Post by CP_8530 on May 13, 2015 17:12:40 GMT -5
This one started off as a rainy-day, for-fun project with an old MDC/Roundhouse gondola painted CP Rail. CP never had any, so it didn't really fit in to my CP stuff. Wasn't sure what else period-specific I could do it as, so decided to do it up as a modern car. I checked a few of my shots and found some Thralls running around as AMGX, DJJX, JOSX, & WTLX, and eventually picked an an AMG Resources Corp Thrall hi-side gondola, formerly used in coal service by WISX, today one of many employed hauling scrap and recyclable metals.
Base car:
Time to start the project. I made a few mods to the car to spruce it up a bit: new corner end grabs and stirrups from the ends that were missing them, cut levers, a new brakewheel (I left the high-mounted one the car came with since I initially didn't want to shave it off around one of the end ribs). I then buffed off most of the lettering and shot it with some Tamiya fine surface primer. Next was a custom red-pink-ish mix on the A-end (probably to designate the end with the rotating coupler at one point), and then sprayed the body flat black. The patches were sprayed a gloss/warm black to make them stand out.
I decided to experiment with some weathering, so shot various shades of red, brown, black, and some yellow on the inside to give it a rusty worn look. The exterior initially got some weathering on the bottom and ends to simulate dirt, and a few black and brown washes to dirty up the ends and bottom before and after decalling (most of the lettering is faded with a dirty appearance, aside from the patches).
At this time, someone who I was doing some work for expressed interest in the car, so I decided to get 'er done. I was initially going to piece some of the lettering together from Microscale data and Highball lettering sheets, but when my old set of white data fell apart I decided to get it all custom done at once. So, the lettering was pulled based on a few photos, and with the help of iomalley included in a set of decals for Highball to print.
In the meantime, I pulled a set of new Atlas 36" metal wheelsets/trucks from the parts box and weathered them up as well, spraying the sideframes and painting the wheel faces a red-brown rusty paint mix I made up. The wheelsets were larger than the stock 33" ones the kit came with and rubbed on the underside of the body, so I raised the car up with 0.040" styrene bits on the bolsters. This also raised the coupler height, so rather than carve the boxes off and clean the area up to mount new Kadee ones, I used some overset-shank Kadee #42's.
The decalling was added, some gloss to seal, and some flat that faded the black carbody to give it a well-worn look. I had forgotten about the stripe and reflective decals so cut them out of a few Microscale sets. Reassemble and bam, ready for scrap hauling.
I grabbed some of my crushed aluminum scrap bales made from sheets of foil for the load.
Base car:
Time to start the project. I made a few mods to the car to spruce it up a bit: new corner end grabs and stirrups from the ends that were missing them, cut levers, a new brakewheel (I left the high-mounted one the car came with since I initially didn't want to shave it off around one of the end ribs). I then buffed off most of the lettering and shot it with some Tamiya fine surface primer. Next was a custom red-pink-ish mix on the A-end (probably to designate the end with the rotating coupler at one point), and then sprayed the body flat black. The patches were sprayed a gloss/warm black to make them stand out.
I decided to experiment with some weathering, so shot various shades of red, brown, black, and some yellow on the inside to give it a rusty worn look. The exterior initially got some weathering on the bottom and ends to simulate dirt, and a few black and brown washes to dirty up the ends and bottom before and after decalling (most of the lettering is faded with a dirty appearance, aside from the patches).
At this time, someone who I was doing some work for expressed interest in the car, so I decided to get 'er done. I was initially going to piece some of the lettering together from Microscale data and Highball lettering sheets, but when my old set of white data fell apart I decided to get it all custom done at once. So, the lettering was pulled based on a few photos, and with the help of iomalley included in a set of decals for Highball to print.
In the meantime, I pulled a set of new Atlas 36" metal wheelsets/trucks from the parts box and weathered them up as well, spraying the sideframes and painting the wheel faces a red-brown rusty paint mix I made up. The wheelsets were larger than the stock 33" ones the kit came with and rubbed on the underside of the body, so I raised the car up with 0.040" styrene bits on the bolsters. This also raised the coupler height, so rather than carve the boxes off and clean the area up to mount new Kadee ones, I used some overset-shank Kadee #42's.
The decalling was added, some gloss to seal, and some flat that faded the black carbody to give it a well-worn look. I had forgotten about the stripe and reflective decals so cut them out of a few Microscale sets. Reassemble and bam, ready for scrap hauling.
I grabbed some of my crushed aluminum scrap bales made from sheets of foil for the load.
It's tempting to do another if I find a spare MDC car sitting around for cheap. I shot a bunch of different ones on CN before, all hauling scrap. WTLX, JOSX, DJJX, AMGX...and then there's some of the ex-CP bathtub coal gons running around as MWCX...
