Frisco Modern 86/89' and 60' Flat cars HO scale

Tom -

My equipment register book is from July, 1979.

SLSF 3705 is listed as an 89 ft car, class F119, six cars, SLSF 3702-3707. Width is 8'4". Overall length 95'8'. Capacity 139,000 lbs. Truck centers = 70'.

Ken

 

Thanks Guys,
Tony, I guess that answers it, no 86 footers at all.
I got lucky and numbered the 60 footers right.

Ken, It's 8'4" wide? Can you believe I just measured my 89' after the milling and it is exactly 8'4" wide
Im gonna go buy a Lotto ticket.
Great info guys thanks,
Tom Holley

 

Thanks Karl
I overlooked that thread.
Thanks for letting me know about it, good information.
Tom Holley

 

Note that SLSF 3700 and 3701 are slightly wider that 3702-3707. But, 3700 and 3701 weigh less.

Ken

 

|-|Yes Sir, the rub rails, car widths, circus type ramps and all, a few different models from the same class of car for sure. Other than passenger equipment, 89' freight cars were not the norm in the early sixties.|-|
Tom Holley

 

I sure wish those diagrams included the placement of the lettering.
Tom Holley

 

Tom - Do you have the pic of SLSF 3700? You can tell the majority of the lettering placement from it.

Ken

 

Ken,
Yes I dd notice the 3700 after a second look Only thing is the car I am modeling uses the newer Sans Sheriff type font lettering and it is placed in a different location per the Condren photo.
I would guess that I could use most of the same stuff, just relocate the ones necessary
Tom Holley

 

Life indeed has its complications!

Ken

 

Cant remember where I heard. "life is full of little miseries".
Tom Holley

 

|-|Here it is. I am sure it is not 100% prototypically correct. But again, close enough for me. Included is a shot of one of the loads (3) that will be on this car. note the loads are made of random stuff that could be found in about any garage or house. These loads will get a tarp and loaded on to skids.|-|
Tom Holley

 

And now the finished product. SL-SF 89' Flat # 3705
Weathered with chalks and thin washes of paints. The loads were painted with contact cement then sandwich baggies stretched over the loads trimmed around the bottoms and then I used thin drafting tape to hold the bottoms of the tarps down while painting and finishing. Painted the tarps with Acrylics and after many heavy coats I put another thin piece of drafting tape around them all so the metal bands would show. I think they reasonably represent what a load would look like I hope.

The loads are sitting on some Boley truck beds that were removed to make those M of W rigs. Made plates to sit them on to the flat car to kinda simulate welded adapter plates for transporting the heavy loads.
Had a lot of fun making this car.
Tom Holley

 

Now that's what it's all about. Outstanding use of common items to create some realistic first rate modeling. Hats off to you.

 

Both the car and the loads look great Tom! Another gem.

OK, what's next now?

Ken

 

Thanks Jim and Ken
Jim- Necessity being the mother of invention and all, but it took me a couple tries. I used a napkin like material soaked with thin ACC first, it had a harder more robust finish, but did not look right. Then after scraping all that off I went with the baggies, then they would not glue to the wood Found an old bottle of "Mountains in Minutes" contact glue and it worked The tarps are not a stuff as I would have liked but they look better.

Ken- I have been told that the dozen SLSF IM 4750 cuft hoppers are on the way I guess there will be some re-#ing going on soon.
But in the way of something new? HHMM I dont know. Did get the latest catalogs from PSC. I understand you can buy HO scale, 1 1/2 - 2" pipes, fittings, elbows and all
Tom Holley

 

Tom, as the others, I think you did an outstanding job. I would like to try to reproduce the green color and texture of canvas tarps that used to be around before all the newer polymer types. You have given me some ideas about the possibility of using old, finely woven handkerchiefs as the basis.

 

Thanks Keith and Bill,
I would agree. The tighter the weave the better huh? You could use diluted Elmer's glue to stiffen the canvass. Maybe use Olive drab or the like to paint it.

Bill, did they ship one crate with the switch machine parts under tarp, then the frogs, points and rail on the same car exposed? On like a 50 or 60' flat? Interesting company load.
Thanks
Tom Holley