Standard gauge. I might have to build one of these.
Ralph, I didn’t know. I never used the Krylon spray. My rolling stock lives inside so it doesn’t sprout legs and walk away.
David Maynard said:
Ralph, I didn’t know. I never used the Krylon spray. My rolling stock lives inside so it doesn’t sprout legs and walk away.
I’ve tried the Krylon and another brand that I bought from the same company I bought the waterproof vinyl I use for signs. Neither one kept the colored ink from fading. I looked into maybe buying UV protected ink, but that was a bit out of my price range.
Well, since I use paint, my signs don’t fade all that fast.
John, thanks for the info about the D&RGW NG Reefers.
I’m thinking of doing that on an Accucraft 1:20.3 reefer, I made the mock-up image below with text borrowed from the LGB 4174 model. I noticed the LGB model reads: ‘D.&R.G.W.R. MONT. STATE ROUTE’ instead.
http://www.shourtline.swl4.com/LGB_4174_D&RGRY_Orange_Reefer_New.html
Andrew
I have spent a little while looking for an idea on painting the renovated boxcar. USA trains have many billboards designs but there is far, far too much detail to have to reproduce.
I did see a couple of simple designs on the Lionel website.
Original text removed from here and a newer test and pic posted:
A reefer which has been kindly made for me by ShawmutCarShops in PA. It is somewhere between here and there at present so I decided to post a pic now as it may not arrive here until after the
ECLSTS Show. Jeff, Shawmutcarshops, will be at(http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/post/238815/edit) York so look him up and view - maybe buy - some of his work.
The first piece of rolling stock I got for the layout was an LGB billboard boxcar.
This is a great thread Boomer, full of good prototype, historical and modelling information. Thank you for sharing all your efforts with us.
Just a few miscellaneous unasked-for personal views that probably only apply to yours truly:
Seems to me that a billboard car, tempting as it might look, would have only limited destinations. A relatively unmarked car - fr’example the leased ones - can be spotted anywhere. That is why on my own pike I prefer generic rather than Billboard-type cars as they can rationally be assigned and spotted pretty much anywhere. I have fought off the temptation to buy these artistic beauties.
That said, my favorite car IS a billboard reefer, May Blossom. Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. It’s a sentimental thing - as a kid I had one in H.O. Loved it, love my large scale version.
I break all kinds of rules in order to do what I want! In my little backyard everything is more or less 1:24 scale, which as often as not means 1:22.5 and sometimes 1:29 as well…
My pike, ostensibly, is in northern New England c.1900 where 42" became standard gauge. It’s called artistic license…
Regardless of what might have happened when on the real railroads of whatever gauge, in my world the railroad can have billboard cars if it wants.
I’ve been slowly recognizing that I prefer my rolling stock lightly weathered, a la road dust. The pics of Ken’s lightly sprayed stock and Boomer’s Mitford Poultry car on this thread have confirmed me in this. Come this spring I expect I’ll find the courage to fire away at several more cars and damn the torpedoes…
End of unrequested commentary. Thank you, thank you very much.
John, I agree about the limited destinations comment. But my railroad is very limited on destinations. So I have a billboard boxcar of sorts.
I also agree that a little road grime, and maybe a little rust, makes the models more believable. I have seen too many modelers go overboard with it, but having a car or 2 that is heavily weathered adds interest and variety. Having all of them heavily weathered is overkill. That’s just my opinion of course.
John Le Forestier said:
Seems to me that a billboard car, tempting as it might look, would have only limited destinations. A relatively unmarked car - fr’example the leased ones - can be spotted anywhere. That is why on my own pike I prefer generic rather than Billboard-type cars as they can rationally be assigned and spotted pretty much anywhere. I have fought off the temptation to buy these artistic beauties.
That said, my favorite car IS a billboard reefer, May Blossom. Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. It’s a sentimental thing - as a kid I had one in H.O. Loved it, love my large scale version.
I break all kinds of rules in order to do what I want! In my little backyard everything is more or less 1:24 scale, which as often as not means 1:22.5 and sometimes 1:29 as well…
My pike, ostensibly, is in northern New England c.1900 where 42" became standard gauge. It’s called artistic license…
Regardless of what might have happened when on the real railroads of whatever gauge, in my world the railroad can have billboard cars if it wants.
I’ve been slowly recognizing that I prefer my rolling stock lightly weathered, a la road dust. The pics of Ken’s lightly sprayed stock and Boomer’s Mitford Poultry car on this thread have confirmed me in this. Come this spring I expect I’ll find the courage to fire away at several more cars and damn the torpedoes…
End of unrequested commentary. Thank you, thank you very much.
That’s been pretty much my way of thinking too. There were no Creameries on the RGS, let alone an Abbott’s Dairy in Colorado. Abbott’s was strictly an east coast thing, particularly the tri-state area around Philadelphia. They were big when I was growing up, delivering milk in my neighborhood in quart sized bottles that everyone seemed to have 2 or 3 of sitting on the back steps in the morning. But since I did have a Creamery on my pike, why not a reefer labeled with a company I was familiar with.
There’s a short discussion of creameries and reefers here:
http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/19778/creameries
The Abbott’s express reefer only has 2 destinations, the Creamery and the Interchange. So basically it won’t be traveling around the country. The Interchange may as well be the Abbott’s dairy as far as I’m concerned. It gets unloaded then heads back. I have other reefers that will travel to destinations on the layout.
A lot of my stuff gets weathered, but some doesn’t. It gets naturally weathered just sitting in the garage, with all the dust that seems to accumulate there.
All I’m trying to do is make an operating session on the pike as interesting as I can. If that means a little artistic license, so be it.
Yeup.
My first car was an LGB Budweiser reefer. I said there prolly isn’t a prototype for it, but I liked it anyway.
And then while thumbing thru one of my RR books years later, low and behold, I came across a photo of the Bud car. Yahoo! I says, let them ribbet counters eat crow! (It wasn’t NG, but that was good enough for proof.)
I don’t believe it! said Victor Meldrew (for those who know who he is). But there it was on the dining room floor. My new reefer had arrived in only five days. Usually it is anything from two to three weeks.
So new metal wheels, Aristo couplers and a few Bachmann cars to accompany it as it winds its way around my back yard.
The great warm, sunny weather continues, so I have been out running trains and getting the former grounded boxcar, mentioned in a previous post, back into service.
It is now completely repainted, decals, supplied by Shawmut Car Shops, were applied, DATA is handwritten and trucks fitted. The only items still needed are the stirrups. I can order them in the UK quite easily.
Was that on purpose? posing In front of the green and blue plant?..
Very nice work !!!
Quite accidental Ken. Actually the lighter colour is a very light green. That spot was chosen for the light as it was getting late in the day. I have to choose photo spots well as I use a six year old cell phone for 'photos. It doesn;t like sunlight especially if the sunshine is on the loco or car.
I would liked to have incorporated some kind of design on the right hand side of the car but my artistic skills do not stretch that far. I did have a ‘dairy products’ idea in mind. I could get a decal made I guess, so when I order decals I might have one made to add to the car.
As far as the colours are concerned I was prompted a little by Boomers initial post and I know someone else here - maybe you, Ralph or Bruce, has a similar coloured boxcar.
As I have said before this is a great place for ideas.
Addendum 3/21/14: Stirrups arrived today, fixed in place and painted. So project now completed.