Hi, Dave,
I would encourage you to build one of the Labelle kits. I love older wood coaches, etc., so I ordered one of their Chapel Car kits, since I don't have many passengers on my short line. I survived rounding the roof ends very well, and had a very good time assembling the kit. It is awesome!!
Steve
I think you’re onto something. When I started reading MR in the ‘70s, a lot of people (Olson, Allen, Furlow, McClelland, Hegge, Moore) were building every component of comparatively small layouts. They made their own scenery, scratchbuilt cars or heavily modified kits and RTR equipment. Whatever the other merits of their efforts, the result was a layout that had a higher degree of artistic unity: everything reflected the skills, techniques and vision of the builder. It was just as easy to pick out the bones of the Mantua kit underneath, but when I look back at that era- even when the models were cruder- that sense of everything somehow fitting together is my strongest impression Of some of my favorite modelers.
http://mprailway.blogspot.com
"The first transition era - wood to steel!"
I have a car I got used around 1960. It has a wood floor. It's an ice bunker reefer (Pabst Blue Ribbon) with thin metal sides. It's been brought up to modern standards with Intermountain wheelsets and Kadee couplers.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
First wood kit I built was a Cliff Line caboose. I have been packing to move and consolidated all the unbuilt wood kits into one box. There are enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life. This time, I plan to finish those I started and start and finish the rest. If you look at all the untouched kits on eBay, it makes you think there are more unbuilt than built.
Ken Vandevoort
I personally would rather fix someone elses work and add extra detail as long as you have a good base to work off of. Finding Z mouldings in the right size to match old kits can be near impossible sometimes.
andychandler I think wood kits offer great learning tool for scratch building.
My thinking exactly. A few wood kit's under my belt and the next thing you know, POOF, A two story building was on my workbench. I built it out of scale 2 X 4 's and built a complete interior for it.
( I kinda "cheated" on two of the wall's . I used a sheet of scribed siding.... then I figured out I could make it myself, board by board..... then I figured out ... that was too slow ! So I went back to the scribed siding. )
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Crystalriver1I would encourage you to build one of the Labelle kits. I love older wood coaches, etc., so I ordered one of their Chapel Car kits, since I don't have many passengers on my short line. I survived rounding the roof ends very well, and had a very good time assembling the kit. It is awesome!! Steve
Hi Steve:
Thanks for the encouragement!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I have a Quality Craft Northeast caboose in my stash, waiting to be built. I'd get another, if I come across them, if only to get more cabees that AREN'T the P2K ones. Gets boring just changing numbers all the time. Funny thing is, the WOOD kit is for the STEEL version of the caboose.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
While we are discussing the "woodies" we have built I will throw in my two wood kits both was Silver Streaks B&O I-5 cabooses that look pretty darn good with my Athearn/Hobbytown GP7s.
Guys,I dunno but,some times I miss that era.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
BRAKIE While we are discussing the "woodies" we have built I will throw in my two wood kits both was Silver Streaks B&O I-5 cabooses that look pretty darn good with my Athearn/Hobbytown GP7s. Guys,I dunno but,some times I miss that era.
Frank
Rip TrackDuring my last trip to my LHS, I noticed a few Ulrich kits. Anyone have experience with them?
Ulrich all-metal kits were at the top end of my budget when I got into model railroading in the mid-'50s, but I did manage to scrape up enough for this drop-bottom gondola...
It had working drop-doors (only the four mid-car ones actually opened), but I cemented them shut, as I prefer "live" (loose) loads for my open cars, and the doors would sometimes open of their own accord. I should also upgrade the brake gear, by the looks of it.
Ulrich also offered offset side hoppers with working outlet gates, and I recall seeing some very nice old-time shortie passenger cars, with open platforms. I wouldn't mind getting a couple more gondolas like the one in the photo, and perhaps one or two of those passenger cars, too.
...perhaps I should update the details a bit, and use it regardless.
Wayne
They also had wood boxcars and others, the passenger cars were shorties like some of the MDC ones and are identical to Laconias's I beleive. When you get into building old wood cars you will notice they get more detailed as time moved on and the more detailed ones lived on as companys changed, like Campbell "Campbell aquired parts of True Scale"or went under like Loconia.
Ulrich....you bet, I have over 100 built-ups of two and three bay hoppers, regular gondolas, and drop bottom gondolas. Although by today's standards, possibly crude...never the less, quite excellent and can be easily upgraded if necessary. They are mostly die cast metal and the gondolas had wood floors. I have found that plastic, brass, die cast, and wood rolling stock each have a unique look. For me, to simulate a metal car is with a metal model. My almost 2000 wood kit/scratch built cars are mostly of wood prototypes. My wood built-ups of metal box cars, passenger, and hoppers have been heavily sanded and sealed to simulate wood, and do so fairly well, but still maintain the look of a wood car, which is what I love so much.
Again, certainly not gospel...only my taste.
HZ
Like their gon, Ulrich's stock and outside-braced box both had wood sides under the cast metal bracing. I take that to mean that I can heavily weather one, and easily remove a few boards, as appropriate.
The Ulrich twin hoppers had opening doors. The triple had a linkage that would open all three doors when the car hit a trip pin.
I think the triple was patterned after a B&LE 90 ton car, and that the trucks had outside brake hangers.
Funny how what looks crude now didn't look crude 60 years ago.
Ed