SAL 25348 - Beer service PS-1

 

Hopper Work - Western Railway of Alabama USRA hopper

 

The diminutive USRA hopper was one of the most important hopper designs of the time. This model will become an example of the Western Railway of Alabama fleet that saw service throughout the southeast. The model is built following the instructions with several additional details added. It will become the subject of an article following Georgia Railroad and West Point Route hoppers.

Fruit Growers Express RBL Part 5 - SAL 591181

 

    

SAL 591181 is finally complete, and it was clearly far too long of a build, but worth it. The model is ready for weathering, though I like the almost new appearance of the RBL at this point. The Dan Kohlberg decals are exceptional, and by exceptional, I mean the best decals ever created, ever, period. 

The model now joins the rest of the reefer block cars and I'm slowly eyeballing another build if I can get my hands on an undecorated kit. I've yet to experiment with one of the painted unlettered Moloco cars, but it could be in the cards for my next FGE project. If Moloco wants to become a Fortune 500 company of the modeling community, just sell me more FGE kits.

Hopper Work

I've been building a fleet of hoppers that won't typically ever see the Boca Grande route, but they are serving as fodder for an upcoming issue of the Seaboard-Coast Line Modeler. There will be a quartet of hoppers built by Pullman-Standard, Pressed Steel Car Company, and ACF as I get the latest issue behind me and off to the readers. In a galaxy far, far away, this blog was once focused on the Georgia Railroad and its affiliates, the Atlanta & West Point and the Western Railway of Alabama. The majority of my research materials, photos, and model collection can be used for a variety of subjects under the Seaboard Coast Line umbrella which is beneficial for those times when I don't have the proper model to build a SCL related prototype. The USRA hopper is an interesting prototype, and my good friend Bill Welch would hopefully approve. 

PRR 19182 - X54 Construction Completed and Primer

 

PRR 19182 was finally primed after some final details were installed. The model was originally grit blasted using baking soda and a Paasche Air Eraser to eliminate any unsightly build lines. The lines while visible in harsh or extreme angles were not detectable to the touch. The model was cleaned, allowed to dry, and then air brushed using Floquil primer. Once the primer sets, a coat of Scalecoat II Boxcar Red #2 will be applied. Having seen the images in primer now, it clearly shows how well the printing of the X54 is compared to similar models.

PRR 19182 - X54 Construction

 

Construction of the Bridge Line Design / 3D Central PRR X54 is nearing completion with the addition of several additional details. This is a first foray into resin printed models for me and it has gone as smoothly as compared to working with the resin and styrene kits. I grit blasted the car body with baking soda shot through my Paasche air eraser to smooth out any layering, however, this is not detectable by touch and cannot be seen with the naked eye unless placed in an extreme light angle. Primer will eliminate this, so it should not be a deciding factor in your purchase. I followed the instructions and supplemented the kit supplied details with some additional after market parts that you may choose to add to your model.

Some of the take aways I've learned are to take extreme care when drilling into resin printed shells and use a sharp, preferably new bit. The B end of the car yielded a slight casualty when drilling for the brake wheel adjustment rod. The body contains an extant hole for the brass mounting point which I drilled using a #78 bit, which was then increased to a #70 bit. The thinness of the resin at the lower sill became an issue when I attempted to mount some 0.015" brass rod into the hole which ultimately broke. My intent was to install a clevis contained on a Detail Associates brake kit, using a drill and pin method, however, the resin failed and left a small hole. The images show the body filler used to fill in the void which will be sanded smooth and Archer Fine Details HO scale car rivets will be applied to compensate for the damaged lower sill.

The X54 kit contains some useful parts, however, I supplemented Tichy brass rod for all of the grab irons which required some custom bending. The end tack boards of the prototype appear differently than that which is included in the kit, so I used some from the scrap box. The ladders were sourced from a Detail Associates 6241 set of 8 rung ladders on 16.25" centers. They are not exact and if I were to detail another kit, I would use the Tangent parts to best represent the PRR Sam Rea shops appliances best. The brake wheel and housing are a combination of Moloco and Kadee parts, while the Hi-Tech Details air hose details really set the end details off. 

The brass stirrups are well executed, but the plane of the bottom step could be best represented if oriented parallel to the railhead such that the thinnest cross section can be seen. This is really splitting hairs, but something I feel could be represented by an additional bend on the brass fret. The running board was an exact fit and was cemented into place using canopy cement. I sanded both sides to remove traces from the etching process, applied canopy cement to the risers, and aligned the running board onto the center of the car. An additional lateral support using 2"x2" styrene lengths were applied to allow the laterals to stand proud of the roof.

The underframe has been minimally detailed and I am looking to source better parts to augment the existing details. The underframe is secured into place through the draft gear which is screwed to an interior support to allow for alignment. The non-cushioned draft gear has excellent key detail on the exterior. I really like this method of securing the body to the underframe. The underframe is riding on shop trucks for now, however, Bowser PRR 2D-F8 trucks will be used on the final model.

With the final details and some additional sanding on the ends, I think it will finally be ready for a coat of Floquil primer. Overall, the Bridge Line Designs X54 is an excellent kit to begin your journey into resin kit modeling, and with some additional refinement can be made into a show quality prototype model. If successful, I could certainly use a Penn Central example to cut into my block of insulated boxcars and RBLs, as well as expand the fleet with the newly released Bridge Line Designs 50' PRR X53 prototype used throughout the nation. I recently read a comment that bears repeating, "We are all PRR modelers," and isn't it the truth.

PRR X54 RBL Distraction - PRR 19182

Image courtesy of G. Elwood's Fallenflag.org, Leroy Dozier photograph
          

While I should be writing about all things SAL, SCL, and ACL related, I was recently entranced by the likes of the new Bridge Line Designs / 3D Central Pennsylvania Railroad X54. This is an all new resin print of this unique 40' RBL. Before eyes roll, grunts are heard, and sweating begins, I really like RBLs and well that is enough justification to include at least one example of these unique cars.

Leroy Dozier, who is quickly becoming one of my most frequently liked railroad photographers given the number of FGE subjects he shot, took this image of PRR 19182 in November 1965. The car is slightly ahead of my era, but the presence of the reweigh stenciling and the dedicated service to Camden, NJ marks it for roster inclusion. 

The model is excellent in all respects, and while I am not a Pennsylvania modeler, I quickly learned some interesting facts about the X54. The series information, also courtesy of G. Elwood's Fallenflags.org website is included below.

Images courtesy of G. Elwood's Fallenflag.org

The X54s were numbered 19000-19399 while the X54As were numbered 19400-19499. The differences appear to be the use of differing load restraints, a slightly reduced cubic capacity, and a lower nominal capacity of the X54A. The model includes an etched fret of ladders, grab irons, brake levers, running board, brake steps, and cut levers. The body and underframe are separate to allow for entry into the model, while the roof is integral to the model. The fidelity of the model is excellent with no raised areas or inclusions. The striations seen are from the printing process, which will be covered when primer is applied.

To accurately model the X54 in the past has meant using the old Front Range/Accurail 40' RBL to approximate a X54, however, Bridge Line Designs and 3D Central have truly expanded the horizon for those interested in RBL traffic. The X54s were used in service which required temperature protection such as canned goods, paper products, etc... My example will be used in beer service and accompanied by smaller 40' FGE RBLs which were used by SCL to frequently distribute various beers from Florida.

SAL 580751, Image courtesy of G. Elwood's Fallenflag.org, photographer Leroy Dozier

SAL 580752, courtesy of RRPA, photographer Matt Ferguson

The X54 model will receive some additional upgrades to include a Moloco handbrake housing, Kadee Universal brake wheel, Hi-Tech air hoses, and wire grab irons and brake rigging. The ladders are finely etched and will be my first use of using flat etchings to represent the prototype. If not sufficient, another solution will have to be determined. The Microscale PRR 40' boxcar set 87-1200 will be used to source much of the data, however, the K4 Decal set expressly drawn for the X54 will also be used to capture some of the finer lettering. My model will be primed using Floquil primer and painted using a mixture of ScaleCoat II Boxcar Red 2 and Oxide.

The trucks for the X54 will be sourced from Bowser, or an old Red Caboose X29 kit if I can locate one in my stash of parts. The uniqueness of this truck is apparent after you study how different they appear from a typical AAR-Y truck. The model's instructions are clearly explained, and this should be an excellent project for someone needing a smaller RBL.