Devon,
Be forewarned that pilot trucks and 8-wheeled tenders are not easy for 3+ year old to re-rail. The STAINZ may not be your cup of tea, but having had multiple toddlers man the Triple O, both ours and their friends, I will say it is very easy for them to get back on the tracks when it invariable derails at the MACH 3 preferred by most engineers under age 8.
From an aesthetic point of view, however, this is a no brainer. That loco looks right in front of that box car.
Eric
Eric,
Great advice and Iâll heed it. I do very much like the 2-4-0 but this isnât about me. And a loco that will be easier for him will be more fun for him. Thanks for the perspective.
Eric,
Thatâs not exactly true. Sometimes it applies to engineers under 58 as well.
Well some decent progress. Feeling good about this project. Got the foil tape and battens on the roof. The roof walk put on. The rest of the grab irons are on. Trucks mounted.
And the half hidden bandage because??
Thats sand paper. 
So far I have yet to draw blood. There is still time.
What a great looking boxcar.
I think this as far as its going for construction. Like I said not looking to have a lot of fiddley bits for him to break off. So I think the detail is done. Next up will be paint.
Even though it doesnât look it in the picture the doors are raised. That is more planking ontop of the siding.
That thing is screaming for âŚshut up Rooster
While I like the âshut up roosterâ part Iâm curious and ill bite. . .whatâs it screaming for?
I was looking at the ends. I need to add at least some minor detail. I am thinking stout tension rods and fish hook eyes for queen posts. Then on the ends make the nut and washer for the rods and a block or something to represent the coupler pocket. I have some 3d printed coupler pockets somewhere that I might add. It just needs stuff on that lower edge.
You win. Thatâs funny
Gotta admit this has been/is one of the more fun builds i have done. Maybe itâs who its for that helps with that but I am also pretty happy with how this simple little box car is coming out. Usually I like to add all the details but I have to say itâs fun just making a down and dirty car that actually is looking pretty darn decent.
Here is the color scheme. Still a lot of touch up but its coming along.
As I have been pondering the overall concept. I am wondering what other cars need to be included. Thanks to Eric Iâm gonna stick eith the steinze pretty much as is. I might try and âAmeicanizeâ it a bit with paint and maybe a cow catcher Iâm not gonna get radical. But what other cars need to be in a circus train? A flat car to carry the âbig topâ. A outside framed stock car to carry the elephant, zebra, and giraffe,. A caboose is a no brainer. What i donât want is 100 cars to complicated things. Iâm thinking loco plus 4 cars. This box car, a flat car, a stock car, and a caboose. All in the same color scheme. Thoughts?
Man, you really are channeling your inner Vic! Looking great!
Devon,
Freight cars are more fun than passenger cars. Anything that can be loaded and unloaded will have play value beyond all that you can imagine until the engineer in question is ready to turn his toy into a model. Make your flat car a gondola, as that will keep clowns and ponies and performers on the train. Make the stock car open top to facilitate loading and unloading. I would also make the caboose a work caboose, or at least a bobber with wide, walled platforms or easily removed roof to give extra room for little 1:24-ish riders.
Finally, while you are too far down the pike for your box car, consider making the rest of the train 2-axle cars for the same reason that you stuck with the STAINZ. They are MUCH easier for little hands to re-rail, and, as I am finding, do not lose their value as those hands grow and the handsâ owner start to think about the trains in more sophisticated ways.
Eric
