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 Posted - January 01 2007 : 12:56:23 AM
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My first and still really only true "kitbash" attempt:
PROTOTYPE INFO:
These cars were built by Pullman-Standard in 1972 to B&O specifications. The B&O was the only railroad to own these, and a few years later placed an order with FMC for a similar car. The 1972 PS version is pictured above. Only about 300 of these cars were ever built, and they still roll in CSX paint today. The doors were offset toward the “A” end of the car, to allow forklifts to maneuver a full carload of fragile aluminum stock rolls without damaging them by swinging back and forth through a traditional center door. A movable bulkhead in the “A” end secured the load. These are striking cars, in large part because the huge “Ches-C” logo in the center immediately calls attention to the unusual design… which in classic Chessie System PR style, is explained to the public by naming the car too!
No commercial plastic kit has ever been produced, so I kitbashed an Athearn Pullman Standard 5344 boxcar kit, which is a close match as a starting point:
• I cut the sidewalls off, leaving the roof and ends as one piece. I measured and divided the walls into 3 sections each, rearranged, and glued them back together. This was not as easy as it sounds because each side became unique, so the locations of the side ribs had to be accounted for so they would not end up being offset when the door sections were relocated. I scratchbuilt new ribs as required, puttied the gaps and sanded as appropriate.
• I scratch built the thicker braced door tracks along the roof toward the “B” end.
• The tack boards were removed from the side walls, and the jacking pads were shaved off and relocated to match the prototype.
• The rib-mounted door latches were carefully removed and relocated appropriately for the door that would now open to its left…
• Assembled details, then airbrushed Enchantment Blue and gloss-coated for decal prep.
• Herald King made a decal set for this car, but it needs a lot of work (the drawing in the decal kit is nowhere close to the prototype – it even uses a plug-door box)! A TON of cutting was necessary to make everything (especially the Ches-C logo) fit right, as the decals didn’t account for spanning / fitting anything between the ribs at all! Unfortunately there is no “Chessie Safety Bowling Ball” decal that I know of, so that’s missing. I sealed with Dullcote when done.
• As [my typical rotten] luck would have it, after all that work, this car later became the only one to ever take a tumble from the layout, so I had to scratch build new stirrups out of wire to fix the ones that broke.
This was a fun project. The best part is I now have a model that very few other people do.
Picture I took in Cumberland, MD in 2002:
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Posted - January 01 2007 : 12:26:06 PM
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Impressive work! It is a striking car with that huge logo and it's contrasting colors.
Alco Fan
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 Posted - January 02 2007 : 11:52:48 AM
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Excellent Work GIC! Interesting Prototype!
Tony Cook
HO-Scale Trains Resource
http://ho-scaletrains.net
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Country: USA ~
Posts: 1658 ~
Member Since: December 03 2005 ~
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