----- Original Message -----

From: Bill Welch

To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io

Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 5:25 PM

Subject: [RealSTMFC] Piedmont & Northern 1101 Styrene and Resin Build: Part Two—Adding Some Details

With the basic superstructure assembled The Boys have started adding details. If you have looked at photos of my various models you will know I am obsessive about Sill Steps: They must be as close to the prototype being modeled as possible. The corner must be square, not rounded (unless it is a Mather stock car or boxcar). If the are angled out on the real thing, they must be angled on the model. On the P&N model they are very similar if not identical to the bottom mounted sill steps used on both types of USRA wood sheathed cars and their aspect ratio is more-or-less square and they are angled out from the side sill. I use .010 x .030 strip styrene to make their attachment flange using a longish piece that gives me a handle making it easier to get them into place. A rivet harvested from an Athearn boxcar serves as an attachment bolt head. To reshape the A-Line brass parts I anneal them in a flame and straighten out flat. Because this is a very common looking step, I have a couple of notches filed in the pliers I use to bend them so the part is placed in the same place when I bend it and they all turn out the same width.

I had already glued “L” shaped pieces of styrene to the Accurail underframes draft gear to make Buffers. After these cured I trimmed each piece to match the width of the draft gear and rounded their corners. To make the triangular ribs I glued four lengths of .010 x .030 strip. Again these are longish pieces that will get trimmed after they have cured. Then I used my close cutting sprue nippers to cut them to shape. The largish bolt heads are the rivets found on the Dreadnaught end of the Athearn boxcar where the two sections of the ends are joined. With everything in place I flooded the surface w/liquid Testors glue to melt the structure so that would appear to be a casting.

For the rivets on the two Gussets Plates and the Batten Strips I did my usual “rivet harvest” from the ancient “Blue Box” Athearn box car. Testors is the perfect glue for this task because it does not flame off immediately so I can put down a dot of glue, pick up a rivet with my spit loaded dulled Testors hobby knife and place it on the tiny dot of glue. Once these have dried, I try to flick them off with my dulled knife. If I fail, I am successful in placing them.

Okay, that's all today from The Boys. . .
Bill Welch