I found what has to be one of the last remaining Moloco transfer caboose kits at the hobby shop a couple months ago, so I decided to take a crack at modeling this caboose: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1543998 Here it is as soon as I'd finished painting it: And here it is today after some more decals and a round of weathering: I only had the one photo to work from, so much of the weathering is just imagined. And until I find a good way to do the streaks as the defined lines they are, it will have to miss the mark on the weathering.
I think you hit a home run with this project. I love a rather obscure or seldom modeled subject and you did a great job! The weathering is very convincing in my opinion. Nice scenery to boot.
Great job, R C H! I've been procrastinating final assembly and painting of mine because I wasn't sure how to paint the deck of the car, but your treatment looks pretty good -- and I guess you painted the lot after assembly. Cheers, Colin
Thanks, Jim. The scenery is my Free-mo module of Dalwor Junction here in Fort Worth on the former Rock Island. Although this caboose was used in Pensacola, FL and not in Texas, Frisco trains would travel through Dalwor Junction to BN North Yard in the post merger era. They still do, in fact, even if they are powered by bnsF motors. Colin, to be honest, I'm still not sure about the deck. I painted it as if it were a nailable steel floor with the paint coming up off the deck especially in the footpaths. If it is a wooden deck, I may have to go back and repaint it. In that case I would paint it as a weathered wood surface and then drybrush on some of the yellow color where it would be worn off. I assembled the cupola/body and the flatcar as two separate components before I painted the base yellow color. I installed the window frame and glass in the openings after the paint had cured, then attached the body to the flatcar. That's about the point the first two photos were taken. Then I masked the windows off and finished the decals, applied the weathering and a sealer coat of dull lacquer.
RCH, I am thinking to do the same thing, I found the transfer kit, couple of months ago. Is that a Red Caboose Flat and what did you use for the wire between the uprights? Thanks to Karl, I have the decals, color of yellow? Nice Job. Bill Jackson
Nice work rch. I, too, have yet to build the Moloco kit with the Red Caboose flat car - have 'em both waiting on the shelf. Your pics just might stimulate me to get going! Thanks. Ken
Thanks, Bill. Yes, that's a Red Caboose kit. I used styrene rod for the horizontal railing between the stanchions provided with the kit. The vertical and curved grabs are 0.12" dia. brass wire. The chief advantage of using styrene rod is being able to attach the railing with solvent cement rather than CA, which makes a brittle joint. The wire grabs are more or less protected from damage by the railings. The yellow is a 1:1 mix of Testors Light Yellow enamel and Model Master Insignia Yellow enamel.
I sure hope my project is the push you need, Ken. It was a fun build and has me inspired to acquire a Frisco switcher to drag it around.
A switcher? Modify a Kato or Athearn GP35 and add Torpedo Tubes! There's a great thread on this here: http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?6451-GP-35-(Torpedo-Boat)-Modification I'm not sure if it's prototypical, but in my version of history it is
Thanks! BTW 0.015" = 0.4mm... 4mm is a bit fat I'd assumed Evergreen, their thinnest is 0.02" = 0.5mm
I just looked at the catalog listing, Colin! I can't be counted on to make metric/imperial measurement conversions - that's above my pay grade.
Richard, y'all are welcome to use my photos (I can link you to the full size versions or try to take some better photos later), but as far as a description there's not much to tell. I just followed the instructions on the Moloco package. The only things I improvised are the vertical and curved grabs and the smokejack (it's carved from a tee section of the sprue that came with the Moloco kit).
0.015" x 25.4 mm/inch is 0.38 mm. 0.38 mm/3.5 mm per foot in HO scales to 0.109 feet, or 1.306 inches, or just under 1 5/16 inches, diameter handrail. A piece of 1 inch schedule 40 PVC pipe is about 1.318 inches. George
I didn't say it had to be a long article. Send me your pictures, and tell me what you did and why because there are a lot of group members that have never built a transfer caboose.
The curved grab, that is used to get on, while the car is moving. I suppose, you need to get that extra? Anyone part #? I am building mine now. The yellow is nice. William Jackson
