Chicago & NorthWestern 400 Passenger Car

Here is my final C&NW "400" car for my Oreland 400 passenger train.  This car is a model of the parlor cars that were introduced to the early 400 in 1939.  The basic car was from a 401 model kit.  I then added the underframe details as well as a complete interior with passengers as well.  I took the liberty of letting my fantasies come forward and added the "400" tail sign on the end door.  Most of the C&NW "400" trains did not get a tail sign except the original Twin Cities 400.  This car was another fun car to build although the details and interior took quite some time to build (9 months for those who are counting!!) 

This shows the end door with the "400" tail sign on this parlor car,  Since my models are based on what was operating from 1958 through 1960, I chose to keep the early 400 cars with the original paint scheme, although by the time I am modeling some of the 400 cars were being rebuilt and received the simplified paint scheme.   Again hope you enjoy the models I have added to the blog.  Thanks for visiting.  Bill

 

Milwaukee Road Gondola

This Milwaukee Road gondola was scratch built using photographs of this series found in many of my Milwaukee Road books. This car is carrying a load of steel girders for constructing large vertical supports.  The car is shown with newer steel sides rather  than the original wooden sides.  The car has a fully detailed underframe as well as end details found on this series of gondolas.  Scalecoat paint, with Champion and Microscale decals complete the car.  It will run on my 3-rail Proto layout.  Hope you like the car.  I had a blast building it.  Bill

Here is another Milwaukee Road gondola that was made from a Max Gray GS gondola I found at a recent train show.  The car was in need of some TLC and some upgrades as well.  All the drop doors worked perfectly with a little fine oil and some minor repairs.  It was given a fully detailed underframe with air lines as well as brake linkage.  The ends received full details as well.  I decaled the car for the GS steel gondolas that the Milwaukee Road owned.  These gondolas were often found in pulpwood or lumber service in numerous locations along with Milwaukee Road.  Hope you like the car.  Bill

 

Milwaukee Road Boxcar Update

Progress Update on Milwaukee Road Boxcar

Building a Milwaukee Road Boxcar Part II

new Series, Constructing Milwaukee Road Boxcar

Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha Pullman Diner

 Here is an update on the construction of the Diner, the kitchen is now complete and even food on grill and patrons.
Bill

Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha Pullman Dining Car Part 2

Well we are a third of the way done and I forgot to give updates, sorry about that.
Well all the exterior work has been completed or in final stages. Here is some pictures of the car as it currently stands, enjoy
Bill

Milwaukee Road 50ft Double Door Automobile Boxcar

Here we have a Milwaukee Road 50ft Double Door Automobile Ribside Boxcar. This car started an Ambroid Kit that I added additional detailing to include air hoses, cut levers and a complete brake system. This car will operate on my 2 Rail layout.
Hope you like the car
Bill

Swift Refrigerator Reefer Car

Here we have the newest model that I have built, it is a Swift Refrigerator Car to handle the many loads of meat and other food commodities that will be hauled to the Upper Great Lakes Regions. It will be operated at my Reimers Meat Packaging plant.
Happy railroading
Bill

Chicago & Northwestern 400 Coach

Here we have a Chicago and Northwestern "400" Coach that I recently built. It has been detailed with a complete interior and is painted in the as delivered paint scheme. The basic kit is a 401 Models kit which I have added considerable detail too and I utilized detail parts from Keil Line, Walthers, All-Nations, Scale City Designs and Selley Custom Finishes, along with many hand fabricated parts. This car will operate on my Proto Hi-Rail Layout, I really enjoyed building this car and I hope you like it too.
Happy Railroading
Bill

Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha (Omaha Road) Pullman Heavyweight Dining Car

Some of my blog visitors have expressed a desire for me to post how I build and detail my models from the beginning of the construction to the final product.  I have elected to show you, my friends, how I decide to construct a model and what processes I use to accomplish it.  Here is the first post of some pictures I will make as I progress with this model.  I have chosen to build a Pullman Heavyweight Dining Car painted and lettered for the C&NW subsidiary Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha (Omaha Road).  The car will be numbered #543 and actual diner was in service until 1959.  In the below pictures I have begun the process of preparing the car for construction.  I found this very old completed Walther's kit at a Lionel Train Show several years ago.  I had it in a box of old kits that I thought I would build eventually when I found the time and desire.  Since I model the C&NW in 1958 through 1960, I felt this model would be a great idea.  I finally had a chance to begin this model, by first dismantling the car down to its basic components and stripping them of paint and other prior details.  This kit was quite old and some of the parts were not salvageable for the model I wanted to make.  What is pictured here is what I was able to save and reuse in the proposed model.  I have collected a considerable amount of detail parts to add to this model.  When I have built passenger train models in the past I will add a complete interior to include bathrooms, lounges, tables, seats, and best of all passengers.  This particular model will be somewhat challenging as there are not a lot of detail parts available online for dining cars.  Some will have to be scratch-built, such as the kitchen items - broilers, sinks, make tables, and refrigerators.  One of my biggest problems was finding a good picture if the interior of a dining car kitchen.  I will periodically post pictures of the progress of this car as I build it.  I hope you, my friends, will find this a fascinating pictorial journey of the creation of this model.  Hope you enjoy my future posts.  Best wishes Bill"

Another E&LS Gondola

Here we have another E&LS gondola and before you ask, no I am not switching railroads. I had scratched built this car from the ground up and added the lumber load for sawmills.
Hope you like the car.
Bill


P.S. exciting post for April 1. No joke.

Escanaba & Lake Superior Gondola

Here we have an E&LS Gondola that was a partial kit and the rest of it was scratched built. The load inside is lumber that was constructed using bass wood. This car will operate on my 2 rail layout.
Hope you like the car
Bill

PRR G31A gondola rebuilt

Here we have a Pennsylvania Railroad G31A gondola. This car is scratched built from the ground up, and the decals are from Champion and Microscale variety. Like similar gondolas I have built in the past this has a load of structural steel for the Upper Michigan Peninsula.
Hope you like the car.
Bill

Morell Meat Car

Here we have a Morell Refrigerator Car. The car itself is scratched built and the sides are Westbrook's lithograph Craft paper from the 1940s. This car will operate on the 3 rail Proto Hi-Rail Layout.
Hope you like the car.
Bill.

wisconsin michigan lines O scale

Here we have a Pennsylvania GD gondola with a load of pipes.  This was a old Walthers kit that had been badly damaged, but I had a chance to kitbash it into this gondola.  This car will operate on my Proto Hi-Rail layout.  It rides on Athearn Andrews trucks and has a complete brake systems along with cut levers, air hoses, and wood floor in the gondolas.  Thank you for visiting.  Bill

Canadian Pacific PS-1 boxcar.

Here we have a Canadian Pacific earlier PS-1 boxcar.  The C.P. had several of these PS-1 cars and they were found in abundance in the Upper Peninsula and Michigan and Northern Wisconsin.  Often carrying paper products from mills in Canada and Wisconsin they would travel from the Sault Ste. Marie area to points all over the US. This car was an All-Nation undecorate boxcar kit that I have added details to improve its prototypical appearance.  There are air hoses, Cut Levers, and a complete brake systems on the car.  Decals were Microscale and Champion and the lettering based on photos I had of the car in question.

I hope you like the car ad have a great week.  

Bill

Duluth South Shore & Atlantic PS-1 boxcar

Here we have a Duluth South Shore & Atlantic PS-1 boxcar.  This is a model of a 1948 order that has been upgraded at the shops with the new Superior Gateway slogan. DSS&A ordered some small lots of PS-1 boxcars beginning in 1940 through 1957.  Most were single door versions, but the last order was for a 50 foot version with double doors for service to the Celotex plant near L'Anse, Michigan.  This car is an All-Nation undecorated kit I found.  I added details such as brake system, cut levers, air hoses, etc. using detail parts from Scale City Design, Selley Custom Finishes, Walthers, as well as Keil-Line. This car will run on my Proto Hi-Rail layout.  May all of you have a Happy New Year.  
Hope you like the car.  
Bill

CN&W/Omaha Road PS-1 boxcar

Here we have a CN&W/Omaha Road PS-1 boxcar that was made from an older Athearn Kit found at a local model train show.  This boxcar was made from several photographs I have discovered over the years.  The Omaha Road (CMO) was a long time subsidiary of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.  They had several boxcars and other freight cars lettered for the Omaha Road.  Since I have been modeling the C&NW, I chose to have some Omaha Road (CMO) freight cars on my layout.  This boxcar has details such as air hoses, cut levers, and complete brake system.  I used several detail parts from Selley Custom Finishes,  Keil-Line, Walthers, and Scale City Designs. The trucks are Pecos Valley Brass and the car is to operate on my 3-rail Proto Hi-Rail layout.  Thanks for following our blog and hope you like the car.  
Have a Merry Christmas.  
Bill