Hullo all

I’ve been tempting insanity by trying to make a master for a TT scale IC s/s boxcar, one of those rebuilt with  6’ door from auto cars to XM, and which therefore look to be missing a side truss. Pic here of one here, though I think I’ll go for a more orthodox door arrangement: 

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ic/ic11346jpa.jpg

The problem is fabricating the side vertical and diagonal L trusses. I am able to make the vertical part of the L easily enough by cutting a channel for the vertical part of the truss to sit in, and MEK-ing in a piece of styrene strip  at 90% to the side. However the horizontal part of the L truss, which has a succession of bolts, is causing real problems.  I’m using a rivet tool to roll a line of ‘bolts’ into an Evergreen .010”sheet,, then cutting the horizontal strip and attempting to MEK in place.  This is trial and mostly error; the MEK tends to melt the very thin styrene awful quick, even using the smallest brush and applying it very sparingly.  And it causes accompanying surface crazing if the MEK runs.

The smallest size of L girder I can find (Plastruct) doesn’t look much good in TT scale, and would need thinning down to have the bolts rolled into it.  I’d need to make a jig for that and not sure how good it would look. 

I’m thinking I may just do the horizontal part of the L trusses with paper with the bolts rolled into it and laminate to the side, but the paper might need sealing when I make the master (maybe grey primer would suffice).

These days an answer might be to use Archer rivets.

I’ve been looking at John Verser’s lovely TT Fowler boxcar and I am minutely examining that … it's a rather similar car, and he managed to do it so well.  So, I wondered … how did the pros do it in the days before Archer rivets?  

Ben Scanlon

Thanks for the tips gentlemen.  What does 'Do use the ACC to avoid ACC attack.' mean though? 

I'm thinking of going for Testors liquid cement ang giving up on the MEK/Plastruct weld family entirely for detail work.  If there are pitfalls with the Testors product it might be good to know. 

I like the IC car because I've always been drawn to Fowler and similar cars and I like oddities. Got a CGW 1923 ARA car in the works too; another 'one railroad only' car that's distinctive.

If anyone has a candidate for an early NYC (or subsidiaries) steel boxcar, that might have been used in grain service in the 60s,  I'd like to model something unusual in that line too.

Ben Scanlon

I'm thinking of going for Testors liquid cement ang giving up on the MEK/Plastruct weld family entirely for detail work. 

-- 

Jon Miller
For me time stopped in 1941
Digitrax--Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User
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I wanted this IC composite box more for grain service but it sounds like for the 1960s it
would not have been found in that service anymore? AFAIK, hides duty was the last thing a
car did before scrapping.
Ben Scanlon

Thanks Ray.  The late date would commend them as a choice of prototype, although appeal may be limited ... so far as I know, they were an IC design, but did anyone else buy them?  

Were there externally visible modifications for sludge service?  

What were the SOO cars that lasted till that date? They sound like good candidates for a model too.

I've seen occasional shots of Frisco and Georgia s/s boxcars in the 70s too, albeit with steel sheet having replaced the composite side.

Regards

Ben Scanlon

Tottenham Hale, England