Hi guys:
As some of you may know, I'm working a group of four vintage Star Line stock cars. They came lettered for the ATSF but I want to re-name them for the Algoma Eastern that ran from Little Current on the Manitoulin Island to Sudbury, Ontario. Beef cattle were (and still are) big business on the Manitoulin because much of the island is flat grassy plains.
I need data decals for the four stock cars. They came with decals that were barely attached and badly silvered so I have scraped all of them off. However, I'm having a bit of a time finding suitable stock car data decals to replace them. I have the Algoma Eastern name decals which were custom printed, but I don't have and can't find the data decals.
I'm not a rivet counter so I would be willing to fudge the data decals using any period appropriate freight car stuff (1950s). They need to be white. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Bethlehemcarworks.com lists Stock Car K9/11 decals. There is no picture or further description on their website.
Walthers used to have decals of "freight cars of the 50's" but I am not seeing those on the website.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Hey Henry!
You are up as late as I am!
Thanks for the lead on the Bethlehem Car Works decals. I'll give them a call next week to get some more details.
Highball Graphics in Ossipee NH does custom decals. I just used some of their standard B&M Steam loco decals and I was pleased with them.
https://highballgraphics.com/
I don't have any decals specifically for stock cars, and my Champ supplier doesn't list any either, but lettering for a 40 ton boxcar should work for your stock cars. Are the cars 40'ers or 36'ers?
I have, on-hand, enough capacity data to do four 40 ton cars, although the load limit and light weights would be slightly different for two of the cars - not unusual when cars were repaired or altered during their service life. However, for the dimensional data (length, height, etc.), I have only enough similar data to do three cars - the fourth might be a slightly different layout/style, as it would be from a different Champ set. If your cars are 36'ers, I have enough of the dimensional data for you to do all four cars alike. I also have plenty of built dates (pick a year), and, if you want to add them, re-weigh dates and re-pack data, too. I omitted the latter two on my cars, and didn't realise it until they had been in-service for sometime. The layout of the lettering precludes the usual re-weigh data, so I'll have to find an alternative.
Will you be placing the lettering up high on the car, as many Canadian roads did due to the disinfectant treatment (lime, I think) mandated by government regulations?
Anyway, if this will be of any help, send me a PM and we can proceed from there.
Wayne
Hi Wayne!
Thanks for the offer. I'll send you a PM.
By the way, the cars are 40'ers. I will be placing the data up high as per your example.
Hi Old Thumper:
Thanks for the link to Highball Graphics. Before I go that route I'm going to see what I can find in general freight car data. I am not a rivet counter by any means but I do want something that is a decent stand in for the data. If the numbers aren't spot on I'm not going to lose any sleep.
Regards,
I just ordered 3 sets of Micro Scale freight car data decals #87-1. The sheets cover from the 1940s+ so hopefully there will be something there that will be suitable.
Thanks again everyone for your help. I don't know why I missed the Micro Scale decal sheet when I first searched their site and susequently wasted everyones' time, but I do have to say that their search function could be a bit more precise.
Just to update you, I got the Micro Scale decals set #87-1 but the quality of the finer print is a bit disappointing. Much of the fine print can't be read even with my Optivisor. So, I also ordered Highball Graphics freight car decals Set# FCD-5W and the fine print is much clearer.
I have just given the stock cars a coat of rust coloured auto primer after modifying the data boards to be closer to Canadian practises as per doctorwayne (thanks again Wayne for your stellar examples). The next step will be to decide if I like the primer colour as is, or if I want something darker which the cars originally were. I also want to spray the bottom half of the cars a very light grey to mimic the lime spray used to disinfect the cars between shipments. After that it will be Glosscote, decals, Glosscote again and then Dullcote. Then trucks and couplers. The original trucks were sprung, and I have enough old sprung trucks to equip the cars in keeping with their 50+ year age, but the old trucks are not all the same and some of them are a bit cranky. I think I will use new Kadee sprung self centering trucks to make operations reliable. I just scored a bunch of the Kadee trucks on eBay for a very good price.
I'll post pictures here and on WPF when I get them done.
This has been a fun project.
Well, here's the progress to date. I will have to get up enough courage to weather them, and the trucks and wheels have to be painted too, but I'm suffering from some nasty cramps in my back muscles so that stuff will have to wait.
I managed to find enough decals to make them plausible. The ALGOMA EASTERN and A.E. decals were custom made by Highball Graphics. I used data from both Highball Graphics set #FCD-6W 40' Boxcar Modern Gothic, and Champ decals CPR #400487 Caboose, Flanger, Plough. The Champ set provided reasonably believable build dates and repack dates. I had originally ordered MicroScale set #87-1 data decals but their decals were very poorly printed, so much so that they were unreadable even under magnification.
As an aside, I just discovered (or more accurately - rediscovered) today that the proper reporting mark for the railroad should be the A.E.R. I hadn't looked at the historical website for some time. Oh well, too late now!
I used new Kadee #550 Bettendorf Self Centering sprung trucks instead of the collection of old sprung trucks that came with the cars (only two of the four cars came with trucks to begin with). I tried to install InterMountain wheel sets in the old trucks but they would barely stay in place. I'm not sold on the #550 trucks because their claimed self centering ability is hit and miss.
That's all for now.
Nice work, Dave, and a big improvement over the original version.
Thanks Wayne!
They aren't quite up to your standards but I'm happy.
The only thing I'm upset with is that I managed to cave in one of the doors because I was holding the car too tightly. I had to cut off a wee bit of the underside detailing because the new wheels were rubbing. I would have used my Dremel but Dianne was sleeping, so I used my razor saw. The blade kept binding so foolishly I forged ahead instead of being patient and waiting until morning to finish the cuts with the Dremel. I did more damage to the car than anyone had in its 70 year life (kits were last made in 1945). I should have listened to myself saying "no, don't do it....wait until tomorrow...".
Oh well,