Thread title says it all. This would be my first attempt at such a project. This static display is about a mile or two from my house. Thanks in advance.
50’ car?
You could start here:
http://www.northernutahnmra.org/utah-poultry-2016-division-car/
Although “sold-out” it may be possible to find one at train shows or on-line auction sites.
There seems to be a few details left out of your request. Do you want an operating piece of rolling stock? Or do you want to actually make the museum display with the canopy building?
There are many types of station platform sheds, open sided loading docks, etc. available that would make a good start on a roof-type shelter for your car on display.
http://web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/noc/noc14350.jpg
Good Luck, Ed
Hi Lonnie Utah:
How detailed do you want the model to be? You have lots of options.
If you don’t care about details all you need is somebody to make custom decals for you to apply to a stripped and painted reefer. There are ways to print them yourself, although the white lettering can be a bit of a challenge. Otherwise there are several people who offer custom decals.
If you want to model all the ladders and steps as separately applied components (i.e. not molded on) then you could start with just about any reefer and strip all the molded on details off. The better the model you start with, the better result. I would suggest considering an Accurail reefer as a starting point. Grandt line has some pretty decent add on components:
Dave
Looks to me like a 40’-er, but that’s an unusual looking door: 2/3 plugdoor and 1/3 hinged door.
If you want to make an accurate model, you’ll need a decent photo of the ends and roof, and it wouldn’t hurt to have some info regarding the underbody, too.
And if you’re building a model for your layout, don’t model that step under the door as it is…bent inward and with the lower rung damaged. Steps and ladders are safety appliances, and are to be kept in good repair.
It also appears that there are placard boards missing from the mounting brackets to the left of the door.
Wayne
That car does not look drastically different from a 1957 PFE R40-27 series 40ft steel reefers. The 4ft plug + 2ft hinged door combo was there so load inspectors would only need to open the narrow hinged door (letting less cold air out) while both doors would be open for unloading (6ft wide to get a forklift in). Judging from this image as well, the steps under the side door came pre-bent from the shop.
This Modeling the SP blog page has a list of various PFE reefer models, but the entry for R40-27 is sadly lacking.
Thanks everyone. For this project, I’d like to have a reasonable approximation of the lettering to use as an active piece of rolling stock on our layout. I am not looking for 100% prototypical accuracy, but the closer the better.
My main goal in the project is to learn new painting and decaling techniques. I have zero idea at this point where to find the right decals and how to lay the out.
Well, that would make it WAY easier! !! lol
If it were me, the first thing that I would do is contact the Northern Utah Division, NMRA and ask for help and direction, particularly as it relates to the decaling.
Rich
Excellent idea. I have no idea how Ed found that, but it is going to jump start this one.
I had envisioned this as a wintertime project. Hopefully I can track these guys down at the Nov train show (their next one).
[Y]
Not knocking the previous suggestions, but if you get bored I’d suggest that you do some research on the Railroad Roman font. It looks to me that that car Ed has referenced has several versions of that font.
In my limited research on related project, I now know there are enough variations to make me go cross eyed!![%-)]
Cheers, the Bear.
IMO, it would have been nice if the OP Lonnie Utah had mentioned (he likely already knew) that the reefer was a PFE R40-27 that had been moved to the TRAX Draper station and painted in a “fantasy” Utah Poultry Producers livery to serve as a stuffed and mounted display, this happening a few years back in 2013…
Tyco Brown Box fantasy liveries ride again, this time in 1:1 scale!
I can’t seem to add a quote from your initial reply, chutton01, but I appreciate the links which you included. I’d not seen that type of door before.
And your second reply explains why the paint and lettering looked unusual to me, as it was obviously old style lettering on a newer-looking car.
As for lettering such a model once you’ve built the car, you might want to try THIS.
And for the OP, if you need ideas for building the car, you probably couldn’t find a better scratchbuilder to show you some methods which might be useful…in that case, go to page one of the linked thread and read through it. Even though the car is a different style, there’s lots of good work shown there. [swg]
Wayne
would rapido trains have anything like it?
It could call for some PhotoShop work to correct angle distortions and such, but if all else fails it is good to remember that for many years some of the most accurate paint schemes in model railroading were on paper (thick but paper) sided cars, and a series of stitched photos of the sides taken directly head on could with care and skill be printed out as usable sides. There would be a ton of details to add of course but that prototype photo does illustrate the fact that most or at least many of our details in which we take so much pride (weld seams, rivets) are oversized or in some manner exaggerated so that they can be seen.
I suppose if you went through that work the entire side could be printed out as a decal as well, or series of decals.
Dave Nelson
Having done this for less than one year, I didn’t know any of that. So thank you for adding the back story that I didn’t know.
Hi, again,
Perhaps you could contact Don Tichy and see if he would be willing to add the “Milk White Egg” billboard to his existing NADX line of decals. Maybe you could provide good photographs of the car for him to use as a pattern?
Tichy has been expanding his line of decals and this car may generate enough interest that a production run could be feasible.
Just an idea…
Good Luck, Ed