The “how many train cars thread” got me thinking that it might be fun to see some of those cars. So here is the “Show us your two favorite cars thread”.
In the interest of keeping this user friendly and fun here are some guidelines to the thread:
Limit your post to two cars. I know, which of my children do I pick? The idea is to pick your best, super cool cars, not to flood the thread with everything you own (if some forum members did this, it could take days to view given the size of some collections). These can be cars you built, bought etc.
Tell us something about the cars in one or two sentences. Who made the car, manufacturer? How did you weather it etc?
Here are my two cars:
Hetch Hetchy work car: this car was modeled after a c I saw in a book about the Hetch Hetchy Railroad. The details are from Tichy, SS Limited Micro engineering, and the car is Etrl.
Yosemite Valley Log Car. This is a Rio Grande Models kit which is basically sticks and some castings. I added the wood deck and the scratch back weathering on the wood frame.
I’ve got too many to choose two, but here’s a couple I like: The first is a Tichy gondola kit that I adapted to an ash-car for my yard. Unfortunately Fred there, is shoveling HOT ash into a WOOD car. Not too bright, Fred!
The second two photos are of a Con-Cor dome car that is the closest I was able to get to one of the ex-Chessie domes for the 1950 “Royal Gorge.” Re-painted and decalled, with an interior by way of Palace Car Co. and some IHC parts. Nicely populated by some Preiser passengers enjoying the view. And one truck off the tracks in the overview. Whoopee!
Nice cars!! I have that Tichy car somewhere waiting to be built. I like what you have done with it. The seat in the first passenger car shot looks weathered. Is that right? or just greasy haired kids riding in the car?
My two favorite cars were actually designed and built to hide the N gauge diesel mechanisms that power my tiny scratch built HOn30 vertical boiler Climax. All three can be seen crossing the bridge in the background of the attached photo. The water tank car design was based on an article that appeared in the Narrow Gauge And Short Line Gazette. The four wheel bobber was inspired by an HO caboose that was built by the late Herb Chaudiere who use to live in the town where I grew up in NJ. ( See NG&SLG May/June 2007 page 86.)
Great job on the cars and the loco. I like the look of the train, especially the scrachbuilt loco.
It is good to see that a few of us are reading the Gazette. I have built a couple of water tanks from plans in the Gazette and I find the magazine to be a constant source of inspiration.
My #1 fav is a PS2-2600 cu.ft. covered hopper by Athearn. It originally was in B&O gray but I painted/lettered it for Chessie, patched for CSXT. Weathering was based on prototype photos, using Bragdon powders, water-soluable oil paints and gouache.
Next one would be a set of 3 Walthers bethgons that I painted and decaled myself in the CSXT ‘aluminum’ scheme. These were done ~2 yrs ago, before I had learned more effective ways to do weathering. Sprayed various ‘filthy’ Polyscale colors inside the bodies and outside, plus leaned them against a surface covered in flat black latex paint [to simulate coal dust sticking to the ribs from the rotary dumpers].
I tend to ‘value’ the cars that I put the most work into.
Guess this one of them. Based on a R/H flat car and a junk coal car.
Guess these are still my favorite.
They are cheap Tyco Old Dutch Hoppers. Reason I like them so much? They where the learning tool I needed. Taught me to install coupler pockets, tune trucks, install PK wheels, weight to NMRA standers. I have 34 of them, and pull as well as any high end Rolling Stock I have bought.
I will add, Tyco’s rolling stock are easy to up grade after you learn the tricks.
If this were a contest, Jess Red Horse would win hands down!!! I can’t imagine painting something so small and so well detailed!! Not to mention creativity and imagination!!![tup][tup][bow]
