I decided to do a little size modification on a HLW 1:24 Flat Car. I had already invested in body mounted couplers and steel wheels, but the overal size was looking just too small for what I now wanted. This actually is a test fit for wanting to change some 1:22.5 Bachmann Tank Cars on Flat Cars to 1:20.3. My objective was to not change the length, but to change the width. This would cause a 26 ft 1:24th flat car to a 22ft 1:20.3 flat car. It would also back date them to smaller, more worn equipment era. Some of my ideas came from Kevin Strong’s work he shows on his website.
The first step was to remove coupler pockets and a little overhang of the decking. I did this with my bandsaw.
I then cleaned off the molded in ladders and flash from the bandsaw with a hobby knife and razor saw.
I glued some scrap wood on the sides that matched the profile of the side of the flat car. This was glued on with regular epoxy that takes overnight to dry. I held it in place with clamps. I used teak, because I have a whole bunch of scrap.
I then glued coffee stir sticks on with first trying regular epoxy and then went to 5 minute epoxy because it held better in a short period of time. The completed car was painted with flat box car red latex, that I buy from the local hardware store by the quart after having it blended to the exact color I want.
Here it is end to end against an AMS 1:20.3 Flat Car.
Some Ozark Minatures details will be applied.
The wood is just some scrap teak I had, that I cut to the dimensions to make the width the same as the Accucraft 1:20.3 flat car. The color is called “Burnt Sienna” or “Box Car Red”. I had it mixed at the local hardware store. Purchased by the quart in flat exterior latex. You can take any small jar of model paint and either take the bottle or a piece of wood or plastic that you have painted with it and the hardware or big box store will stick it under their computer’s lens and create the exact same color.
Here are some more pictures as progress continues adding Ozark Minature detail parts.
A couple more pictures of the progress -
About all that is left is the grab rails.
and a little black wash weathering that has been recommended.
The lettering is Woodland Scenics dry transfers. I layed them out and held them together with scotch tape and then applied them at one time.
A coat of Krylon “Satin” over the lettering and numbers secures the adhesion.
To wrap this project up, grab irons were added in all the locations that they exist on the Accucraft 1:20.3 example and a little “black wash” was added to bring out the detail.
The same process was used to turn Bachmann 1:22.5 tank car to a 1:20.3 tank car. Here I show how the wood was cut and fitted to the frame and then the deck planking was applied.
This was a fun project. It allowed me to upgrade my rolling stock to a closer size that matches my engines and allowed me to keep all the work I’ve done body mounting couplers and other modeling ideas.
Thanks for reading.