Old-school models with a little effort

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Ralston Purina, 40’ wood reefer (Tyco/Hong Kong)

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PS: I can’t find a photo of the prototype. The first model to appear in MR magazine is the HO scale kit from Laconia Industries (page 35 of the March 1953 issue). The Trade Topics (page 14 of Sept. 1953 issue) said “According to the manufacturer, the prototype was converted from a refrigerator car into a box car. The round roof exhibits four ventilators in place of conventional ice hatches common to refrigerator cars. The reefer doors, however, were not altered, and are therefore shown on the model.” See also the instruction sheets on HOseeker.net. (April 15, 2021)
A photo of the prototype can be found in page 22 of the 40’ Wood Reefer Collector’s Guide by Atlas O, LLC. There, 5 cars of the same scheme are concatenated. (Sept. 11, 2022)

Doggie Dinner, 40’ wood reefer (AHM/Roco)

Budweiser Beer, 36’ wood reefer (MDC)



The image of the bald eagle mark was processed from a MTH product on the net.

Kotaro Kuriu

2

Nice looking projects. I like the way you put the checkerboard behind the ladder on the Purina car.

The brown roof and ends are certainly better than the original blue.

Here is mine, all original except for trucks and couplers:

-Kevin

3

Nice work on making these look like they belong on a model railroad. I’d do some of these if I had any. Dan

4

Nice improvements!

Dave

5

Nice Box Car modeling! I thought those red and white checks under the ladder was pretty creative too

Looking Good[Y]

If I ever try my hand in rolling stock customizing, I’ll be a bit behind the 8-ball from all the fine examples I see around here

TF

6

Nice work! Painting the roof and ends makes a big difference! Neat trick on the Purina car too.

Since I model the early 1900’s, I have a lot of the Roundhouse “Old Timer” cars. The upgrades that I typically make are:

  • Using mono-filiment 10 lb. fishline (leader line) for the truss rods (.011" represents a scale inch thick steel rod).
  • Adding Tichy turnbuckles to the truss rods.
  • Painting the chassis a brownish-gray (like the wheel wells of your auto).
  • Painting the trucks and wheels various shades of brown.
  • I add a shadow line beneath the grabs with a sharp #2 pencil. I also use the pencil to outline reefer doors and related hardware.

I have yet to begin weathering the fleet.

Jim

7

Hi Jim,

I’d be really interested in seeing a couple of photos showing that effect.

Cheers!!

Dave

8

Dave,

I’ve sent you a friend request, as I don’t have a means to add pic’s on the forums.

Jim

9

Hi Jim,

I accepted your request. If you send me the pictures I might be able to post them for you.

Dave

10

Coors Beer, 36’ Billboard Reefer (MDC)

The circular coat of arms was copied from my Atlas O product.

11

Wow! Changing the herald made a huge difference.

It looks great.

-Kevin

12

Here are some of Jim’s cars showing the pencil shadow enhancement effect. The photos also shows the truss rod enhancements. Click on the photos to get a good view:

The effects are subtle but they look natural to me when viewed from a distance.

I wonder if Jim could send me a couple of before and after photos.

Dave

13

Wow! I really like the look of these billboard reefers! The subtle upgrades really help improve the look of the model from cheap toys to actual models.

Thanks for sharing,

Charles