give the car an initial fade followed with PanPastels and an oil wash applied using capillary action.  The Pan Pastels were removed from the lettering by rubbing with a tooth pick.

 Next up is a 40' PS-1 painted for Norfolk and Western 53327.  I used the kit included brake parts sprue, and an etched roof walk I pillaged from another Intermountain kit.  The brake platform is from Yarmouth, as are the eyelets mounting the cut levers.  Kaddee grabs finish off the substitutes to the kit parts.  Trucks are Kato ASF A3 ride control. These cars appear fairly clean in photo's from 1966 so I kept the weathering to a minimum, using the same techniques as the CN car.

BAR 4517 and CP Reefer

I finished up the first two cars from my Stash of Kits.

First up is a Bangor and Aroostock 40' boxcar.  The kit is from Intermountain and the decals are from Highball.  I scratch built the door from Styrene sheet and strip to match the prototype.  I need to swap the trucks with a set of ASF A3 ride control ones from Kato.  I painted and weathered them but they seam to have gone into hiding in my workshop.

I weathered it using Pan Pastels, an Oil wash and a black coloured pencil for the panel lines.  To fade the boxcar red paint,  I mixed a few colours of Pan Pastels together and brushed them on.  I wiped the Pan Pastels from the Road Name, Car Number and Shield with a wet Q tip. This was to get them to stand out again.  The roof has a black oil paint wash.  A coat of Testers Dullcoat and that's about it.  I really liked how this car came out.

Next up is the CP Reefer.  I fixed up the car numbers and reporting mark using some leftovers decals from a MicroScale CP car set.  I need to find and apply a 50 foot roof walk, but its done other than that.

 Weathering was an oil wash applied with a fine brush using capillary action to highlight the panel lines, rivets and door features.  Pan Pastels were applied while the oil wash was still wet to give it some texture.  I used some Pan Pastels on the car ends, the roof got the same oil wash as the highlights.  Burnt Umber artist oil was applied to one of the roof panels to simulate a rusted out panel, and just lightly on two others by stippling.  I followed up with some rust streaks on the side of the car under the heavly rusted roof panel.  This car is a stand in for the prototype at best, but I think it turned out great for a simple blue box kit.