FINISHED PROJECTS

Here are some of my recently completed freight car projects...

Since I model the contemporary scene, I (unfortunately) need to add graffiti to some of my cars. After getting in some new graffiti decals, I added them to this Walthers autorack, after seeing this in real life. And now, you know why these cars are now fully enclosed; to protect the vehicles from more than just the weather!

After years of sitting in storage, I finally assembled and painted these two Walthers Ortner hoppers. And since they were completed long after the other cars, plus the Testors Africa Mustard paint now has a slightly different hue than before, I gave them an updated look.

Both cars now have painted wheel sets and conspicuity striping along the bottom, as well as the large APW across the top. The latter is slowly being added to the older cars.

In addition, the cars also feature the unique Operation Lifesaver graphic on the left, as well as the new corporate logo in the upper right corner. I have thought about getting some more of these cars, but;

1. Walthers no longer offers the undecorated kits.

2. 40 holes have to be drilled for the installation of grab irons -which are not included!

Lastly, I finished this Atlas PS-2 hopper in MOW service. It, too, has conspicuity striping -the yellow contrasts nicely with the orange car- and the corporate logo at the top; this time centered on the car body. This car will be in company sand transport service. Note that it still has the original friction-bearing trucks -no interchange for this car!

TRAIN GM47 PT2

Last week, the motive power. This week, the train...

Two of the AP-marked AP&W hoppers in the train. The light pole is the "before-and-after" between the car on the right, which has painted wheelsets, and the car on the left, which still does not -but does have graffiti.

If it's a grain train, it has BNSF hoppers in it; this car is representative of most of them in the train.

A GATX car, just to be different.

Another BNSF car, this one an older hopper.

The final car is also a BNSF hopper, not only an older car, but an older paint scheme as well. This was the original BNSF look after the 1996 BN-SF merger.

The EOT flashes at the end of the train. While far cheaper to operate than a caboose. the effect is just not the same!

TRAIN GM47 PT1

Train GM47, the unit grain train from Chicago to Baltimore, rolls through town...

As the train rolls in, the two lead units are of interest.

The engines roll past the converted container-shop on the west end of the yard.

As the train slows to a gradual stop, we can see that the two lead units are special; a BNSF ES44C4, and the Delaware & Hudson heritage unit.

The train will be making a crew change; the two fresh personnel are standing by.

The old crew steps off, glad for a rest after an nine-hour journey through the mountains after leaving Cincinnati. Normally, the crew change is in Uniontown, but yard congestion forced the move to Hillsdale -adding an extra hour to the trip.

After the new crew does the obligatory brake test, radio check, and seat adjustments, they continue the trip on to Baltimore. The train was received in Chicago from the BNSF; hence the BNSF engine on the head-end. The D&H heritage unit was in Chicago awaiting assignment, and added to the train. More on the train itself to come...

TOWN LIFE PT17

FedEx is busy making deliveries downtown; this is one of their newer "Sprinter" vans.

The work crew of Cornerstone Construction takes a lunch break at the Hickory Pit Bar-B-Q.

Later, a city work crew stops at the same place -one of Hillsdale's favorite spots.

Since it's fall, the local equipment dealers are having clearance sales. Here, two new John Deere tractors are being trucked in -much to the dealership's chagrin; they're trying to get rid of the 2015's, not get more!

A common sight in town is this semi. The 40' trailer is long obsolete; but with vent holes cut into the sides, and the roll-up rear door cut down, the trailer is now serving a new purpose hauling wood chips from local logging operations to the paper mill in Dale City. To empty it, the entire semi will be strapped to a platform and tipped on end!

DBW 11

Train DBW11 has returned from Dale City once again...

As usual, SD40 3163 is in charge.

On the head end are a string of US Steel covered coil cars.

Next up is a carload of rebar and a carload of sheet steel.

A pair of gons with unprotected steel coils; note the second one is still in "Appalachian" paint!

More carloads of steel, this time slabs -some of which seem to have been sitting out longer than others.

More sheet steel.

More steel slabs.

Finally, pipe loads, followed by the caboose; the Wilson Steel Works train being one of the few trains left which still utilize what is now a largely forgotten relic.