Recent content by austinrick

I've collected several of these Athearn Southern covered gondolas and will eventually run them on my eventual layout. In the meantime, I want to weather them, get the numbering right, etc. --do the things armchair modelers do-- but I can't find any info on them. Was there a prototype Southern...

Thanks, Alan. That's why I left the corner steps off for now, and even the coupler pockets may be a problem. Someday I'll have room to build a layout and will find out what radius she can work on! In the meantime I occupy myself building these kits. Now midway through a La Belle HO-49 gondola.

Here's what I ended up with for this car. Micro Motive express reefer trucks and McHenry couplers.....

Are the Bragdon users using dedicated brushes, one per color, or do they wash brushes between uses, or just let the colors blend some? I just bought the 12 color box and will be trying it soon, on plastic rolling stock first, probably, then on my wood craftsman kits (La Belle, Main Line...

I want to see how some have used the blue powder. Sky highlights?

Thanks much. The tap handle I got (Century, above) does hold the 2-56 tap by the square end, which I did not expect and thought was wrong but opportune--but you've made sense of that. I don't see two distinct steps in the ferrule, so not sure how it holds a #0 as well as a 1/4" shank. The...

Okay, just went on another eBay shopping spree; came up with three sets of trucks: MICRO MOTIVE FOUR WHEEL EXPRESS REEFER SPECIAL TRUCKS ITEM # TM-202 http://www.ebay.com/itm/142236799933 4 Wheel Passenger/Express Reefer trucks http://www.ebay.com/itm/322384467439 MDC Pennsy 4 Wheel...

Thanks, bnsf971, I'm going to keep those trucks in mind for another project. They do look good. I'm going with an Athearn set for this car largely because of the design of the truck bolster, or cross member, which sits high. The same part on the Walther truck (including the one Railrunner130...

Thanks much! I'm going to try the Athearn #53308 Express Reefer trucks, which appear to be what you have, and I'm sure they'll do fine. The car I'm working on is not unlike what you have there. You did a great job with it.

That's a great answer! I'll take it!

An epoxy was my first thought, but hoped there was something as good that didn't need mixing every few minutes as pieces went together. Thanks to all for the replies.

The December RMC magazine has an article for building a great little tool shed (p.84). The shed sits up on a raised platform; the upright posts for the platform are stabilized with diagonal cross braces, complete with little carriage bolt heads. I'm curious what the author used for those bolt...

I'm working on an old, old Main Line kit, a Pacific Fruit Express 50' reefer. Old design, too, with rounded roof and K2 brakes, pullman green sides, etc. The yellowed instructions call for simply "Pullman-Standard trucks." I'm not sure what that means in Kadee terms, for a PFE reefer, so I'm...

Thanks very much! My local O'Reilly Auto is bringing in Century's equivalent #98501 for me. We'll see if my tap fits. Yours appears to be a Vermont-American product. But it seems both these brands come with one collet, judging by the packaging. One collet will not hold from #0 - 1/4", so I'm...

I purchased a Kadee #246 tap & drill set. The 2-56 tap is about 5/32 in diameter; too big for either of my little pin vices. One end is squared off, for what that's worth. What are people using to hold and stabilize such a tap? It's a very common size. -thanks