I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S BEEN ANOTHER YEAR…..

 

The three cars in the foreground are all O Scale scratchbuilding projects .  Erie DUNMORE caboose, Penn Central G-38 ore jennie, followed by a G-39.   The cars are constructed of a mix of acrylic, styrene, brass, Polybacker, and 3d resin printed brake gear.  

I’d like to say “time flies when you are having fun”, but the “fun” has been mixed with a difficult year since my last post, incredibly slightly over one year ago.  Despite plenty of available work, navigating a business in the world of Covid, ever increasing commodity prices, and a politically divisive environment has been challenging.   With the vaccination available, the election over, and the weather starting to warm, it seemed like the worst was over, and then we had the resurgence thanks to the Delta variant, and since June, I’ve been having fun with multiple kidney stones.   While not a life-threatening condition, these bastards are painful as heck, and make it impossible to do virtually anything, when they are at their worst.  

At the O-Scale Club, we are under the rules and regulations of our landlord, the Grace Episcopal Church, but have been thankfully allowed to meet again for the past few months.   We had our first open house, since January of 2020, two weekends ago, with two more to come in December, and four in January.  Everyone over 2 years old, regardless of vaccination status, has to be masked in the building. The church received thousands of masks from either the state or US government,  which we are able to make available to the sizable percentage of folks that show up without them, despite our flyers and everywhere else clearly indicating the church’s policy.   So far no morons making a ruckus about this minor inconvenience.  We are also hosting the local NMRA Division meet in January.   We had almost 300 visitors at our first open house - in four hours.    We also just received a donation of a large railroad book collection that we will have out for sale beginning with our December open houses.   It’s a nice collection and includes the complete, six volume Central Vermont history.  If anyone is looking for that rare set, please let me know - we would probably accept a very favorable offer.

My O-Scale freight car scratchbuilding spree continues.  I have over thirty of the PRR/PC/CR  G38/39/39a  ore jennies under various stages of construction, with the ultimate goal of around 50.   Additionally, I am on my third Erie DUNMORE Caboose; mostly have completed six Georgia Pacific 60’ Thrall Pulpwood Racks; tank construction of four Seaboard whale belly Pneumatic Covered Hopper (they were technically tank cars); four liquid phosphate tank cars, per recent RMC plans; and a half dozen various tank cars, including a six axle Monsanto elemental phosphorous whale belly tank.   I will try to update with in-progress posts of these projects more often.   As many of these are being scratchbuilt using digital fabrication, I plan to make some or all available for purchase, as “parts kits”.  I don’t want to get into fancy packaging, or spending many hours writing, editing, and illustrating instructions, but do plan on posting YouTube videos of the construction process of each.  

I am also scratchbuilding an O-Scale ALCO C415 locomotive.  I’ll have more on this too, but suffice to say, the short hood, cab, frame, and power trucks are all complete.  Left are long hood, which is mostly designed in Fusion 360, and then all the railings, fuel tanks, and other details.  The railings are proving to be one of the harder items to work out.  

What about the HO Steel Mill Layout?  Well good new there, especially since this was originally a steel mill modeling blog.  The layout is cleared off of O Scale detritus, and I’ve been running trains on there for the past month, after around four years of dormancy.   I intend to get back working on the structures and layout soon.  Since this was last worked on, my improved digital fabrication equipment, should speed up the process.  The hardest thing for me right now, is what to start on.  

The reason the layout is no longer an O Scale storage shelf,  is the almost completion of my new 20’x8’ model shop - complete enough that I moved in to it.   This shop holds my primary workstation - a 20’x2’ workbench,  a new spray booth, my 3d printers, my laser cutter, my model and real railroad books, magazines, and other research files, some of my collection of railroad and other crap, and eventually, an O Scale, Proto 48 shelf layout.  

The digital fabrication corner - laser cutter, 3d resin and filament printers.  

The already messy new workbench.  

BOOKS FROM ENGLAND

 For years, I’ve picked up the English model railroad magazine,  Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modeling Review.    Despite mostly dealing with UK prototypes (occasional US prototypes) it is my favorite, and in my opinion, best modeling magazine out there.   Doug’s Trains in Claymont, Delaware, used to carry them, but haven’t for around 4 years.  I was told there that the publisher died and there was and interruption in publication, but since it’s been published again, Doug’s hasn’t been getting it.  This led me to miss out on a few years of issues (four a year).  I managed to fill in what I missed via eBay, but kept meaning to get around to paying for a subscription, which I did two weeks ago.   It’s 45 pounds a year to get in US - somewhere around $60 a year - still worth it for me.  

The first magazine came via air mail in less than 6 days from ordering it.  While I was ordering from them, I got the few back issues I didn’t have from past few years, and purchased two books - The Crowsnest Chronicles and WDLR Companion.   

The Crowsnest Chronicles is first-rate, and incredibly cheap - 10 pounds, around $13 US.  It’s a nice paper bound 96 page book, with 174 photographs and 25 drawings, diagrams, and plans.   The modeling is outstanding and something to aspire too, but better, the techniques and materials are explained.   It’s the author’s  ramblings of his construction of locomotives, buildings, cars, track, and scenery, for a series of narrow gauge dioramas from the early 1970s to the present, based on a fictional narrow gauge prototype.  It starts out in O scale but ends up in 16mm, which is a popular scale in England to model 2’, or 600mm narrow gauge prototypes.  It works out to around 1/19 scale but the track is pretty much O scale - in US would be like Gn2 or maybe Fn2.  

The second book WDLR Companion, was a bit more expensive, 32 pounds.  It’s about the Western Department Light Rail WWI trench railways.   The same publisher put out a book six years ago called the WDLR Album, which is out of print now.  This book is a companion and stand alone book, with photos, drawings, and interesting history.  Not something I will ever model, but WWI light railways have always been interesting to me.  Carstens, now White River, published Narrow Gauge to No-Mans Land, they might still have available, which is about the US light rail system in WWI.   The WDLR is the British system.  These railroads were operated in dangerous, harsh conditions to supply the front line, and move wounded to the rear.    As an aside, one of these 600mm trench railroad systems was relocated after the war to nearby Ft Dix, and used to transport troops to and from the ranges.   They have I believe a car in their museum still.  

Besides excellent writing and drawings, the quality and layout of these books are first rate.  

BOOK REVIEW - West Floria Rails. Volume 3. Bone Valley Phosphate Operations

 

You know you’ve bought too many Morning Sun books, when you start looking at subjects far from home, west Florida to be exact.   In all fairness, I’d always been interested in the Bone Valley area, but there wasn’t really much out there about it.  For those not familiar, the Bone Valley is in central west Florida, and has the largest deposits of phosphate in the US  Phosphate is primarily used for agricultural fertilizer, but also other things, like giving soft drinks their unique tangy kick.  From a railroad/industrial standpoint, the area would be comparable to the coal regions of West Virginia or eastern PA - lots of trains, in a small area, pulling the same stuff.  The difference would be that the Bone Valley peaked in the 70’s and 80’s, in terms of output, so the locomotives and rolling stock are more modern.  The rolling stock is also very unique and interesting - a mix of open and covered hoppers, with a smattering of tank cars carrying acid.  The hopper cars are fairly specific to hauling phosphate.  

The book is nicely laid out, with good maps (something many Morning Sun books lack).   Excellent descriptions of the photos.  Subject matter not confined to solely locomotives.  Plenty of photos from afar, and also plenty without a locomotive.   Interesting subject, well described.  

WEATHERING CARS - STEP 1 FILTERS

I use my own cobbled together method for weathering freight cars.  Generally, it’s three steps - 4-5 coats of various filters,  oil washes and highlighting, and finally dry powders.    For filters I use Vallejo Air colors, thinned about 3 or 4 to 1 and applied with an air brush.   Generally I do 3-4 coats on body and then turn upside down and do two or so coats from under, spraying upward to simulate dust and dirt from the roadbed.    My go to is a medium grey for the car bodies, and a dark earth for under frames.   The photo shows identical cars, one with three coats of a grey filter, the other nothing.  It illustrates how well the filter fades the bright colors.  

Since I model the PC era, I take into consideration the dates on the cars, and the use of the car to determine how much or how little weathering.  

ERIE DUNMORE CABOOSE BUILD, CONTINUED

This is the Dunmore caboose in O-Scale, almost ready for the paint shop.  

This sandwich bag contains all the laser cut parts to build the above caboose.  Besides these, there are a few Evergreen structural shapes, some wire, and Grandtline AB brake gear.  

DIGITAL FABRICATION - G-39 and G-38 Ore Jennies continued.....

 

The first G-39 was completed a few weeks ago.  The photo above was from a test run on the Cherry Valley O-Scale layout.  The white car to the right is the prototype G-38.  The G-38 was the original PRR home built “modern era” Jennie.  1000 of the G-38s were built in the very early 1960s, soon followed by 2000 of the G-39s and G-39As.  Much of the two cars are identical, with the exception of the additional 18” of height on the G-39s, the absence of steam lance portholes, and the much larger, pusher bumpers.  The G-39 was built coincidentally with the emergence of taconite pelletized iron ore.  The 70 ton rating of the G-38s couldn’t be realized with the lighter taconite.  With the higher sides, the G-39 could carry the full 70 tons of ore.   In the Penn Central era I’m modeling in O-Scale, the ore trains were a mixture of both versions of the car.  I hadn’t originally intended to model the G38s, but for prototype fidelity, I changed my mind.  Some of the laser cut files need to be adjusted and parts added or eliminated, but overall, much of the work had already been done, and the assembly was similar.   The first G-38 is complete, painted, and partially weathered.  I need to do some final weathering with oil paints and chalks and it will be good to go.  At this time, I have about 24 G-38s and 39s under various stages of construction.  The ultimate goal is around 45-50.    Again, the laser cut parts, the laser drilled holes, and the laser alignment marks, makes assembly easy and fun.    I have a number of other O-Scale projects of similar nature underway - an Erie Dunmore Caboose, a 60’ tank car, an 85’ TTX piggyback flat, and a Seaboard Pneumatic whale belly covered hopper.   I’ll be posting about these occasionally, under the Digital Fabrication heading.   All these cars are being built from scratch, with the intention of production of multiple cars, using digital fabrication to speed, simplify, and add precision to their construction.   They are being built of a variety of materials, primarily plastics, and using a CNC router, a laser cutter, and multiple 3D printers.  

STEEL MILL MODELING AGAIN, SORT OF.... G39 PRR Ore Jennie

 I’d mentioned in one of my more recent posts, that I was attempting to model the PRR G-39 ore jennie in O Scale 2 rail, using a combination of traditional scratchbuilding techniques and digital fabrication.   This is the car I am talking about - 

The PRR built 1000 of the G-39 ore jennies in the earlier 1960s.  They were to augment the thousand car fleet of G-38 ore jennies, that PRR built around 1960.   The underframe, general construction, width and length of the G-39 was essentially the same as the G-38, however, the G39 was 18” higher.  The extra height became necessary with the emergence of taconite ore.  Taconite pellets were lighter and, because of their rounded shape, there was more air space within the load.  The G-38 ore jennies were maxing out in volume, but not weight with taconite.  Adding 18” to the car, increased the amount of taconite that could be carried, up to the weight capacity of the car.  Some other improvements were made, notably, the oversized bumpers at each corner of the car.  These bumpers were to minimize damage at the ore piers by the narrow gauge pusher cars.

 Overall, the G38 and G39s were successful as purpose built cars.  They were four or five tons lighter and significantly shorter than the hoppers the PRR had been using to haul ore.  They had no bottom doors, meaning they could only be unloaded using a rotary dumper.   They were used in service between PRR ore docks in Cleveland and Philadelphia, to the inland steel mills, including my favorite, Bethlehem Steel.  Both the G38s and the G39s survived well into the Penn Central and Conrail Eras.

I am modeling the Penn Central in O Scale, roughly 1968-1976.   How this all started was the purchase of two Alco 630 locomotives.  The big Alcos were concentrated by the Penn Central in and around Mingo Junction, specifically for use pulling mineral trains to and from the steel mills.   I thought a string of these cars would look great behind them.    The only trouble with this plan, was that this car was never offered in O-Scale (it was in HO).  Looking at scratchbuilding 40-50 of these cars, I realized the laser and CNC were going to be important tools, to produce exactly identical parts, allow for the use of tabbing and slots to align parts without measuring tools or squares, etch markings in the plastic for part locations, and my personal favorite, and you will know what I mean if you have ever built a resin kit,  laser cutting/drilling 95% of the holes for the grab irons and other wire parts.  

The car floor is .125 acrylic.  The car sides, rim, steps/ladder verticals, coupler mounts, and underframe parts were made of .060 laser cut acrylic. The ribs were CNC cut from .100 styrene.     There is also some .020 styrene laser cut parts, as well as .020 laser cut polybacker for much of the detail.   Additionally, there is a mix of Evergreen strips and structural members used, along with wire, and Grandtline brake parts.   I’ll get into the actual development and construction of this model in more detail in a later blog or YouTube video.  

This is the first completed car - technically Version 5.0.  There were some very minor corrections made and construction of the first ten cars of Version 6.0 are underway.    Looking at more prototype photos while designing and constructing the model, I realized that Penn Central ore trains were a mix of G-39s and the older G-38s.   The ratio was typically 2-1, with the 39s being the more prevalent car.   Being that the G-38 is similar or identical in many aspects,  a slight redesign of the CAD files enabled me to make the G-38 also.  I still have to work out the ladder, end details, and the 32 steam lance portholes.   Despite this cars simple appearance, it is very difficult to model, especially the ladders and end gear.  I believe this is because you are dealing with sloping sides, ladders that joint on the corners, and partially rest on poling bumpers, that are themselves extremely angular.   I hope, as I build more, these elements go faster.