Westrail (was Re: [RealSTMFC] Lines West?)
"The company was WestRail and was indeed Richard Hendrickson’s business. There were four types of kits, based on the starting bodies, and roughly a dozen total ones were issued. Anyone interested, I can provide more info. I have all of Richard’s original kit instructions. All his rubber molds for parts went to Greg Martin, and with Greg’s passing, I don’t know where they might be now."
Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits.
Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications.
These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.
Ben Hom
Ben Hom wrote:Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available.
Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits.
Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications.
These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.
Tony Thompson
tony@...
Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available.
Tony Thompson
tony@...
Correct about the flat car. The lost wax brass castings for the model made by Lloyd Keyser were
incorporated into Byron Rose's improved 50 ton AAR resin flat car kit -- which unfortunately for Byron,
but great for us, was almost immediately followed by Larry Grubb's Proto 2000 version of the car.
Coincidence? Sunshine Greenville gondola, followed immediately by P2K. Pittsburgh Scale Models
AAR flat car, followed immediately by P2K. Sunshine Mather stock cars, followed fairly soon after
by P2K ! :-)
On 2/9/2023 2:14 PM, Tony Thompson wrote:
Ben Hom wrote: Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits. Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications. These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available. Tony Thompson
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
Were the Pittsburg Scale Models re-branded as Protowest Scale Models that were sold as two kits in one box?
Gary Laakso
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 3:37 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: Westrail (was Re: [RealSTMFC] Lines West?)
Correct about the flat car. The lost wax brass castings for the model made by Lloyd Keyser were
incorporated into Byron Rose's improved 50 ton AAR resin flat car kit -- which unfortunately for Byron,
but great for us, was almost immediately followed by Larry Grubb's Proto 2000 version of the car.
Coincidence? Sunshine Greenville gondola, followed immediately by P2K. Pittsburgh Scale Models
AAR flat car, followed immediately by P2K. Sunshine Mather stock cars, followed fairly soon after
by P2K ! :-)
On 2/9/2023 2:14 PM, Tony Thompson wrote:
Ben Hom wrote:Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits.Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications.These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available.Tony Thompson
--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
On Feb 9, 2023, at 7:06 PM, gary laakso <vasa0vasa@...> wrote:
Were the Pittsburg Scale Models re-branded as Protowest Scale Models that were sold as two kits in one box?
Gary Laakso
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Tim O'Connor
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 3:37 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: Westrail (was Re: [RealSTMFC] Lines West?)
Correct about the flat car. The lost wax brass castings for the model made by Lloyd Keyser were
incorporated into Byron Rose's improved 50 ton AAR resin flat car kit -- which unfortunately for Byron,
but great for us, was almost immediately followed by Larry Grubb's Proto 2000 version of the car.
Coincidence? Sunshine Greenville gondola, followed immediately by P2K. Pittsburgh Scale Models
AAR flat car, followed immediately by P2K. Sunshine Mather stock cars, followed fairly soon after
by P2K ! :-)
On 2/9/2023 2:14 PM, Tony Thompson wrote:Ben Hom wrote:Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits.Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications.These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available.Tony Thompson
--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY
Thanks, Brian. The instruction sheet has Edgewater, Colorado as the home town.
Gary Laakso
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 4:47 PM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io
Subject: Re: Westrail (was Re: [RealSTMFC] Lines West?)
No. Pittsburgh scale models was Byron’s 50 ton AAR flat.
ProtoWest was the 70 ton car, and the name Tim couldn’t recall in Colorado.
Brian J. Carlson
On Feb 9, 2023, at 7:06 PM, gary laakso <vasa0vasa@...> wrote:
Were the Pittsburg Scale Models re-branded as Protowest Scale Models that were sold as two kits in one box?
Gary Laakso
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Tim O'Connor
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 3:37 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: Westrail (was Re: [RealSTMFC] Lines West?)
Correct about the flat car. The lost wax brass castings for the model made by Lloyd Keyser were
incorporated into Byron Rose's improved 50 ton AAR resin flat car kit -- which unfortunately for Byron,
but great for us, was almost immediately followed by Larry Grubb's Proto 2000 version of the car.
Coincidence? Sunshine Greenville gondola, followed immediately by P2K. Pittsburgh Scale Models
AAR flat car, followed immediately by P2K. Sunshine Mather stock cars, followed fairly soon after
by P2K ! :-)
On 2/9/2023 2:14 PM, Tony Thompson wrote:Ben Hom wrote:Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits.Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications.These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available.Tony Thompson
--
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
--
Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY
Protowest were the 70 TON AAR flats -- not the 50 ton flats.
On 2/9/2023 7:06 PM, gary laakso wrote:
Were the Pittsburg Scale Models re-branded as Protowest Scale Models that were sold as two kits in one box?
Gary Laakso
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Tim O'Connor
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 3:37 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: Westrail (was Re: [RealSTMFC] Lines West?)
Correct about the flat car. The lost wax brass castings for the model made by Lloyd Keyser were
incorporated into Byron Rose's improved 50 ton AAR resin flat car kit -- which unfortunately for Byron,
but great for us, was almost immediately followed by Larry Grubb's Proto 2000 version of the car.
Coincidence? Sunshine Greenville gondola, followed immediately by P2K. Pittsburgh Scale Models
AAR flat car, followed immediately by P2K. Sunshine Mather stock cars, followed fairly soon after
by P2K ! :-)
On 2/9/2023 2:14 PM, Tony Thompson wrote:Ben Hom wrote:Unfortunately, the off-the-cuff answers that have been posted so far don't capture the high concept behind these kits.Westrail kits were Shake-N-Take projects in a single box but came about decades before during the late 1980s. These included the base kit (mostly Athearn Blue box kits, though there was at least one full kit, the AAR 70-ton flatcar with masters by Byron Rose, with entirely new castings); detail parts; resin castings as needed (ends in the less complicated kitbashes; full sides, as with the War Emergency Boxcar conversion mentioned by Fenton, in the more complicated ones), and detailed instructions, including prototype photos. The projects were rated by difficulty and ranged from simple upgrades to major modifications.These were outstanding learning tools, and Greg was inspired by them to start Shake-N-Take at Cocoa Beach. I grab them whenever I see them on the secondary market.Ben is entirely right, and I appreciate the enlargement of the topic. But it’s worth mentioning that the superb sides made for the War Emergency box car were from a master made by Lloyd Keyser. Richard had reached out to a number of top modelers for help with the projects. And BTW, most of the smaller castings he provided weren’t resin, they were epoxy, a material he had learned to work with, long before many of the materials and tools we now take for granted with resin were available.Tony Thompson
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts
I came across some WestRail related stuff when digitizing files... https://prototopics.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-state-of-art-30-years-ago.htmlTed CulottaSpeedwitch Media
You put us all to shame with your impeccable modeling. :-)
I remember Byron had a lot to say about the underframes of the 50 ton cars, because the earliest
cars had wood stringers (War Emergency), and this was changed to steel.
Byron also produced the unique Western Maryland version with the side mounted brake stand!
I have that kit but have not built it yet.
On 2/10/2023 10:33 AM, Ted Culotta wrote:
Loved building both Richard's and Byron's....
Front to back... P2K, WestRail, Pittsburgh Scale Models
I have three more of Byron's to build - Monon, NP, and ???
Cheers,Ted
Ted CulottaSpeedwitch MediaAttachments:
Tim O'Connor
Sterling, Massachusetts