Yearly Archives: 2022

General American 1928-Design 6000 Gallon 3-Compartment Tank Car from Tangent Scale Models

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My General American 1928-Design 6000 Gallon 3-Compartment Tank Car from Tangent Scale Models arrived yesterday. This morning I’m enjoying my morning coffee in my dachshund Christmas cup looking it over this fine new model release.

This is Tangent Scale Models first model released in O Scale. The model is offered with either O Scale or Proto48 trucks. They are not the first to do that in O Scale, both RY Models and Protocraft have sold their models that way.

First Impressions:
It really is a nice car!
It is well engineered, well decorated and a solid model. Handling it on the workbench, I can say it is not as fragile as some highly detailed O Scale models in the past.

Some things are different from most brass imports. Starting with the box. Much thinner construction than often seen in brass models. Yet strong enough to make the trip to the US and keep the model safe from damage.

The Proto48 Trucks are nicely done and very free rolling. They have roller bearings in the journals. The spring cluster is nicely modeled compared to the usual ball point pen type springs used on some trucks. You can’t see through the spring cluster on the prototype and you can’t see through it on the model either.

Here you can see the fine decoration on the model.

Now to point out some of the engineering standouts. The draft gear is nice. Rather than just leaving a place to mount the oversize Kadee coupler box the box and draft gear are one unit to the bolster.

Here it is from the top.

I think it looks even better without the coupler pin.

And now just for a comparison, here is the Intermountain ACF 8000 Gal tank car along side the new Tangent Scale model. You can see the Tangent model is shorter ad the tank diameter is smaller.

I normally go for more of the Plain-Jane types of freight cars. I almost ordered the 1958 version of the GATX black car. I could have easily backdated the dates to work for my modeling period of 1952. I chose instead to buy a car that I didn’t have to modify at all. Looking at how nice the lettering is applied to the car, I’m glad I did.

Some people might think the the asking price is high. If you consider the added price of a custom paint job and a pair of Proto48 replacement trucks, the price comes in under what some undecorated 30 year old brass cars from Pacific Limited currently sells for. I think this new release from Tangent Scale Models is a bargain.

Since the Tangent Scale Models announcement the other day, a few people have been very vocal that they wanted a different model produced. Well if that is truly the case, they can drop the cash and invest in a new company and produce whatever they want. They don’t seem to do more than just complain anyway. I’m waiting for their announcement of a new company and a new model release.

New Model Released

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O Scale / Proto48 has a new manufacturer, Tangent Scale Models announced the release of a new model of a GATC 6,000 Gallon 3-Compartment tank car. They are now available from the Tangent Scale Models website.

The models are hand-crafted in brass in Republic of Korea by SamModel and are offered in both O scale 2-Rail and Proto-48 configurations.

Tangent Scale Models has offered the modeler a choice of O Scale or Proto48 models with the release of their new 50 ton truck.

Tangent Scale Models has a fine reputation in HO and N scale. I am glad they have taken the chance on the O Scale/Proto48 market with this fine new offering. One of these is in transit here now. I’ll have more thoughts and photos of it after it arrives.

All Photos from the Tangent Scale Models Website.

New Project: Reading LOb

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Reading Company photo – G Losse collection

Well over the last year or two I have mostly worked on simple projects, changing out trucks on a cars, converting 3-rail bolsters or painting/lettering projects. I think that has been because it is hard to focus on a longer term project with all that has been going on with work, life and the world.

This past weekend, I was looking through different scans for a photo and I found this scan of a diagram the Reading Company had prepared comparing the Class LOb the an ACF car built for the LNE. It should be noted that the drawing is dated November 25, 1939 and the RDG Lob builder’s photo shows a date of April 23, 1940.

The drawing clearly shows the two cars are very close in major dimensions and locations of major components. They ocupy mostly the same space.

Reading Company Drawing – Dated November 25, 1939
LNE Covered Hopper similar to the car in the drawing
Photo Bob Losse collection

Long ago I had thought that the weaver car had a lot of similarities to the Reading car but beyond having to remove ribs it also required a number of other adjustments to the car body. I dismissed that as an option but thought the concept a good approach, I just wanted a better starting point.

This got me thinking, Atlas O made an ACF 70 ton covered hopper that is a later design, more of a late ’40’s early ’50’s car. The idea is to remove the ribs and add a wrapper around the shell.

My drawings for this car appeared in RMC back in the 1980’s. I also had an updated set of drawings that my brother Bob had drawn and plotted in O scale for me. I compared the Atlas car to the drawings. The Atlas car is a more modern car and the car body is about scale 18 inches longer but the height and shape of the car is about right.

I started prepping the shell by removing the details. The grab irons on the side and the hatches on the roof. I did disassemble the car but ended up putting it back together because I felt the weight being inside would help stiffen the plastic car body while sanding the ribs down.

I took my time and slowly removed the ribs. I tried to be careful with the sanding to remove the details at the same rate overall to try to keep from sanding the body out of square.

You can see that different details begin to get sanded as you get down further on the the side.

Some people might ask why I didn’t remove the paint first before working on the shell. I found it was useful to keep me sanding evenly. If you are applying to much pressure in one direction you can see if the detail which are at the same height on the car side come off at the same time. If you are uneven they show.

Car sides here show all the detail removed. It doesn’t take that long to sand down the car sides. You just need go slow and keep the car level as you sand. But it does create a mess of the plastic you sand off.

Next time, I need to mark the shell for where I plan to cut it to remove the 18 inches out of the center of the car. Then I’ll add a wrapper and begin to built up the car sides. Stay tuned that will be the next post.

Caveat Emptor

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“Caveat Emptor” is a Latin phrase that means “let the buyer beware.”

I had two years of Latin while in High School, but that is not what I want to talk about. I think I’m going to start a new “Category” for the site called “Caveat Emptor“

Today, I saw this on the auction site. It was listed as “YODER PRR 50 TON FREIGHT TRUCKS.” It clearly isn’t.

As you can see in the photos, the truck does not have a spring plank, brake beams or brake shoes. Also the wheels appear to be plastic and without any backside relief. This sure looks like an Athearn truck that was painted red.

We have all done this, buy a pair of trucks at a show to replace a pair on a finished car. When you are done installing the new trucks on the car you put the old trucks into the box. It a convenient place to store the old trucks. I know I’ve done it with some trucks.

Trouble is when someone buys a collection and has no idea what these are and lists them as a pair of brass trucks when in reality they are cheap plastic trucks. It’s even worse when they ask more for the trucks than when they were new from the importer.

Just be careful, not everyone selling stuff knows what they are selling.

Model photos cropped and edited from online images.

Thanksgiving Day

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I would like to wish everybody a Safe & Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is the view of my workbench this morning. You can see an AB pair of CNJ F3’s, a pair of MTH 2-rail conversion trucks that recently came off of an MTH LV Fshbelly Twin, and a pair of spare Weaver AAR Type-B road switcher trucks that I was fitting a set of Protocraft conversion wheelsets into. I need to get these parts/projects back together and off the workbench today.

In the early Fall of 2021, I was sitting with some friends BS’ing about different models that have been released in the past that for whatever reason did not end up on our radar.

I mentioned that I wish I had picked up the Atlas-O CNJ F3’s back when they were released. But that was not in the cards for me when they were released. It was joked that it would be easier to go back in time and buy them, then to find them in today’s secondary market.

I started looking for them online and at the shows, I listed what I’m looking for on my Interchange Track page. They were around in 3-rail but not as 2-rail models. Then to my surprise one showed up at a Strasburg Show. Then a pair online. Over the last year I have been fortunate to find four CNJ units. I’m still looking for one more CNJ F3A, the details of what I’m now looking for are listed on my Interchange Track.

I was working in the basement this morning on the shelves which are making up the benchwork for the back wall. The parts are stained and about to be assembled. I should have some photos to show the progress soon.

2022 Strasburg O Scale Show – October

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Today was the Strasburg O Scale Train Show. It was well attended for as beautiful the weather was today. As always it was great to see so many models available for sale. But it was also really nice to see and talk with so many people that we only get to see in person at the shows.

Just before the show started David Vaughn presented Terry Terrance his induction into the O Scale Central Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Terry, a well deserved honor for a fine gentleman. I was not able to get a good image of the presentation but below is a link to a photo that Ken Kime posted in the 2Rail O Scale & Proto48 Model Railroading Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6161435973885245&set=gm.6097898660237578&idorvanity=218119438215559

Views of the engine room of the firehouse. Below was Dave Richter’s tables.

For the Reading modelers, there were a number of notable models on the tables at this show. There was a Sunset L7 (4-6-0 camelback) on one of Dave Richter’s tables. It did not last long into the show. There was also a Weaver Crusader Pacific, an SGL G-3 pacific and some of the SGL passenger cars on the tables.

Clinics have returned to the show. They were presented by Kerry Kime and John Dunn. Kerry’s clinic was on making pine trees from heater filters. John had two presentations, the first was an add on to Kerry’s clinic. John talked about making trees sedum plants.

Kerry did a great job demonstrating haw she has made trees for their home layout using a wood dowel and cut up heater filters. This was the second time she has given the presentation during a Strasburg Show. The first time was at her table inside the show in August. This turned out to be a better location where the participants were not as distracted by everything in the room.

John added onto Kerry’s presentation with a quick talk about making trees from the sedum plant. While not actually making trees John showed examples of trees made and

John’s other presentation was called Pizza-Box Weathering. When John first posted that he was doing that presentation it caught my attention. John explained that he likes to weather using Conte Crayons. If you’re not familiar with them they are a drawing tool that I remember using in art school in life drawing classes. It has a little more tooth to stay where you put it.

For the second time the show held a benefit auction with all the proceeds going to the firehall. This year they had three donated models up for auction, a Diamond Scale Turntable kit, a custom built structure built by Martin Brechbiel and a Yarmouth Models PRR X31f kit built by Cris Crane. The X31f included a correct pair of Rich Yoder PRR 2D-F12 trucks, in either O Scale or Proto48 for the car.

The surprise of the show was the sale price of the X31f. After spirited bidding between two bidders the car sold for $900.

Blackened Wheels on Imported Brass Trucks

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During the Proto48 Meeting at this year’s Chicago show, the topic of the blackened wheel treads came up. I was very surprised by how much talk there was about them and how passionate some of the folks were. It never dawned on me that some folks think it’s difficult to polish the wheel treads.

The above image shows a pair of Yoder PRR 2D-F8 50 Ton trucks straight out of the box about to find a home under an Atlas X29. Notice the blackened wheel treads.

I use a small my Dremel with a Rubber Polishing Wheel 320 Xtra Fine grit Silicon carbide. They come 100 in the bag for about $20. I think I found them on ebay a couple of years ago. Since then I may have used a half dozen of the 100 wheels. When they wear down or get a grove in them I just put on a fresh wheel.

I hold the truck in my hand and work the polishing wheel around the wheel. They can get hot so you have to work out a sequence to be able to continue to hold the truck. After about five minutes work, the wheels are polished.

What’s all the fuss? They talked about this issue longer then it takes to polish the treads on a pair of trucks.

BTW, this also works on loose wheelsets. Just polish the treads before you assemble a truck.

All done, now back to putting these under the X29.

Sunset Reading EMD F3’s

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Builder’s photo of Reading EMD F3’s, class DF-2

Sunset imported EMD F3 A’s and B’s painted decorated for the Reading a few years ago. I did not order any as I DO NOT like to buy any new model sight unseen. This was the first time they were being built and you have no idea if the model will be accurate.

This weekend I finally saw photos of an actual model that was produced. I was not impressed and I’m VERY GLAD I did not order any.

The Reading EMD F3’s were classed as DF-2. They styled very similarly to the later F7’s. The had the later low profile 36 inch fans on the roof. They had the later large angled number boards on the nose. They also had Stainless steel grills on the top of the sides of the locomotives. Outwardly they were often misidentified as F7’s. The only real visual difference is the dynamic brake grid on the roof, they had a pair rectangular roof grids for the Dynamic Brakes instead of the F7’s 36 inch low profile fan.

Below are photos of the Sunset 3rd Rail Reading EMD F3 release.

These views of the A unit show what is wrong with the model:

  • The Dynamic Brake is not modeled correctly on the model. It’s a blank hatch cover. It should be two rectangular screen-covered grids
  • The Grills at the top of the car body are not modeled correctly. They should be made to look like stainless steel grills like an F7.
  • There are a pair of PRR style lifting brackets on the nose of the locomotive that should NOT be there.
  • Missing the number board on the top of the nose door.
  • Missing nose door handles

The B Unit also has inaccuracies:

  • Dynamic Brake not modeled
  • Missing lettering with unit number and class called out just in front of the rear side door.
  • Grills at the top of the car body should be like the grills on a F7.
What Reading Company 260 looked like.
Reading F3 265 in Bethlehem, PA in 1952.
This view shows the dynamic brake grids that are missing on the Sunset model.

I’m not a fan of the model companies current practice of producing a run of a model. They expect you to buy a model sight unseen before ANY photos are released of an actual model. I have only done this one or two times before. Haven’t always been happy with what was produced.

When you mention this to other modelers they just say order it or don’t, the manufactures don’t really care. Well I care. I’d rather have a correct model than the beginning of an expensive project to add to the project list.

Faced with the future options of having to order a model before it’s produced, I think I’ve ordered my last new model for this lifetime.

I did not order any of these models from Sunset 3rd Rail. Now having seen the actual model that was imported, I’m glad I didn’t.

Makes me again say, I will not order any models sight unseen. If that means I don’t get the New Whatever, so what? I have more than enough models here now to keep my project list full for the rest of my lifetime.

Model photos cropped and edited from online images.
Prototype images from scanned photos and negatives from my collection.

2022 Strasburg O Scale Show – August

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The Strasburg Show was yesterday. The weather was fine, no snow this time, but it is August in Pennsylvania. The attendance was a little down, but that was most likely because the weather was nice and guys had other commitments pulling on them. Life does happen.

It was a fine show. This was the first show with Rich Yoder on his own since John Dunn retired from hosting the shows. Rich did a fine job hosting the show on his own.

Sadly John had family commitments that kept him away from the show. I was looking forward to seeing John be able to just kick back and enjoy the show for a change.

For the Reading Modeler, I did see one of the Gem 0-4-0 camelbacks on a table. I later saw the box under someone’s arm, the model was on it’s way to a new home before the end of the show.

For the Proto48 modelers in the crowd, I did not see much on the tables. Rich Yoder had a few Proto48 trucks on his table. Mostly the National B-1’s, Vulcan trucks and just three of the Bettendorf caboose trucks. A couple of pairs of the caboose trucks made their way home with me.

It was announced that the October show will host a live auction during the show at 12:00 noon. There will be three items offered for auction, a hand crafted “Sethion Sinks Diorama” built by Martin Brechbiel, a Yarmouth Model Works PRR X31f built-up kit by Chris Crane complete with a correct pair of RY Models PRR 2D-F12 trucks in either O Scale or Proto48 and a Diamond Scale 105′ turntable kit.

WB: Painting In Good Weather

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This is a slightly different Workbench post for me. We have had some very nice weather this Spring, low humidity and warm days. I do have a paint booth, but I prefer to paint outdoors. During the Summer months the humidity in New Jersey can keep me from painting.

This is my simple set up. An old Kitchen cart, my compressor, a tub that holds supplies before painting, an upside down old cookie sheet and a plastic lazy-susan. I use the cookie-sheet when I’ve used some spray on strippers for models. So now it’s just a part of the set-up.

I wheel this out of the garage and set up along side the house. I had used this set-up in the back of the house before but the side gets sunlight longer. I can paint longer into the day.

I start with the model inverted and paint all the surfaces visible for this angle. You can see this covered hopper car sitting on a 5×7 film box. The film box allows me to move the model from the painting area without any trouble. The model is then set out on the back porch to bake a little in the sun.

After about a half hour of baking in the sun, I add a pair of “shop trucks” (in this case partially built Intermountain trucks without wheelsets) and invert the model on the top side of the box.

Once the visible surfaces of the top of the model are painted, I again move the model onto the back porch to bake in the sun. After another hour of baking, they were dry to the touch. They still had some fumes, so I let them set out there until the porch was in shadows.

Below were some of the cars from earlier in the day. I needed to break up all the red being applied with a couple of gray cars. Next up some black cars.