SMARTT's Picture of the Month

Pan Am Restoring MC GP-9

Three different Pan AM locomotive paint schemes. Photo from Railpictures.net

Pan Am 52 you’re clear on runway two-zero-niner, excuse me, track 1. Yes, there IS a railroad called Pan Am, formerly Guilford Transportation. Their locomotives and rolling stock are adorned with the same logo the airline used, except when they restore a locomotive to an original paint scheme. They are currently restoring a former Maine Central GP-9 number 52 back to that railroad 1970’s paint scheme. It will join a B&M GP-9 that was already restored to its 1950’s era paint scheme, thus making number 52 the second heritage painted locomotive on that railroad. As of this writing no photo of locomotive number 52 is available; the locomotive has not been put back into service.

In Other News . . .
New Catalogs Show Lots of Repeats

It looks like the model railroad industry is taking a page from the movie and TV industry, lots of duplications and repeats. Gas Turbines, SD-70, ALCO PA, USRA 2-8-2, N&W J 4-8-4, and the list goes on and on. Too many of the same model locomotives are being built by more than one manufacturer. Why? How many F-3 thru F-9 do we need to choose from? The movie industry keeps producing re-makes of earlier movies, and the model railroad industry is following in their footsteps. Is it because it’s economically safe, or is it to crowd out the competitors? I believe it’s the latter! Just look at the 4500 Hp UP Gas Turbine. We currently have MTH and Athearn, and a few years back Lionel made them as well. Now throw in all those brass models of this locomotive that have been imported over the years, and you can see the over-saturation.

There are so many prototypes that have never been reproduced in any scale. It’s time we start to see some of them being offered. Even from EMD, there are models that have never been reproduced. FL-9’s and SDP-45’s are two that comes to mind. So let’s get creative here and stop trying to make what everyone else is already making. There are just not enough modelers to have ten different EMD F-3 manufacturers out there.

EL SDP-45 Photo by Railpictures .Net	NH FL-9 by Marty Bernard, Photo American Rail.com

Tri-Rail’s New Cars

Hyundai Rotem: here’s one on me, up until today I never heard of them. A fellow worker, David Balton, walked up to me today and told me about Tri-Rail’s new cab car. After doing some research I found out that Tri-Rail had ordered some new rolling stock back in 2006 from Hyundai-Rotem, including 10 cab cars and 14 coaches. This order was part of a larger order placed by Metrolink in Southern California; this order was for 54 coaches and 33 cabs.  I also found out that the cars were being built in Philadelphia, PA.  Several other regional commuter railroads had also ordered cars from them.

These cars differ greatly in design from Tri-Rail’s original Bombardier cars. First off they are higher; the coaches are not tapered downward on each end. This is evident on the Metrolink cars. The one Tri-Rail cab car that I have seen photos of shows the cab end to be streamlined, similar to a GE P-40 or P-42. The other end follows the same lines as the Metrolink coaches

Tri Rail's new cab car. Photo from Wikipedia

Metrolink new Hyundai Rotem cars Photo from Dailynews.com

Tri-Rail took delivery of their first car in early 2011. However I have not seen any evidence, including a Tri-Rail press release or photos, of any other deliveries. Hopefully they are just coming in slower then planed. I hope this is the case; it would be nice to see some different passenger equipment on Tri Rail.

Structures

Kit-bashed, laser kits, and scratch-built structures unite to make a city. Photo by SMARTT (who else?)

Around the time that you’re planning scenery, your mind may also be turning toward the subject of structures to populate your layout. It’s better to consider structures before the final scenery is laid in as you may need to insert a flat section into the scenery for the structure to sit on. This may seem obvious now, but ignore it at your peril, because later, when you realize that you have to redo an area because you forgot to allow for a structure, you will wonder why you didn’t consider it.

There are many different types of structures you might wish to include on your model train layout. Some structures may be already built, either by a factory or another hobbyist at a show. Other structures may come as a kit that you will need to assemble yourself. Finally, if there is something special or unique that your layout needs, you may have to modify an existing product or even scratch build what you need.

Pre-Built

The availability of structures depends upon the scale being modeled.  HO is the most popular scale worldwide and there are more kits and pre-built structures available than any other scale. On the other end of the spectrum, G scale’s huge size makes selling pre-built structures in retail outlets difficult as they would just take up too much space. Often pre-built structures can be found at train or hobby shows where modelers may be selling already assembled versions of items otherwise sold only as kits. On the down side, manufacturers’ pre-built structures often have very basic paint jobs and weathering so additional detailing may be needed. Woodland Scenics does do a nice painted line of structures available in a few scales. Pre-built structures can cost as much as twice what the same building in kit form costs, but consider how much your time to build the kit to the same level of quality is worth. For the most part, however, to get the structure that is similar to what you have in mind, you may have to consider a kit.

Kits

The range of kits available for a model railroad runs a gamut from simple plastic snap-together kits made of injection molded plastic all the way to complex multi-media monstrosities. Generally, the simpler a kit is, the less detailed it will be.

A snap-together kit will have very few parts, none of which require glue (although it can be used for more stable assembly). The parts are often thick and sometimes are not to scale. Notwithstanding, a good paint job can sometimes mitigate a number of these flaws, and, at the very least, many have parts that are great for kit-bashing. Bachmann’s Plasticville line is a good example.

The next step up in complexity from snap-together is the glue-together plastic model kit. These are made by major manufacturers like Walthers and can be fairly detailed. Some are accompanied by extensive detail parts that can be used to customize the kit or set aside for future use. Many plastic kits are designed with some customizability built into the components. Walthers sometimes supplies building walls with hidden score marks or window cut-outs for just this purpose. Some kits, like the Walthers roundhouses are designed to be modular so that additional kits can be seamlessly integrated into the structure during construction as a single unit with no cutting.

Next in order of complexity is the resin kit. Resin kits are usually made by smaller manufacturers by casting 2-part urethane chemicals to form a tough dense plastic part. Frequently, the only way to obtain a kit of an obscure or out-of-production product is through a resin (or garage) kit. The quality of resin kits varies between manufacturers and sometimes between different kits. This is a place to do plenty of research and ask others for opinions. Resin kits require more work and care than regular plastic kits. They must be glued together with super-glue (AKA cyanoacrylate) as plastic solvents do not affect them. These kits sometimes include cast metal detail parts or wood strips to enhance the kit’s look.

Laser cut kits are a different animal altogether. These kits’ walls are made from flat pieces of wood or acrylic that are stacked to create surface detail and relief. The walls are then assembled square to each other. There are a few simple wood kits that can be built as a try-out before moving on to bigger and more complicated structures. Laser kits often feature subject matter that is impractical in resin or injected plastic such as tall city buildings or long train stations with glass roofs. The glue used will vary according to the material that the kit is made from.

Wood kits can be laser cut as described above or can be much more difficult. Some kits contain injection molded windows from a manufacturer like Grandt Line.  Some wood kits only contain a blueprint and an assortment of wood strips in different thicknesses and widths. These strips must then be cut to size, sometimes beveled, then glued together. (We call such a kit  a “box of sticks.”) The results can be beautiful but these projects can be extremely time consuming and much patience is required.

Plaster models make good cities, when skillfully assembled. Photo from Downtown Deco’s site

Plaster Kits are only made by a few manufacturers. One of the best known is Downtown Deco which makes an assortment of buildings in various scales up to O. Their buildings are highly detailed replicas of “wrong side of town” type structures as well as some brick industrial buildings. Although there are only a few parts per kit, usually the individual walls, the castings are highly detailed. Separate window and door plastic components as well as paper for roofing and styrene for windows are often included. Plaster kits require some sanding as well as assembly know-how to make sure the walls are square and true before assembly. We usually use super glue on these, the thinner type that can soak in and get a good bond. White glue might work as well if securely clamped. The trick in making these kits look good is all in the paintwork.

In the past few years a new phenomenon in the model industry is the photo-etched structure. Photo-etched kits are made from very thin (sometimes 0.010” thick) metal that is turned into a cut pattern in the same way that a printed circuit board is created. These parts are often sharp, sometimes very tiny. There are some starter kits available. Most structures of this kind are in HO scale or below, although Miller Engineering does make a nice diner in as big as O scale.

Last, there is the multi-media kit. This is a kit that combines several of the above technologies to produce a masterpiece level model. These kits often have resin, wood, plaster, photo-etch, laser cut, and plastic parts in the same box, as well as paper, strip styrene, and other unusual components. One kit I recall even contained glass microscope slide specimen covers to use as windows. This type of kit is not for the faint of heart. Skill and patience are required to make the most out of these kits, which are often costly and limited in release.

On a completely different note, many smaller scale (HO and below) modelers can find a broad assortment of foldable paper kits. Some are pre-punched or die-cut with embossed brick detail, while other equally complex or simple kits are available as a downloadable graphic that you can resize and print yourself. A little research on the net may even turn up some free paper “foldables” ready to print.

Kit Bashing

Sometimes you’ll find a kit that is similar to what you need but not quite, or perhaps you need a structure that is one and a half times as big. This is an occasion for kit-bashing. Kit bashing is the process of physically modifying a model by cutting and removing or adding new parts. The parts you add may be from a second similar kit, a different kit, or even parts you’ve designed and created yourself. This process often requires familiarity with cutting tools like a razor saw or a jeweler’s saw, as well as old favorites like the X-acto knife. Prospective kit bashers should try a simple project first, like lengthening or shortening some walls before descending into an all-out ambitious adventure. Spend extra time on your design and measurement process, because the old adage about “measure twice, cut once” has a lot of weight in the kit-bashing arena. Many model railroad magazines have articles on different kit-bash projects. If you have the perseverance to follow the project through from start to completion, the kit-bashing process can be very satisfying.

Scratch Building

Once you’ve eliminated kits and pre-built structures to fill your needs, there is only one recourse – scratch-building. This can involve anything from a brutally ambitious kit-bash of which very little is left of the original kit, to using all original materials and making every component by hand. Model railroaders are apt to use anything and everything to create their scratch-built masterpieces. The most common elements, and also the easiest to work, with are pre-cut strips and sheets of wood and styrene plastic. If a project has repetitive components, like columns, for example, you could make one detailed master and then cast using silicon rubber and urethane resin. Fortunately, some companies have seen the opportunity to create and sell handy components for the scratch-builder. Plastruct and Grandt Line have extensive catalogs of architectural details including windows and doors. Other suppliers make laser cut shingles or sheets of textured material to imitate brick, stone, and even stained glass.

This Glass-roofed station with detailed interior, from the same layout as the city above, is a complete scratch-build, designed in CAD, cut by laser, and assembled by our model specialists. Photo by SMARTT

Conclusion

Ultimately, these are the routes you can go through to populate your layout with structures. This applies not just to buildings, but bridges, power towers, and accessories as well. If you cannot find what you need in a pre-built structure, you are going to have to consider the idea of a kit or a scratch-built structure. But what if you don’t have the time, tools, or talent to do this on your own? This is where a company like SMARTT comes in.

We can build or custom build structures to meet your needs, whether they’re based on real buildings that exist already or fantasy structures that you would like to see take form. We also have the capacity to custom design parts to be laser cut, machined by a CNC router, or even photo-etched to fill the design needs. Of course, this is a very labor intensive process, so it works out to be more economical as part of a layout project, but if you want your dream structure badly enough, it can be built. SMARTT makes dreams come true.

Rust in Peace

Rust is a part of life, and should be a part of your miniature scenes.

As much as we’d wish it were otherwise, the world is seldom shiny and new as a toy on a shelf. If you want your train layout or diorama to look realistic, you have to find a way to represent the wear and tear of the real world, showing what depredations the elements can wreak on unprotected surfaces. One of the coolest and yet easiest to create effects is rust.

There are a few ready-mixed multi-step products that can do the trick, like Rustall, but it is really not hard to create the effect of rust using a few simple techniques and paint colors. We will use the techniques of “the wash” and “the dry-brush” as discussed in earlier articles to achieve the desired rust effect.

Paint and supplies:
Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber(we use water based Liquitex in the bottle)
Silver acrylic paint (we use Apple Barrel or similar)
Testors’ Dullcote spray in the 3 oz. can
Powder (We use Bragdon’s Weather System rust colors)
Brown or gray chalk pastels
Dish soap – to add to the wash
Isopropyl alcohol – also for the wash
Paper towels
Brushes

First paint your object the base color that you want. Black is good for pronounced rust. Once an object has been exposed long enough to the elements, the original color will be unrecognizable anyway. Paint the object with a spray paint that is not water soluble. We do not want our rust effects to remove the base coat. If you go with a glossy or semi-gloss base coat, the wash will tend to wander into the deepest cracks and recesses and avoid the high points. A flat sheen base coat will cover the surface with a more even layer of rust. Either can be good, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

We'll start our example piece with a simple, clean, HO scale truck body. We could certainly pre-weather this by painting a panel or two in primer grey or a lighter, more faded blue.	Burnt Sienna wash is the first layer of weathering, applied liberally over the whole surface. Don't worry about the windshield; we're using acrylics which can be wiped from the transparency later with alcohol. If in doubt of whether your wash will harm the surface below, be sure to test it first.

Prepare a wash of the Burnt Sienna. Cover the object with it and sop away any puddle spots with a paper towel. If you use a thinner wash, you may need to repeat this step several times, but that’s OK. This lets you build the effect slowly to a point of your choosing. Objects with steep sides may require you to do one section of a time and let it dry before moving on to the next area. I occasionally use a hair drier to accelerate the drying.

Now that we've dry-brushed a little Burnt Umber, another good rust color, in a few sharp edged places like the running boards and the edge of the bed.	Dull down the shiny chrome with a black wash to get into the crevices and generally mute the shine.

If you want a more severe rusting in a few spots, paint on the Burnt Sienna full strength in a few key spots. You can also paint in a bit of Burnt Umber for that darker brownish type of rust. If there are a few interesting high spots on the surface, especially in areas that did not take as much of the rust, dry-brush them with one of your rust colors.

Any shiny metallic parts on your object can be dulled down with an application of black acrylic wash. Black wash can also be applied anywhere else you feel the shadows need to be deepened.

Subtle streaks are added on the door handle and a few places along the top edge of the bed.	A light dry-brush of acrylic silver gives a subtle hint of the metallic nature of the truck body.

If you want the object to have a slight suggestion of metal to its nature, dry-brush a thin layer of the silver acrylic across the surface. This will deposit the metallic specs in the paint across the surface for a subtle sheen. This works best with flat or semi-gloss base coats. We often do this with metal bridge components. Catching the hard edges with the silver will make them stand out as well, although you will probably be rusting them out later.

Now the rusty derelict can be moved to its new home, a weed filled ditch. Weeds and other junk go a long way to sell the illusion of wear and abondonment.	Another example of rust adding character. Check out the streaking and staining on this O-scale Featherlite portal casting. No additional parts have been added; it's a single piece with elaborate but simple paint work.

Another type of rusting you can do is with the Bragdon powders. These are not as precise but they allow a certain transparency to the rust. They are especially effective on darker matte surfaces. Seal the whole thing with Testors’ Dullcote.

Sometimes, the object to which you will apply rust is not metal itself, like a brick wall, but a metal object has been attached to it, like a ladder or sign. Here you may want to paint thin rusty streaks flowing down from the contact point. Use a thin pointy brush. The key here is subtlety. A little bit goes a long way and can be too easily overdone. The streaks should fade out quickly.

Perhaps you want to age a painted metal object with hard edges, like a 55 gallon drum. Dry-brush the hard edges with the rust colors and leave the rest alone except for a few vertical streaks as discussed above. The idea is that the hard edges would be where the object’s paint has scraped away allowing the exposed metal to rust, while the painted surfaces remain intact.

The Rustall effect is completed by dusting on some brownish dust to make the surface appear even more worn. You could also do this with the Bragdon powder of your choice, or even by getting some gray or brown chalk pastels from the art store and crushing them against sandpaper to produce custom weathering dust. Real dirt is probably too thick and granular to look good as a scale weathering product unless it is repeatedly sifted through progressively finer strainers. As with the other powders, sealing lightly with Dullcote makes the effect more resistant to damage.

Using this technique, it’s easy to build up a whole junkyard of rusty debris, but the uses extend much further. You can rust out rolling stock, or abandoned metal structures like signal bridges or water tanks. You can even bring life to a rusty fire escape on the side of a dilapidated tenement. The sky’s the limit, so just go out there and rust!

On Recreating a Train From Wood and Foam

The steaming star of AMC's new western drama, "Hell on Wheels" Photo from the Morton Report

Once upon a time, the western roamed the Television range. There were westerns as far as the eye could see. Today, not so much. But AMC, the cable network that brought you fifties ad men and zombies, is trying to revive the horse opera with a new series set around the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad after the close of the US civil war. “Hell on Wheels” is the name of the show and the name of the real nomadic tent community that followed the construction of the railroad, crewed by ex soldiers, former slaves, native Americans and anyone else who was willing to work. However, one of the real stars of the show isn’t real at all. No, the train that the show revolves around is a recreation made from Styrofoam and plywood.

The production crewed rented a prairie from the Tsuu T'ina Nation in Alberta, BC and laid down 2000 feet of track as part of the backdrop for this drama, but when they looked for a train that was available, there was none in the area, and airlifting one from a museum for an extended shoot would not have been financially feasible. Instead, their Art department designed a replica of a small period workhorse type train as the real railroad crews used.

This replica is mainly composed of Styrofoam and plywood as designed in the computer and parted out to the various art department services. The train’s wheels had to be custom made from flat steel bar stock then curved and welded. There is no suspension so going over the bumps is a little tricky. The steam and black smoke is generated on set by units installed in the train, however, the vehicle itself does not have any drive mechanism. In scenes where it needs to move, a tow vehicle pulls it along and is later digitally erased in post production.

According to John Shiban, one of the executive producers, “At the same time we had the effects people build a fully realized 3D model of a train which we used in some of the episodes for certain shots.”

In terms of the sounds of the train, “The creators were very adamant that they wanted trains to be a real character in the story…” said sound-mixer David Raines in an interview with POST magazine, so the sound crew from Larson Studios headed by John Paccatiello did a lot of homework on what the train should sound like. Hopefully, the train buffs out there will approve of the authenticity.

Sources:

http://www.amctv.com/hell-on-wheels/videos/inside-hell-on-wheels-building-the-train

http://www.postmagazine.com/Publications/Post-Magazine/2011/November-1-2011/In-the-Mix-AMCs-Hell-on-Wheels.aspx

http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/television/an-interview-with-john-shiban-executive-producer-of-amcs-new-western-hell-on-wheels/

It’s Been Over Twenty Years Since the Cabooses Went Away?
by Ray Del Papa

Classic Little Red Caboose. Photo from mousemedicine.com

It’s the end of the year, so let’s talk a little about the end of a freight train. Not those little boxes with a flashing red light, FRED’s (Flashing Rear End Device), but cabooses. It has been over 20 years since the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) allowed railroads to discontinue the use of all their cabooses, and replace them with those little electronic boxes.

Yes, it has been that long already. What the Florida East Coast Railroad started in the early 1970’s has become SOP. And why? . . . to save labor! Those Cabs took two crew members to operate, a rear-end brakeman and a conductor. Multiply that by the thousands of freight trains that ran each day, and you can see why the railroads went the way of the FRED. Now all the head-end crew has to do is monitor the information the FRED’s relay back to them on how their train is holding together.

FRED Photo, Translations Directory .com	Southern Caboose Photo, Carknocker .com

However, no matter how efficient FREDs are, they can’t replace the look of a caboose holding on to the rear of a mile long freight train. That is why so many model railroaders will not go the way of the FRED. They just love to tack a cabin car, crummy, cab, hack, or any other name railroads gave their cabooses, to the end of their train. And if you want proof, just look in any model train catalog, in any scale, there you will find numerous models of cabooses. From a $10.00 plastic kit, to a $300.00 brass model, cabooses are still very popular. And to the hard core modeler, having the right cabooses with the correct paint scheme is as important as any other piece of rolling stock or locomotive.

HO Plastic caboose Photo by Euro Models

Over the years, cabooses have been modeled, photographed, and written about. One very sad footnote to FRED’s is explaining to a young child what a caboose is. This is very evident when one is trying to read that famous children’s story, The Little Red Caboose. I can remember my mother reading that story and showing me the pictures of how the little red caboose saved his train on a mountain grade. For those who don’t remember, the little caboose saved the day by keeping the train from slipping backwards down the mountain, using his hand brake. He held on for dear life until two helper locomotives arrived to push the train over the hill. It was a great fairy tale, but to children today it’s hard to explain that caboose were once on the rear of every freight train. Another piece of Railroad History relegated to the scrap-yards and museums.

Book, “The Little Red Caboose” photo Golden Books

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Scale Models, Arts, & Technologies, Inc.

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