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

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

No. Pittsburgh scale models was Byron’s 50 ton AAR flat. 

--
Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY

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

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 Culotta

Speedwitch Media

speedwitchmedia@... -  www.speedwitchmedia.com

Blog: http://prototopics.blogspot.com

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• 20170817-aar 50T flats-2.jpg