kjd
Go make something!
I've finished things before but this is the very first model railroad thing I got. I was about 11 and had just moved to a town with a hobby shop. I'd also just read about construction of the transcontinental railroad and mentioned to the shop keeper I liked the story and era. He said he might have some cars appropriate for the era and produced a kit for a pair of Keystone log cars and another for the trucks.
Maybe not the best choice for a kid who'd never built anything from a kit, didn't have any tools or had never even seen a model railroad. In fact I had only recently found out model railroading was a thing by reading encyclopedias at school. Anyway, I took it home and looked at it. It is metal parts to be joined with super glue (which I didn't have). I was a bit overwhelmed and put it in the box to look at once in awhile. Later I decided I could build Athearn cars and my era moved up a hundred years or so.
Now it's almost 40 years later and I've been a professional model maker for about 17 years and I came across the cars again while looking for something else. I thought I could probably finish them up, I have more skills and tools now. It turns out they were pretty easy to build and now it is sitting on a track behind the warehouse with other "museum" equipment including a NP boxcar and 8000 gallon tank car. The warehouse just got a delivery in a brand new BN hi-cube boxcar.
I don't actually know much about the prototype, it looks like it is mostly wood with metal brackets. I'm not sure if it had more brakes beside the handbrake on one truck. Any info would be appreciated.
So there it is, my longest time from purchase to completion project. The second car is in primer so it will join the first soon.
Maybe not the best choice for a kid who'd never built anything from a kit, didn't have any tools or had never even seen a model railroad. In fact I had only recently found out model railroading was a thing by reading encyclopedias at school. Anyway, I took it home and looked at it. It is metal parts to be joined with super glue (which I didn't have). I was a bit overwhelmed and put it in the box to look at once in awhile. Later I decided I could build Athearn cars and my era moved up a hundred years or so.
Now it's almost 40 years later and I've been a professional model maker for about 17 years and I came across the cars again while looking for something else. I thought I could probably finish them up, I have more skills and tools now. It turns out they were pretty easy to build and now it is sitting on a track behind the warehouse with other "museum" equipment including a NP boxcar and 8000 gallon tank car. The warehouse just got a delivery in a brand new BN hi-cube boxcar.
I don't actually know much about the prototype, it looks like it is mostly wood with metal brackets. I'm not sure if it had more brakes beside the handbrake on one truck. Any info would be appreciated.
So there it is, my longest time from purchase to completion project. The second car is in primer so it will join the first soon.
