I found an old photo on line of a reefer with the side doors located about 3 or 4 feet from the end of the car as opposed to the center. The reefer appears to be about 33 feet long and has the old wire trucks much like those on MTH 19th century woodside reefers. I am interested in trying to kitbash an MTH wood reefer to resemble this unique reefer. Has anyone ever tried to disassemble this type of car or any MTH woodside box car or have any tips that might help? I am trying to acquire one the MTH 19th Century reefers to do this. Thanks.
Here is the sourse for my project. Scroll down the page and you can’t miss it. Thanks.
Here is the picture. This would be a great project, but I might be willing to leave the doors full size. Good luck with it.
After getting sniped the last time on Ebay trying to get a Railking 19th century reefer, tonight I was successful and had the winning bid. When I get this car, it might take me a couple of deep breaths and perhaps a beverage to muster the courage to begin to kitbash the door placement. When I looked at the photo of the car I want to model, it appears that there are 4 hinges instead of 3 and the doors appear to be longer. I have a sourse of doing the decal when that time comes. In the meantime, if any of you kitbashers have a suggestion about this project, let me know. Thanks.
I finally received my MTH 19th Century reefer last weekend and have been too busy doing other things. After looking at the reefer inside and out I decided that cutting the existing sides, roof and ends would be much more difficult than scratch building those components and attaching to the donor frame, trucks etc.
I dimensioned the photo and scaled it again to make sure it would be as accurate as I can be. Then I took an atlas reefer to a local hobby shop and ordered evergreen siding. Here is an update in case you are interested. I am a/k/a Pennsynut in a Galaxie far far away. [:)]
The inspiration:
A likely suspect.
Lets do some math.
Cutting and scaling. (Notice the old fashioned TV remote for the kitchen TV bottom right?)
Cardboard mock up of one side ready to construct and hopefully install on frame as a test run.
Wow - this looks like a great project & I can’t wait to see how it goes, please keep us up to date [tup]
Thanks Jim. It has been intriguing and fun. Its my first scratch built car (sides, ends and roof). Here are the photos of a completed card stock mock up that I will use as my template for the completed car with styrene sides, roof and ends.
Well here is the latest update. I ordered the styrene for the sides, ends, roof, and trim 2 weeks ago and picked it up Monday at my LHS. I bought some .005 sheet brass as well so I could try to make side metal brackets and door latch. Long story short, I cut, frabricated, glued, assembled and painted the car and roof. Car is pullman green, rust red roof, frame is black. I think this will provide a pleasing contrast for the white decal.
I decided to shorten the MTH frame by 1/16 inch at each end so that the car will be right at 33 ft. I modified the frame so that I could indent the trucks about a 1/4 of an inch or so on each end since I was shortening the frame, but also because the photo reveals the placement to be in from the ends. I tested the tracking and spacing from other cars and it works well.
I have the following things left to do:
Buy ice roof hatches and hardware for those, 32 grab irons, some foot irons and of course the decal from Art Griffin. Weathering will be later.
I do not have a digital camera at my disposal now or I would post a few photos of my progress. 
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Posted May 07, 2007 05:41 PM |
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I made the door latch and bar out of brass wire and the pieces to hold the bar on the door are plastic beads cut in half and glued to the wire. The I glued that assembly to the area where the doors will be. I also made 2 brackets for the brake wheel bar and glued thos to the car.
I had to relocate the trucks after I shortened the frame so that the car would be 33 ft. I made the roof and sides of the car out of styrene and painted them pullman green. Here are some photos while I wait for the brake wheel, roof hatches, door hinges and grab irons. I will decal later.
Wow, the reefer looks great!
Alex W
Excellent! I love the old old trains and this is really inspiring.
Here is my latest update. I ordered and received last week the Atlas detail parts for my project. Both sides of the reefer are the same BTW. Because the actual reefer had 4 hinges on each door, I had to order additional parts. The roof walk was easy as well as the roof hatches and associated hardware. The hardest part for me was the grab irons. If you squint they don’t look too bad. I used a 1/32 dremel drill tool spun between my fingers to make the holes. Don’t look too close. I just imagine an old reefer beat and battered lingering in a yard or on some lonesome siding. Next will be the decals and after that weathering. So far it has been fun, more expensive than I anticipated and I have come to appreciate how well Atlas cars are detailed and made. Here a few photos.
Mickey,
I have absolutely loved watching your progress! Thanks for posting and updating this thread…
Interested in making some $$$? Seriously, I’d be willing to buy one of these from ya! Email me if interested.
Oh Brent thanks for the encouragement. If you lived here in KC I would gladly help you build one. This was my first scratch build on rolling stock and I was willing to make mistakes along the way, but I would hate to make mistakes at your expense. The cost so far is about $85 and I have to purchase the decals yet. I will have over $100 in the car. Here is the recipe.
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Buy an MTH 19th Century reefer for frame and wheels.
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Remove the sides and roof (one piece) from the frame.
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Remove wheels and then trim off 1/16 of an inch from each end of the frame to make the finished car 33ft.
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Drill new holes in frame to relocate the trucks inboard from ends about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. I also drilled new holes in the metal plate that sits on top of the frame inside the reefer (to give it some weight) in order to allow the plate to lie flat on the truck mounting screws.
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Buy 2 or 3 packages of evergreen sheet styrene #4067, “car siding”, O scale 3-1/4 " spacing, 040" thick. I would have purchased 080 but they do not sell it that thick. Buy plain sheet styrene, #9040, 040 thick. Glue a sheet of the siding styrene, groves out, to a sheet of plain styrene to get a thicker material for strength. Cut out sides and ends for the car after carefully measuring. Use the same grove styrene for the roof. Cut it so that you have 2 equal pieces that will be joined in the middle and glued so they slant with the pitch of the ends.
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I used square tube styrene #254 for internal bracing and corners when joining the ends to the sides.
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The detail parts are mostly from Atlas. Grab irons, roof hatches, door hinges (16), roof walk and walk end brackets, about $27 (ouch!) delivered.
I am sure there is too much detail here, but there is even more to it than I thought because you have to consider the height that the car
Mickey,
I’ll have to give it a shot! With everything you have posted I may actually get it right! LOL! If not it will become part of a train wreck scene the wife has been hankering for!
Too cool - seriously, Ogaugeoverlord should call you up and put this in a future issue, looks great!
Many thanks for the compliments guys. I just got lucky. [:)]
Tonight I ventured into that area where angels fear to tread. Applying decals. I had some success with one exception. Fortunately, I purchased 2 sets of decals just in case and they came in handy. I will post photos when I borrow a digital camera from a friend. The decals are white by the way. I have to let them dry and then put solvaset on them, then a layer of dull coat. Do you think I should weather the car? I don’t know if I want to do it. Later. [:)]
Mickey, just wanted to say what you are doing is great.
Years ago, when I re-entered the hobby, even as an “027” modeler I got far more support and enthusiasm from HO guys. At first, I was puzzled by this. But as one HO modeler explained to me, he told me all my kitbashing and repainting was a breath of fresh air to see a Lionel guy doing. He thought the 3-rail guys spent too much time concerned with financial value of their trains, and complaining about what trains aren’t already made for them, instead of just making the trains themselves as the HO guys do.
To this day, the HO guys I run into seem to have far more appreciation and exitement for what I do with my trains and layout than others. Even though without question I’m not concerned with accurate precision scale replication (they jokingly remind me of this with the presense of the inside third rail). I go for feel, representation and impression. If it looks right, that’s precision scale enough for me.
The HO guys have been doing this sort of thing for ages, even with the vast greater selection of train types and model types, they still kitbash, scratchbuild and repaint. The HO magazines always have articles on turning one kind of loco into another, etc. I often find 3-rail inspiration in the pages of the Model Railroader magazine*.
One thing that has SLOWLY changed over the past 17 years I’ve been back in the hobby, is the gradual acceptance with 3-railers for this kind of kitbashing and repainting. Maybe we’re slowly learning our trains will probably not be worth loads more money in years to come. And maybe we’re coming back around to the thinking that this is a hobby and it SHOULD be FUN.
*This plug for the Model Railroader magazine was unpaid and unsolicited. Though if the good folks at Kalmbach want to send me something, I’m always open to suggestions!
Mickey,
Very nice work! Great attention to detail! Lucky nothing…you took your time, and did a great job!
Kurt