Walthers 54' Bulkhead flat car

Discussion in 'Flatcars' started by gjslsffan, Jun 30, 2013.

  1. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    This is a Walthers 54' bulkhead. Thanks to John Peluso and Ken Wulfert for the help and information. I put all those boards in individually. I think I will use one of those deck kits next time.

    001.JPG 003.JPG
     
  2. Oldguy

    Oldguy Member Frisco.org Supporter

    That looks real good!
     
  3. Jim James

    Jim James Staff Member Staff Member

    Well shut my mouth. That looks super realistic. Great job.
     
  4. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Lookin' good Tom! Now go out and load her up with individual sticks of cordwood!

    FYI, your decals are on the way.

    The individual boards may be the way to go for the end bulkheads. The deck kit end board stick-ons are way to thin to be used alone. On the car I am now working on (Walthers #932-3750), I'll either have to use individual boards as you did for the bulkheads, or, use the plastic bulkheads from the kit, but with the decking material applied to it (both sides). That may result in bulkhead planking that looks too thick.

    Haven't decided just what to do yet. But, I still have time ..... working on the frame and body details now. Will be in the SLSF 5250 series, using the Oddballs #172 decals and ModelMaster Insignia Yellow enamel paint airbrushed on. Trucks should be Scullin 70-ton roller bearing trucks - I'll probably use the Tichy #3009's.

    Nice kit. I built one earlier as just a plain GSC flat (pics are in my album). I miss-numbered it as SLSF 5250 (which are all bulkhead cordwood flats). Should be in the SLSF 2000 series, many of which were rebuilt into the SLSF 5200 bulkhead flats like the car you modeled.

    Ken
     
  5. geep07

    geep07 Member

    Ken,

    Is the Walthers #932-3750 discontinued or out of production? Would not come up on their web site.

    John
     
  6. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    John - don't know for sure; I've had my two kits for several years.

    As you note, typically, if the item does not register on the Walthers catalog site, it is long gone and will not be reproduced. Too bad, as it is a very nice representation of the GSC flat.

    A call to Walthers would confirm this.

    Ken
     
  7. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Thanks guys
    I used Midwest scale lumber #8017 for the boards. it shows as 4X6 as the 2X6 is too thin for the application. After I glued all these in place I block sanded the whole deck down to fit the cars deck height. It was a pain but worth it I guess. Didn't take any down on shots but left a few of the boards out on the ends and you can see right down to the wheels. I might mangle a few of the boards on the bulkheads as well, they sure take a beating.

    So Ken-I thought they were ASF ride control trucks for the roller bearing version. As noted in Mr. Molo's book, on page 86 that particular car was sportin some friction bearing trucks.
    Thanks Guys
     
  8. geep07

    geep07 Member

    The story of my luck, a nickel late and a dime short!
     
  9. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Tom -

    The Frisco car diagram book for the SLSF 5200-5249 bulkhead flat cars shows them riding on ASF A3 "Ride Control" trucks with Stucki roller bearings. Keep in mind these cars were rebuilt in 1962 from the SLSF 2000-2099 & 2100-2154 plain GSC flats which the Frisco built in 1956. The diagram for these cars shows them riding on either ASF A3 or Scullin trucks, but with "friction" journal bearings. Perhaps your 5208 is still due to receive its roller bearing trucks at its next shoping? Sounds good to me!

    I don't see a 5200-5249 in Molo. Am I overlooking it?

    I have my incorrectly numbered SLSF 5250 plain GSC flat riding on Kato A3's, so when I renumber it to the correct 2000-2154 class, at least I won't have to retruck it. I got something right on it!

    Ken
     
  10. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    No Sir, its not in Molo's book. I just noticed that bulkhead flat car was on friction bearings at that late of a date. So I used Athearn roller bearing trucks. Who makes a better ASF 70 ton roller bearing truck, that would be right? I would like to get a decent set of trucks under it. I got another undec kit to finish.
    Thanks!!
     
  11. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Tom -

    The HO industry is not very kind to we ASF A3 Ride Control fans. There are all kinds of Barber S-2's, in 70t and 100t roller bearings, but few good choices for the ASF A3 with r/b's.

    Take a look at the Walthers trucks that come with the kit. They can pass as an A3 - note the wedges. The Tichy roller bearing truck (I think it is #3009) also can fill in. Use 33" wheels as it is a 70 ton truck. I also have a pair of trucks in my truck box that has no name on it, is a bit husky for a 70t truck, but says "Ride Control" on the side frame and has wedges. I'll either use those, or the Walthers trucks in the kit.

    We have some good choices for ASF A3's with friction bearings, but not so many for roller bearings, in particular 70 ton.

    It really doesn't matter - few people pay any attention to the trucks under a nice looking car ..... except for us truck geeks!

    I have a good friend, who's name you know (he is a railroad writer, not in frisco.org). He is an excellent modeler, and is one of the ultimate truck geeks. Like me, he was trained by "Truck Professor" Richard Hendrickson, but he has a PhD in truck geekology vs my simple BS degree. He gets absolutely livid when he sees a very well done model that someone has worked very hard on to make it just right, but then puts the wrong truck under it. It happens.

    Ken
     
  12. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

  13. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Hey - those look really good. I think I'll do likewise!

    Thanks.

    Ken
     
  14. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Ken
    Lets try to figure this out.
    Where the bulkhead attaches to the flat car, the inboard bulkheads are attached to the wood decking more than the end sill. Do you think the car men would have fill the the entire hole in w metal or just to where the bulkheads attached?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 2, 2013
  15. Rancho Bob

    Rancho Bob Member

    Beautiful car! What I'd really like to see is the Drywall B-flat built from the old gons.

    Buck
     
  16. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Thanks Buck
    Now that sounds interesting, A bulkhead out of a flat bottom Gon? Which ones? Guess I had not noticed these. HHHMMM
     
  17. friscobob

    friscobob Staff Member Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Nice bulkhead flat there, Tom! Those Walthers kits are great starting points for the 5200-series pulpwood flats- I built two, and have several more kits to build some more. In the area I'm modeling, I used to see a bunch of these cars hauling pulpwood from Antlers & Ft. Towson to the Nekoosa paper mill in Ashdown.
     
  18. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Tom - Hard to tell, looks like part of the inner two bulkhead supports should sit on the wood. The Walthers and AMB Laser Kit instructions don't shed any light on the details in the area of the bulkhead steel supports. All four of the supports are attached to the steel end sill, and the two outside supports fully to the car side sill as well. You would think that there must be some additional steel support bracing under the wood deck end quarter inserts to fully support the inner two bulkhead supports.

    Somewhere I remember a good, detailed article on the GSC flat car - perhaps Mainline Modeler? I'll have to look for it. Perhaps it will give us a better clue as to the details of the steel and wood that is there on the end deck.

    Ken
     
  19. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Thanks Bob,
    I would like to see some photos of those cars, I bet they look great. Looks like you could put a lot of wood on one of these. When are you coming back out to GJ?

    Yea Ken,
    I cant help but think they would have been attached to steel on the inside supports too. Not a big deal at all just curious now.
    Thanks Guys
     
  20. friscobob

    friscobob Staff Member Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    [​IMG]

    Here ya go- the flooring is 0.020" sheet styrene, scored down the middle and slightly bent upward. IIRC, the car is painted Reefer Yellow. Yes, I did notice the crooked metal top bracing at the end- it has since been reattached. The weathering was done with chalk powder, representing the dust, rust and grime associated with hauling numerous cords of pulpwood. The wheelsets were plastic in this picture- I'll be replacing them with metal ones down the road. The only woodrack car offered by the manufacturers that are close to being correct for Frisco are from Atlas, but they're the 40-foot models.
     

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