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Post by iomalley on Jan 30, 2015 22:08:25 GMT -5
Well, every so often, a manufacturer makes a gaff to the advantage of us Detailers... TLT recently released their 8 hatch ice reefers for CN modelers but inadvertently painted the post 1961 CN version in grey instead of silver. So they offered their customers fully detailed and painted replacement shells for free. For some reason, they never sold out.  Credit Valley hobby in Mississauga decided to mark down these early release cars from $44 to $26...all their 8 hatch reefers, including these factory rejects. So for $52, I got 4x 8 hatch reefers, 2 of which now ride on Athearn 40' floors from the parts bin. They still need their charcoal burner box underneath but here's their repaint. Lefty's been repainted with floquil old silver, and righty just had the tack board removed. This also allows me to correct the tack boards which were moulded on in the CNR leaf livery location, which falls right where the CN noodle logo goes.  Last time I was at CVRCo, they still had a dozen of these 'sets' for $26 each... |
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Post by CP_8530 on Jan 31, 2015 7:22:36 GMT -5
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Post by tjmfishing on Jan 31, 2015 7:26:24 GMT -5
I sent Credit Valley an email. Hopefully they still have some. I've been keeping my eyes open for a few of these to turn into express refers for passenger service, but like everything else, I can't justify paying full price for anything anymore now that I see what they sell for at shows. Every summer they used to run up to four of these on The Chaleur up until the early 70's, packed full of fresh caught Atlantic Salmon from some of the finest rivers in the world, which were mostly destined for New England, along with the wealthy American entrepreneurs who caught them. canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=cn10672 |
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Post by iomalley on Jan 31, 2015 10:08:36 GMT -5
Well, if it'll sweeten the deal for you boys, I'm making black decals for these cars, including the mechanicals. CDS and Blackcat make them for the ice version only. I'd like to build a mechanical too, but need to find an Athearn 50' plug for the door stock. That's kinda why the one reefer is still in grey paint...I may take the razor saw to her!  I'm also building that F&C small plug door kit and could use the roofwalk and hatch detail pilfered off the grey one if I go the mech route with it. |
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Post by CP_8530 on Jan 31, 2015 10:32:24 GMT -5
If you can do a tiny "WHEN EMPTY RETURN TO REXDALE ONT" I'm in  |
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Post by CP_8530 on Feb 7, 2015 23:56:19 GMT -5
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Post by tjmfishing on Feb 8, 2015 11:43:52 GMT -5
Funny Dan, I ordered three cars and three shells last week! They must be beginning to dwindle in numbers.
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Post by iomalley on Feb 8, 2015 12:17:34 GMT -5
Well I got decals comin' boyz!
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Post by tjmfishing on Feb 8, 2015 13:09:54 GMT -5
Well I got decals comin' boyz! You're doing Mechanical Reefer decals now too!! That reminds me I should really pay that invoice for the locomotive sets... |
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Post by iomalley on Feb 8, 2015 13:18:52 GMT -5
I'm not "doing" them, just a few sets for myself.. and chosen lads |
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Post by CP_8530 on Mar 17, 2015 14:59:53 GMT -5
Picked up a set of Black Cat decals when I ordered a whole bunch of CDS ones from TMR, and renumbered one of mine as a heater car. The 25 was patched, and some of the other numbers were buffed off and replaced with 272. I tried buffing off the numbers on a grey car using Microsol with success, but unfortunately the silver on the correct bodies appears to be thinner than the coat of grey and removed some paint. Had to touch it up with a bit of Tamiya aluminum silver before decalling. On another note, those stirrup steps look chunky and horrible. I might have to replace mine with some finer scale wire...  You may want to look for another source of doors though, the Athearn 50' box has a 9' plug door, IIRC the ones on these reefers were 5ft and 8ft. |
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Post by iomalley on Mar 17, 2015 21:57:42 GMT -5
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Post by CP_8530 on Mar 18, 2015 22:38:12 GMT -5
The Accurail plug doors occurred to me, I'll probably pick up a set when I buy more 8' Youngstown doors from them for some more 8' door NSC 40' boxes (lazy me hasn't posted the build thread here yet...). That's why I only bought one set of the Black Cat decals instead of 2 for my two re-do shells. BTW did you strip yours or spray over 'em, and if you did, is the TLT lettering thick and noticeable underneath? Only two places in Rexdale come to mind that would be big enough to warrant a dedicated group of cars to service them: the Labatts plant by Islington and Hwy 401 (demolished 2006-2007), and the Steinburg's (Miracle Mart, Miracle Beaucoup, Miracle Food Mart) grocery warehouse near Kipling (now an XTL warehouse). |
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Post by iomalley on Mar 19, 2015 18:09:29 GMT -5
Yeah you can faintly see the artwork thru the paint, but the decals will go right overtop. Most of the noodle was sanded away when I removed the tack board. Its not uber bad. Soooooo, if you're making an order, wanna trade a pair of Accurail plug doors for some decals?!?!? |
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Post by iomalley on Mar 28, 2015 17:40:04 GMT -5
Decalled and weathered with wash. I guess I went a bit too light on the dullcote and the decal film is showing. Just a dusting of rust and she should be done.  |
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Post by CP_8530 on Mar 29, 2015 2:06:08 GMT -5
She's absolutely filthy I found something interesting when I went to strip one of mine (the alcohol was already out...). After a few hours soaking and some brushing, the paint and lettering comes off, but whatever glue the factory in China used is bulletproof! I was able to strip both my grey shells without any glued-on parts coming loose at all. The lettering is pretty tough though, takes a lot of toothpick rubbing and Microsol to get one letter off, and most of the time you remove some paint too (as on the pair of silver ones I renumbered). Ran out of orange Gojo cleaner (one of my usual go-to lettering removers), so tried some orange Zep cleaner - didn't touch the lettering like it did on the lastest P2K BC Hydro unit I renumbered. |
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Post by iomalley on Mar 29, 2015 9:36:28 GMT -5
Yeah, tell me about it!
I'm starting to strip one I have (the grey one in the first photo) to make it into a mech door version, and taking the roofwalk and roof hatches off were a royal PITA.
I was hoping to reuse the roofwalk and hatches as they're a bit nicer than the ones in the F&C plug door kit, but most of them split in half due to the glue.
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