what's on the bench

I am probably not going to get anything finished for several weeks, as it looks very busy around here. So, I thought I would show some of what I currrently have in the works.



The top car is an HOn30 tank car, see below for more in it. The Seaboard 40' double door box car is a simple kitbash from some old magazine article, just changed the side sill and added a second door to an Athearn box car. The Dairyman's League car is a Life-Like car that I kitbashed in to a prototypical car, but I had trouble with the correct Pittsburg & Shawmut dry transfers, I don't like dry transfers, so I pulled the Dairyman's league decals out and used them instead.


This is my second foray in to HOn30. The flat is the left over under frame from the earlier HOn30 gondola kitbash. This tank if from the same N scale set from Readers Digest. The tank scales out to an 1800 gallon tank. The car is pictured in front of a standard gauge box car.

This was inspired by a Labelle kit, but is mostly scratchbuilt, and will have a full interior. I will use the kit windows and trucks. The underframe is solid brass to give it plenty of heft, and I used Cal-Scale brass caboose end platforms. Note the inside walls are painted a prototypical green color.

MoPac Drover caboose from Silver Streak. I picked this up off ebay. It is a kit that I had been looking for for a long time. It was partly assembled when I got the kit, but it was not assembled in the correct order to paint the ends and roof, so I took it all back apart, and am reassembliing it.

Red Ball kits are some of my favorites. They are made with cardboard, wood and metal, or some combination of them. This is a pretty neat kit of a special purpose flat car that sits only 33" above the rail head. I am at a relative stand still, as I have not been able to get pictures of the prototype, and, in particular, how the load was tied down. This is another one of those kits that when you get it done, it won't fit back in its' original box.

This is a Labelle wood kit, Another kit that I started 10 years ago. Just about ready to decal, or the end is near.

This is an Ambroid kit for....well I guess it is obvious. I started out attempting to make the roll-up doors operable. After getting one side working, I decide it was not worth the effort. I still have the end detail to install, and have not found a good picture of the end, so I will go with the kit drawings, and assume the are correct. This is a kit that I started 10 years ago, and, since it does not fit the era I plan to model, I will probably sell it when I get it done.

This is another Ambroid kit of a Southern Hogshead Tobacco car. I real tough car to put together, lots of pieces, and very long. I have lots of pictures of the prototype and since I could not find a prototype for the door on the model. I kitbashed one to match the photos. I am going to add the Detail Associates cushion underframe, but it is on back order, so the kit is on hold until it shows up and/or I get in the mood to finish it. I will probably sell this one also.

Wow, this is four blog posts in one month, a new record.