TKM No. 55 02-08 PDF

Number 55
February 2008
Modeling Morris Block Station and Interlocking
Modeling Class N5C Cabin 477929 * Andy Rubbo’s New York Division
PRRPro Update * Bill Neale’s Steubenville, OH * Modeling F30A 474489
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
1
February 2008
A publication of the PRRT&HS for the purpose of disseminating PRR modeling information.
Copyright © 2008 The Pennsylvania Railroad Historical and Technical Society – All Rights Reserved.
May be reproduced for personal use only. Not for sale other than by the PRRT&HS.
Editor - Al Buchan abbuchan1@comcast.net
Associate Editor - Jack Consoli jjconsoli@comcast.net
Assistant Editor - Jim Hunter jhunter@iupui.edu
New Products and Product Reviews Editor - Greg Martin tgregmrtn@aol.com
Chairman Modeling Committee - Elden Gatwood Elden.J.Gatwood@sad01.usace.army.mil
Send comments and corrections to the Editor at: abbuchan1@comcast.net
Manuscripts and photographs submitted for publication are welcome. Materials submitted are considered to be
gratis and no reimbursement will be made to the author or the photographer(s) or his/her representative(s). The
Society reserves the right to reject, for any reason, any material submitted for publication. Please contact the editor
for information and guidelines for submission. If you submit photos send, preferably at 800x600, not less than
640x480 preferable in TIFF format. Statements and opinions made are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent those of the Society.
Cover Photo – Top, Jack Burgess’ HO-scale class F30A flat car. Jack Burgess photo. Middle, David Skirmont’s HOscale class N5C cabin car. Dave Skirmont photo. Bottom, a scene from Andy Rubbo’s NY Division layout. Bill
Lane photo.
OFFICERS
President
Vice President
Corresponding Secretary
Corporate Secretary
Treasurer
Publisher
General Counsel
Archive Director
Marketing Director
Membership Coordinator
Public Relations
Table of Contents
Alan B. Buchan
John J. Consoli
Ken Kobus
Robert D. Brubaker
Edward Swain
Frederic V. Shaefer
James G. Trope
Robert L. Johnson
Fred Freitas
Andy Hart
Stan Trzoniec
3
In The Printed Press
4
…at the Interchange by Greg Martin
4
Updates and Errata
8
Modeling PRR N5C 477929 by David Skirmont
8
PRRPro Update by Bruce Smith
17
Modeling PRR F30A 474489 by Jack Burgess
18
Here’s What I’m Modeling - Steubenville, OH
by Bill Neale
23
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Term Expires 2008
Charles Blardone, Jr.
Ivan E. Frantz, Jr.
Term Expires 2009
Alan B. Buchan
John J. Consoli
Ken Kobus
Term Expires 2010
Robert D. Brubaker
James B. Winslow
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
Editorial
2
Andy Rubbo’s NY Division by Al Buchan
24
Modeling Morris Tower by Ron Hoess
25
February 2008
Editorial
Just a reminder that the 2008 annual meeting is only
three and one-half months away. So now is the time to
start getting your models tuned up for the modeling
contest and display. With all of the PRRPro stuff going
on I sure hope to see some of the fruits of your labor.
Remember your models don’t have to be finished to be
on display.
I mentioned in January that Greg Martin was stepping
down as editor of our product announcement column
…at the Interchange. Well, this month is Greg’s final
column. Greg has performed a tremendous service for us
Keystone Modelers (as he likes to call us) and we will
forever be in his debt for all of the timely information he
provided to us all; information not only about the models
but also the prototypes they were representing. Greg’s
input will be sorely missed. Please take some time from
your busy schedules to send Greg a note of thanks for all
of his work. I was hoping that someone would have
come forward by this time to take on this most important
monthly feature. But alas, I’m very disappointed that this
has not happened yet.
I received an email from a very well known model
manufacturer the other day stating that they were going
to reissue, in new paint, an old (and I mean old – like
maybe 40 or more years) model of a PRR car. This
particular car was only a marginal stand-in when it came
on the market then, as it really only somewhat resembled
its intended PRR prototype. And to add insult to injury
they were going to now paint it in a scheme that never
existed. Hopefully this will be corrected based on my
reply to them. This particular model was superceded by
another model made by different manufacturer about 15
years ago that was a relatively accurate representation of
the PRR car. Now my question is – why do
manufacturers continue to invest time and resources to
resurrect bogus cars when more accurate ones are
already on the market? If I was a stockholder I’d want
an answer. Perhaps I was in business too long trying to
make a profit to understand this kind of strange
economics. They need to kill this sacred cow and milk
their cash cows (which they have some of). The name of
the company is being withheld to protect the guilty.
Jim Ferguson of Pittsburgh, PA wrote that he needed
a new house number, since the old one had gotten rather
shabby after 35 years. He copied and enlarged the
keystone from TKM, and found the numeral 2 in Abe's
Graphic Charts of Pennsylvania Locomotives. It's all
made of .125" Evergreen styrene. He says that Scalecoat
II Scarlet is a very close match to his Toluidine Red
color card and Floquil SP Armour yellow is identical to
the Dulux gold decals that he has.
I’m very pleased to call to your attention a nice article
with some good photos in the December 2007 (current)
issue of RMJ covering Bill Neale’s Steubenville, OH
layout. Bill’s freight house, which took first place
structures and Best-in-Show during the 2004 annual
meeting, really fits into the layout nicely. See additional
photos on page 23.
Jim Ferguson photo.
Al Buchan
Editor
Bill Neale photo.
3
In The Printed Press
¾ PRR Modeling
•
•
•
•
MODEL RAILROADER (MR) March 2008
Nothing
MODEL RAILROAD NEWS (MRN) February 2008
Nothing.
RAILMODEL JOURNAL (RMJ) December 2007
Steubenville, OH on Bill Neale’s HO-scale layout, pp34-43 and 46-47.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN (RMC) January 2008
See below.
¾ Other Railroad Modeling
•
•
Information pertaining to other railroad equipment of interest to the PRR modeler.
M&StL (green) Boxcars, Essential Freight Cars, RMC February 2008, pp 77-80.
B&O Modeling, the Sep/Oct B&O Modeler is ready, check it out at:
http://borhs.org/ModelerMag/BO_Modeler_3_2007_SepOct.pdf . Modeling of the class P-24/P-25 flat cars by
Elden Gatwood is included.
¾ Other Items of Note
•
Nothing.
…at the Interchange New Products and Product Review
by Greg Martin and Jerry Britton
the most motivated and forward looking historical
societies out there. Yea, yea, yea, I think we’ve all
heard that if you think you’re not a Keystone
Modeler you are by default. Nice to say that but it is
much better to contribute. If you haven’t joined and
you’ve thought about it, simply do it. We are a
volunteer organization, which means we have to
work at it and your reimbursement is often a simple
thanks from time to time and when the readers send
you a message of appreciation, well, you share it with
the entire group, because this is truly a group effort.
No one person can accomplish this monthly task and
I read it in Bruce Griffin’s message in the latest issue
of The B&O Modeler. It takes many of us working at
it, whether it is an in-depth article of a prototype
piece of PRR equipment for The Keystone or a
modeling article for The Keystone Modeler.
I think you all know where I am heading with this
if you read Al’s editorial from last month. I am
stepping away from my column in The Keystone
Modeler, as this will be my final addition to my byline. I am hoping that the committee will keep the byline alive and hopefully the society can find a worthy
replacement. It has been a great experience, very
rewarding to me as I have seen this idea blossom into
a great piece of work. The entire concept has been a
I am back from the Railroad Prototype Modelers
Cocoa Beach meet and I have come home motivated
to get started on my modeling once again. It was
great to see so many familiar faces and to meet some
folks that I have known only from the Internet and to
meet some new folks. There were manufacturers with
new products and you could tell that there is as much
interest in passenger equipment as there is in freight
cars. Additionally we got a good close up look at the
new PCM PRR I1sa and it was just stunning, I would
have to say more detailed than my PFM brass
locomotive. We got a good look at the new Walthers
FLEXI-VAN Mark 3; it will be a welcomed addition
to the very late 1950s and early 1960s intermodal
modeler. The 1960 and 1970 era seems to be
gathering steam and earning a real presence in the
hobby, and it was very present in Cocoa Beach.
There will be several more Railroad Prototype
Modelers meets this year and I would recommend
that you take the opportunity and attend at least one.
If your historical society has a convention, then I
recommend you go, take some models for display
and get involved.
Speaking of getting involved, first I want to
remind all the readers that you should consider
joining the PRRT&HS, for in my opinion it is one of
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
4
FEBRUARY 2008
Now as you know I don’t generally post prices in this
column but because the website doesn’t include these
recent additions I will tell you that the Circle
Keystone set will be offered at $5.00 and the X45 set
will be offered at $6.00. Both sets are currently
intended to be considered limited editions, but in
talking with the folks they have the ability to supply
more sets if the demand is there. They have also
expressed an interest in developing more PRR freight
car sets for more popular cars that will be sorely
missed as the current Champ sets diminish. They
want to focus on sets for currently produced cars and
avoid duplication. This of course will be based on the
reaction of the introduction of the first set. Here is the
mailing address for 5th Ave. Car Shops as there is no
“contact” on the website. 5th Avenue Car Shops,
PO Box 423, LaGrange, IL 60525
very explosive idea. We have seen even the biggest
model railroading magazine adjust its thinking and is
now offering an online magazine, or as Al calls it an
e-zine. More importantly, we have seen the B&O
folks and the SCL folks grab the flag and charge
ahead. I think there is another that could very well be
coming on board with a new “e-zine” but they are
being careful in getting their ducks in a row first. You
may well see it in the TKM format as well. Al’s
experience with setting up the other two may come
into play one more time.
I will not be away from the computer for long, my
leaving will actually afford me more time to get back
to my modeling and my deadlines will be my own. I
have many projects that I want to get to you all. One
of them will be the reproduction of my most recent
“hands-on” or, as it has been politely coined “Shake
and Take” clinic in Cocoa Beach of the PRR X45 50foot boxcar. I needed a set of decals for the car as
part of the handout, and now they will be available.
Depending on the demand they may only be a limited
offering, but if sales of both sets are strong there will
be more to come. I have two PRRPro List projects
that I am way behind on and I desperately want to get
caught up. It comes back to that volunteer thing I
mentioned earlier. We can’t expect Bruce Smith to be
the only one to keep the readers up on where we are
with these projects. I should remind you all that I am
a working stiff just like Bruce Smith and Elden
Gatwood and many other members of the society as
well. No whining, no complaining here, lets just
move ahead. I have offered my assistance to get the
new columnist on board and headed in the right
direction and then I can just let him have the throttle.
5th Ave Car Shops
http://www.5thavenuecarshops.com/
PRR HO-Scale Decals
One result of the recent Prototype Modelers Meet
in Cocoa Beach this past month was the creation of
two new decal sets from 5Th Ave Car Shops. The first
of the two sheets (as shown) is the release of PRR
Ball/Circle keystones for freight cars. This set will
come in very handy to the PRR modeler wishing to
paint and letter his own equipment. The second set is
the set created for the Cocoa Beach “hand-out” car
the PRR X45 50-foot welded steel single door
boxcar. This set will actually allow the modeler to
letter two separate cars, the as delivered Ball/Circle
Keystone as well as the last PRR paint scheme
introduced and implemented in the early 1960s, the
PRR Plain Keystone with the gothic letters and
numerals. Although the lettering is class specific the
basic decals can be used to create cars of other class.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
5
FEBRUARY 2008
ATLAS O
http://www.atlaso.com/o40gondola2.htm
PRR Class G24 50-ton USRA Design Gondola O
Scale
The United States Railroad Administration
developed seven standard freight car designs to
reduce possible shortages in raw materials needed in
the construction of freight equipment and to expedite
the construction of these designs. The PRR class G24
gondola was the result of the USRA gondola design
and received 750 cars. The cars continued in service
and starting around 1930 the cars were rebuilt with
new steel sides. All the cars had been converted by
1937. In 1952 there were still nearly 750 cars still in
revenue service, by 1953 the numbers dropped to
approximately 530 cars and by 1958 all but six cars
were off the roster. The sudden drop in numbers was
likely due to the 40-year underframe rule.
Atlas is now offering the PRR class G24 gondola
in PRR paint and lettering livery in its original USRA
configuration offering the pre WWII PRR modeler an
extremely well detailed offering. The car will offer a
die cast underframe, and sprung Andrews-style
trucks. It will also offer a complete set of brake
details as well as fully detailed interior, including
detailed interior ends as well as metal irons. The cars
will be available in a two-rail as well as the three-rail
option and four separate numbers. Atlas has made
great inroads in the O Scale market and we welcome
the additions.
SYLVAN SCALE MODELS
http://www/.isp.on.ca/sylvan/
AMERICAN LA FRANCE MODEL 700 Fire
Truck HO Scale circa 1947 – 1955
When a Pennsy modeler says American La France
the first thing that comes to mind is the PRR single
car class X30 seventy foot double door boxcar that
the PRR used to service the facility near the
SHANNON interlocking south of Elmira, NY. The
facility was located on the Erie mainline but was also
served by the PRR.
The American La France model 700 was actually
born of an early 1939 cab-forward design aerial
ladder truck. In 1945 the company decided to
continue the cab-forward design offering the model
700 in 1947 as a company standard for both the open
and closed cab design. The production of the model
700 ceased in 1956 when it was replaced with the
model 800, which was generally similar in
appearance and was offered like it’s predecessor in
both the open and closed cab. Often we think that a
fire truck must be added to our layouts in a street
scene, or parked in a firehouse. Why not in a scene
that would depict the fire truck(s) being unloading
from perhaps an end door boxcar?
I have always kept an eye on Sylvan Scale
Models, not only on their freight car development but
also on their line of vehicles that they continue to
offer. They know their market or should I say our
market, the early to mid 1950s and these two new
offering hits their mark. These new offerings should
be a welcomed addition to your layout especially
those modeling the PRR Elmira branch.
FENCE HOUSE MODEL FOUNDRY
PRR Class 110P75A Tender Etching/Wrap HO
Scale
Late in December we received a message from our
own John Wright that Fence House Model Foundry
has revised scans for the new tender etching/wrap for
the Bachmann 110P75 tender, updating it to a PRR
class 110P75A. We have added them here for your
review. Once it has been determined to be acceptable
we should see this etched brass “wrapper” hit the
market. Take a look…
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
6
FEBRUARY 2008
Highlands Station, LLC
http://www.HighlandsStationLLC.com
PRR Standard Plan Books on CD
Highlands Station has just released two new CD
books - Trackside on the Pennsylvania: Vols. 1 and 2
by Jeff Scherb. Both CD books contain Jeff's CAD
drawings of Pennsylvania Railroad Standard Plans.
• Volume 1 has drawings of Structures (16
pages), Bridges & Culverts (10 pages),
Signals (21 pages) and Signs (28 pages).
• Volume 2 focuses exclusively on Structures,
with 19 pages of Signal & Switch Buildings,
11 pages of Passenger Stations, 12 pages of
Combination Stations, 25 pages of Yard &
Shop Buildings, and 13 pages of Freight
Houses & LCL Service.
Each CD is a re-release of the 96-page printed
version of these books, but since the drawings are
now available in PDF form, the user is able to print
out the drawings in the scale desired. These CDs will
also be valuable tools for scratchbuilders and
freelancers, regardless of road modeled. All drawings
and chapters are hyperlinked for easy access. Each
CD also has a brief Printing Guide to assist modelers
in resizing the drawings for their scale of choice. A
sample page is available for download on the
Highlands Station website.
W.K. WALTHERS
FLEXI-VAN Mark III HO-Scale Intermodal Flatcar
with Trailers
With the development of TOFC service during the
mid 1950s the railroads were looking for a cost
cutting design to the standard circus style flatcar
loading. In 1957 the New York Central tested the
first FLEXI-VAN system in an attempt to expedite the
loading and unloading of this progressive container
system. By 1958 the New York Central car was
proven to be a success and production began. The
cars were first designed to meet the low clearances of
the NYC but the design was picked by several other
roads, most notably the Milwaukee Road, who was
an early pioneer of ship to rails service. The very first
designed equipment, the Mark I, was equipped for
36-foot trailers, but with trailer length becoming
increasingly longer the Mark III and MARK IV were
built to handle two 40-foot trailers. The drawback of
the system was the need for specialized equipment at
the intermodal terminals, perhaps the ultimate
downfall of the system. The final design of the cars,
the Mark VI, was equipped with steam lines so that
the equipment could operate in passenger service.
However with the rapid growth of container service
the system showed its weakness and eventually faded
from the intermodal business.
While in Cocoa Beach we did get to see these new
cars up close with the trailers. These cars are all new
tooling from actual blueprints supplied by, I believe
the SCL Historical Society, and the turntable drawing
to my understanding came from those supplied by
modeler John Greedy and the Milwaukee Road
Historical Society. The cars will include two road
specific trailers, and will be offered with metal wheel
sets. The modeler will have to install the grab irons
and the samples we saw were equipped with the new
Walthers metal knuckle couplers. This project began
a little over two years ago and the search for good
accurate plans kept it from full production for
sometime. The search for a second set of the Mark IV
plans in still in the works, the first set has been
located but will not likely ever be released, at least in
the near future. You can view the car at this link
www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-3921, but
the cars details are far more refined than those
pictured in the art department photos. We know that
the cars were “on the pond” when we saw the prerelease samples in Cocoa Beach so I would have to
believe that the posted February release is right on
the mark. For the PRR pre-merger modeler this car is
a must have intermodal car.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
Well, each month for the past four-plus years I
have always had the last word.… 3^) This month is
no different. As I walk away, I realize I leave behind
a fine crew for which I have worked for, and I can’t
say enough good things about our Super. It is the end
of the trick for me… I am proud of what I have done
here but again it’s time for me to turn in my list, pick
up my pale and take one last look back
…at the Interchange
Keep’ um Polished
Greg Martin
[Thanx for a great ride Greg, we’ll miss your wordsEd.]
7
FEBRUARY 2008
Updates and Errata
Updates
Modeling Committee
In January’s listing of members of the Modeling
Committee I failed to recognize Keith Thompson at:
kbt1@charter.net as the S-scale resource person.
Apologies Keith.
I’m pleased to announce that Chris Chany has
volunteered to join the committee as the Building and
Structures resource person. Chris is at:
cpc1@westchestergov.com.
Errata
Weigh Scales Photo
The Weigh Scales photo in the January edition
credited to Don Wood was actually from the late Don
Ball’s book – The Pennsylvania Railroad 1940s1950s.
Modeling PRR N5C 477929
by David Skirmont
All photos by the author.
modeling article for every major piece of PRR
equipment. I hope this article provides valuable
information and inspiration. The Keystone Modeler is
a great resource and I encourage others to share their
work through its pages.
Comments, questions, and criticisms should be
sent to the author via this publication.
Introduction
There is something about those round windows
that make the Pennsylvania Railroad N5C cabin car
so unique and memorable. Or maybe it is just me.
They take me back many years ago to my O-27
Lionel train set. I had a “caboose” that looked just
like an N5C. It would trail behind a Shell Oil tanker
car and a Baby Ruth reefer. The interior lights
glowing eerily, sometimes even scary, at night. Now
that I am all grown up, it made perfect sense to build
one.
The model in this article is based on an actual
prototype, 477929. I sometimes miss things, and I
sometimes get a bit too picky. Very few people are
going to see or care about details past a level of 9095% accurate. When working on any model
remember that not every detail has to be perfect. The
aim of this project is to upgrade an existing plastic
model, the Bowser N5C, replacing a lot of the molded
on and oversized parts, as well as adding details that
were not present on the original model.
I learned quite a bit when I detailed an N8 based
on Jim Hunter’s April 2005 article in the TKM. The
N5C is a good follow up. It would be great to have a
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
The Prototype
Class N5C cabin cars were a design evolving from
the N5A class. Built starting in 1942, they comprised
199 [Bob Johnson counts 200] units numbered
477820-478019. They differed from other N5 classes
with their round windows. A number of N5C’s were
equipped with Trainphone. The Trainphone systems
were removed once radio became more common on
the PRR. Many N5C’s survived into the Conrail era.
Excellent histories and many reference photos can
be found in the books and websites listed at the end
of this article. Being true to the actual prototype
sometimes requires spending as many hours doing
research as actual building!
8
FEBRUARY 2008
body. Bending and gluing from the back is a good
way to secure the handrails.
Trucks
Easiest things first. The trucks and wheels are
plastic, which does not lead to good running. The
single spring truck is hard to find in metal so it is
kept as-is. Replace the plastic wheelsets with ones
made from metal. Blackened metal has a good look
and needs little weathering. Be sure to check that the
wheels are in gauge and even across the axle.
Body Detail
The body detail is good except for the molded on
handrails, which do not have any depth. They all get
replaced. Carefully scrape off the handrails with a
chisel blade and sand smooth. Be careful not to
remove the rivet detail. It is sometimes hard to judge
what scraping and sanding marks will or won’t show
after painting; 600 grit sandpaper generally leaves no
trace.
Mark and drill new 0.012” holes for the handrail
ends and grab irons. The end sills use 18” straight
grabs. The angle on the sill makes these tricky to
install. Glue from the back. A gap of 0.020” will look
about right.
The ends of the body use an “L” shaped handrail.
Detail Associates makes a good version (229-6504)
for this location. Be sure to properly align the wire
before installation. Both legs of the “L” may need to
be shortened a bit. Trial and error works best here.
Use a new handrail if it takes more than 4 tries, as the
wire will become brittle through repeated bending.
Drill holes on the inside of the downward going
handrail a little bit below the horizontal section.
Install a short piece of 0.012” phosphor-bronze wire
as the middle support, gluing it to the handrail and
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
The side handrails are a bit trickier. The Detail
Associate’s part (229-6503) is not quite the right
shape but is a good starting point. Straighten one leg
to be the vertical portion. That leg sits to the outside
of the mounting hole. This feature requires a 90
degree inward bend at the top. Place the handrail into
the mounting holes. Work the curved portion of the
wire to make the vertical portion plumb. Again this
takes a bit of trial and error. Glue in place. Drill a
hole to the outside of the curved portion and install
an “L” shaped piece of wire for the middle handrail
support.
9
FEBRUARY 2008
Some N5C’s had an access hatch on the side
opposite the brake reservoir. Most of the pictures that
I found did not show this feature, so it is left off. I am
not sure if it was present on this exact prototype in
the era I model.
Glue in the weight making sure that the holes for
the truck screws are correctly aligned. I prefer to use
nuts to adjust the weight rather then the included
metal bar.
Make a trust plate from 0.010”x0.100” styrene
strip 0.30” long. It goes in the lower left corner on the
side with the brake reservoir.
Cement in the LASERKit™ windows leaving the
outside protective sheet intact. Do not use CA
adhesive. The windows fit from the outside. There is
a bevel to the cutting so they only go in one way. It is
easier to remove the inner protective sheet before
installation. I put an identifying pencil mark on the
inside face while they are still in the carrier. This
prevents confusion as to which side to remove during
installation. They are installed now because they
almost always need adjustment from the inside,
which soon will not be possible. They were not
installed first because the CA adhesive used
elsewhere can craze the windows.
To make things simple I chose to use the included
coupler boxes. There is not a lot of sill depth for the
mounting screws on after market coupler boxes.
Remove the covers from the sprue and trim to fit.
Screw them on being careful not to strip the threads.
Tap the holes for the truck mounting screws. There is
no need to pre-drill; the existing hole is the correct
size for the tap.
The brake rigging is the most prominent underside
detail. I like the look of the rods and levers. It isn’t
necessary to completely duplicate the arrangement,
just those parts that will be visible when the model is
on the tracks. I have not found detailed pictures
showing the brake component placement, so what is
presented here is based on a regular freight car. It is
certainly incorrect since the N5C has brake wheels at
both ends and would therefore require more complex
rigging.
The kit’s castings are not complete. Tichy’s AB
brake kit (293-3013) has all the needed parts.
Remove and assemble the reservoir (1, 2, and 10).
File flat spots on the air fittings and drill 0.012”
diameter holes for brake pipes. Remove and assemble
the cylinder (3, 8, 9, and 25). Drill for the brake pipe
on the back. Remove the brake valve (5) and drill
three brake pipe holes in the indentations on the
casting.
After assembly I discovered that the brake
reservoir was backwards! After checking a Car
Builders’ Cyclopedia, it seems that the Tichy
assembly diagram ( which was taken from Mainline
Modeler) is incorrect. Westerfield’s instructions and
an article from Railroad Model Craftsman appear to
be correct. The diagram appears to show the brake
reservoir being mounted upside down. Many
instructions show the reservoir bolted to a bracket,
whereas the prototype is supported from underneath
by straps. These two mountings require different
orientations of the molded on bolts, hence the part
becomes mounted upside down.
Remove the three brake component supports on
the body. The brake reservoir is supposed to have the
end with one mounting bolt facing away from the AB
valve. The reservoir is mounted to the body on 2
short lengths of 0.040”x 0.100” styrene strip. It is
biased towards the cross support. The brake cylinder
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
10
FEBRUARY 2008
and AB valve are mounted on 0.080”x0.080” pieces
of styrene at the locations of the mounting blocks.
There is a piece of metal on the valve side of the
reservoir that extends from the tank mount to the side
on the body. It is made from 3/3”2x1/64” brass strip
bent to a right angle. Bend 0.012” wire to form the
brake pipes that go to the AB valve. The brake
cylinder connects to the lower (roadbed side) fitting.
The reservoirs connect to the two upper fittings. Glue
in the supply pipe (6). I did not model the trainline.
Use 18” straight grab irons, Tichy (293-3021), for
the brake lever supports. There are two next to the
brake cylinder and one next to the AB valve.
Straighten the legs and cut to size. It may be easier to
only drill one hole per grab. Just cut the other side to
length. Install the long brake lever (26) into the clevis
on the brake cylinder. The short brake lever (28) is
supported on one side by a bracket. A short piece of
0.030”x0.040” styrene works well for this. The brake
levers should be biased toward the roadbed in their
hangers. Make brake rods from 0.012” wire and
attach to the levers and the truck bolsters. Be sure
that there is no interference with the motion of the
trucks. The handbrake rods are not modeled.
The brake rigging will make it difficult to sit the
model upright during later assembly. A set of
supports that attach at the truck mounts will allow the
model to sit straight on the bench. I made mine out of
0.188”x0.100” styrene strip with ¼” square styrene
blocks at the ends. The screws provided in the kit are
not quite long enough. A 3/8” 2-56 screw is
sufficient.
using a chisel blade. Be careful not to gouge the
plastic. Mark the bolt locations with a scribing tool.
Drill through the marked locations with a 0.012”
drill. Remove the remainder of the grab iron and
smooth with 600 grit sand paper. It helps to wrap it
around a piece of styrene to make a sanding stick.
Clean out the holes with the drill. Install the grab
irons, cementing from inside the roof. A 0.020” thick
piece of styrene makes a good gauge for the height.
Drill a 0.012” hole below the inside corner of each
grab iron. The corner grab iron support is made from
0.010” brass wire. Feed it through the bottom,
contacting the corner on the roof grab iron. Cement at
the junction and inside the roof. Trim the wires inside
the roof when everything has dried.
The antenna supports and coils are next. Drill
0.031” holes for the supports at the locations molded
into the underside of the roof. Clean up the top
surface with a chisel blade and 600 grit sandpaper.
Cal-Scale makes a good antenna support system
(190-455). Carefully remove the pieces from the
sprue. File down the rough spots on the mount points
and along the wide edge of the supports. Clean out
the conduit holes with a 0.020” drill.
The coils go on first. Glue them in place. The coils
each connect to a junction box via a conduit made
from 0.010” wire. Make the junction box from a
piece of 0.062” styrene rod. Drill through the side for
one conduit to pass through and again at a right angle
Roof Detail
The roof is detailed before final assembly.
Remove the end post locators on the underside of the
roof if you will be building the end detail from
scratch. Sand the underside smooth. Remove the roof
grab irons and replace with metal ones from Tichy
Train Group (293-3028). Cut off the bolt detail first
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
11
FEBRUARY 2008
for the other. The conduit goes into the copula
through a hole on the other side of the cupola from
the coils. See photos for conduit shapes and
placement.
The antennas enter the cupola through two
circular discs after being supported by two sets of
supports. Make the discs from a 0.047” rod glued into
a 0.093” tube. Cut thin and sand to achieve a
thickness of ~0.015”. Glue the discs to the end of the
cupola away from the coils. Drill 0.012” holes for the
antenna wires. Make the four wire supports from
0.015” by 0.030” styrene. They should be about
0.080” long. Glue them in place and follow up later
with more glue to reinforce the joints. Attach the
antenna supports from the Cal-Scale kit. There is a
hump on one side near the top that can be used to
orient them all the same way. The antenna conduit
should line up between the coupler and end grab iron,
not in front of the grab iron. Put the roof on the body
to check this before gluing! I only discovered that the
orientation was wrong during final assembly when it
was too late. The feet of the supports may need to be
bent to better conform to the curve of the roof. The
supports on the end need to have their stubs cut to not
protrude below the underside of the roof. Use a scrap
piece of wire to align the supports. One of the
castings for the end brace was broken so I replaced it
with a strip of brass bent to shape.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
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FEBRUARY 2008
Trim the grab irons and install. One end of the
grab iron should go through the hole in the post. The
other end just sits on the post. Cut 0.012” wire for the
horizontal handrails and install on the collision posts
and the corner post. They will have a slight bend to
them. Adjust the bend until the handrails sit level
when the model is held vertically. This will indicate
that all of the angles match, and this eliminates any
tension in the wire which may make gluing difficult.
Make brackets for the uncoupling levers out of
0.060”x0.060” styrene. Drill a 0.012” hole and insert
an eyebolt. Trim excess and attach to the underside of
the end platforms to the inside of the poling pocket.
Remove the steps from the sprue and carefully
clean them up. Install.
Carefully remove the molded on grab irons from
the roofwalks. Sand smooth. Scribe and drill for 18”
straight metal grab irons. It is a good idea to make
sure the grab irons are perfectly square or else the
roofwalk will tend to bow. Install using a 0.020”
spacer to set the height. Glue the roofwalks in place.
The smokestack looks to be correct for some
versions of the N5C, but not all. The solid
construction is not very realistic. I have found
pictures of N5C’s of similar vintage with two
different types smokestacks. I choose the simpler
style after trying to duplicate the one in the kit with
unsatisfactory results. The simpler style is just a tube
topped with a rain shield. It is made from a piece of
0.062” styrene rod inserted into the hole in the roof.
It is capped by a 0.006” thick phosphor-bronze strip
~0.140” wide. Bend the strip into an upside down
“U” shape. Glue in place with the opening of the “U”
facing to the sides.
Install the cupola windows. Use the same
procedure as before. Attach the roof section to the
body. Observe the orientation of the receiver disks.
They are on the side opposite the brake reservoir.
End Platform Details
The end platform details are built from scratch
except for the brake wheel housings. Remove the
brake wheel housings from the platform ends. This
should include the lower supports. File the sides
even. Attach the brake wheel.
The collision posts are made from 0.100” styrene
channel. The flange on one side extends below the
level of the platform. Cut to fit your exact model. I
used an overall length of 1.17” with a 0.12” relief cut
to fit snugly. The flanges face outward. Use a 0.25”
square block of styrene to hold the channels even
while gluing. It is easier to glue the bottom first.
Remove the spacer before gluing the top. Make the
upper gussets from 0.015”x0.040” styrene and glue in
place.
The other end posts are made from 0.040”x0.040”
styrene strip. Cut to fit. The corner posts have
handrails facing to the side. Drill only one handrail
hole using the kit’s posts as a guide. Bend handrails
from 0.012” wire. One end goes through the hole, the
other ends just touches the post. This eliminates any
bending of the post by tension in the wire. Drill holes
for the grab irons in the other post. Glue the
handbrake stand to the post keeping the bottoms
even. The spacing of the posts with the grab irons can
be set using a piece of 0.040”x0.156” styrene strip.
Glue in the posts with the brake stand. Glue in the
opposite post. Again, gluing the bottom first followed
by the top. Make sure everything is plumb.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
13
FEBRUARY 2008
on the windows. Burnish the tape edge for a crisp
line. I use paper to cover the body everywhere else.
This reduces the stresses on the delicate details. Paint
the roof Engine Black. Pull out the wires in the
antennae supports while the paint is still a little wet.
Make sure that the holes stay clear. Remove the
masking tape after 24 hours.
Bend the antenna conduits from 0.019” wire.
Install into the supports and glue in place. The
conduits attach to the cupola by the antenna wire. Cut
30 gauge wire-wrap wire and remove the insulation.
Wrap it around the end of the conduit. Form it over
the wire supports and insert into the hole in the discs.
Glue the wire to the supports, disc, and conduit.
There is an antenna bracket made from 0.015”x
0.030” styrene between the two horizontal handrails
and the collision post. Cut to length and glue in place.
Paint the antenna wire and conduits engine black
above the roof line. Paint them the body color below
the roof line.
Paint the curved handrails, the vertical post
handrails, and the vertical portion of the body
handrails RailBox Yellow. It may take several coats,
although a duller appearance may look better. I made
4 laps around the model to build up the color. I then
let it dry for 15 minutes and did 2 more passes.
Touch up any other spots at this time. The edges of
the roof should be crisp.
The surfaces to be decaled need a glossy finish.
Be sure to wait at least 24 hours again before
decaling. Apply the decals using the photographs as a
guide. The Champ decal set has a “477” a “29” and a
“9” in the jumble. Keep the “Pennsylvania” and its
line separate from the lower number set and its line.
The roadname versus number alignment is different
for the two copies on the sheet. I cut out the “477”
with the right amount of line for the whole number.
Trim the other numbers close so the decal films don’t
interfere. There is the class marking and bearing data
on the lower right side. The brake reservoir has an
inspection date. PRR and the roadnumber are above
each door on the ends.
Use distilled water to free the decals from their
backing sheet. Place decals on the surface wetted
with Microscale Micro Set. Follow up with Micro Sol
when dry. The Micro Sol may need multiple
applications. The Micro Sol helps the decals to
conform to the surface irregularities by “melting” the
film. Do not try to move them when wet! Clean up
any residue with distilled water and lint free tissue
but avoid rewetting the decals. Blow off any dust and
spray with matte finish. Carefully peel off the
protective tape on the windows.
Painting, assembly, and Decals
Carefully clean all parts with detergent or special
purpose plastic cleaner. Blow dry with air. Be careful
around the windows! Install 0.015” wire in the
antenna supports. This prevents paint from plugging
the holes. Anything bigger will not easily come out
after painting.
Disassemble the trucks and mask off the holes for
the axles. Paint them engine black. The paint will
provide a good base for weathering. Reassemble
when the paint is dry. Check for smooth operation.
The body and underside are painted Boxcar Red.
It is not the exact color (tends to be too blue), but it
comes close enough after weathering. This is when
viewed under the lights I have and compared to
photographs which may or may not be color
corrected. I am not very good with paint mixing and
real equipment varies with age and amount of dirt.
Other articles in TKM contain different paint
combinations. Zinc Chromate Primer is another
choice. The July 2007 issue has a good selection
based on era. It is more critical if the model will be
presented “clean”. Try not to get too much on the
roof. Wait at least 24 hours before masking for the
roof.
Mask off the body and underside. I only put tape
on the sections around the color line. Do not put tape
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
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FEBRUARY 2008
Install couplers. A little bit of graphite in the box
helps lubricate the action. Install the uncoupling lever
and glue to the coupler box lid. Paint the lever to
match the body. Install the trucks. Check the coupler
height with a coupler gauge. Shim the trucks and
adjust the trip pins accordingly.
.
The appearance of the paint and chalk can be
sensitive to the viewing light. The blueness of the
body color varies with fluorescent or tungsten
lighting. The rust chalk is very bright, almost orange
in the photographs taken with a flash, but is a rusty
brown under normal tungsten lighting. The effect
may also be caused by the reflectivity difference
since the photographs are directly lit with a ring-flash
versus from an oblique angle under room light.
Place on track and enjoy.
Weathering
Weather the model as you see fit. I use chalks.
They allow me to undo any mistakes. It is best to
make several passes to build up a layered effect. I
start with Weathered Brown everywhere to eliminate
the brand new look. I put Soot in spots and streak
down. Metal parts, trucks, and wheels get Medium
Rust. Grimy Black is good too. I apply the chalk with
a stiff brush. I follow that with a soft brush to blend
the colors. I then add more layers, and so on. Blow
off any loose chalk. I usually follow up with more
weathering later.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
15
FEBRUARY 2008
also wanted the roof to come off in case of a
component failure. After procrastinating for months,
I abandoned those concepts and got the project going
again over Christmas vacation. I realized not
everything has to be perfect. It is better to have many
nice models than a perfect one that never gets
completed. This is supposed to be fun!
Research took the longest time. I spent many days
looking for photographs and searching for parts. The
building phase was pretty straightforward. Each
detail was assembled one piece at a time. Nothing is
really impossible when it is broken down into the
individual steps. Every project is a learning
experience and an opportunity to challenge one’s
skills. I hope this article will inspire others to share
their experiences through The Keystone Modeler.
Reflection
I am fairly happy with the way the model turned
out despite the antenna issue. I will get it right on the
next N5C. As I write this article it is slightly
depressing seeing how full resolution pictures show
every little misalignment and mistake. Those
“mistakes” become invisible when viewed from more
than a foot or so. The model looks great when
coupled to a locomotive. That is what really counts.
I left off details that I would have included given
more time and patience. Bolts for every handrail,
better and more accurate brake detailing, and that
side hatch to name a few. I planned on working
marker lights. I modified the trucks to have electrical
pickups and installed a DCC decoder. I struggled to
find a clever way of running the wires to the lights. I
Bowser: N5C caboose kit #54000
Bragdon Enterprises: weathering chalks
Cal-Scale: N5C antenna system (190-455)
Champ Decals: Pennsylvania Caboose (HC-221)
Detail Associates:
• grabs – curved (229-6503)
• grabs – end (229-6504)
• coupler lift bar and eyebolt (229-6215)
Evergreen Scale Models styrene:
• 0.047” diameter rod (269-221)
• 0.062” diameter rod (269-222)
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
Bill of Materials
• 0.093” diameter tube (269-223)
• 0.010”x 0.100” strip (269-105)
• 0.015”x 0.030” strip (269-111)
• 0.015”x 0.040” strip (269-112)
• 0.030”x 0.040” strip (269-132)
• 0.040”x 0.040” strip (269-142)
• 0.040”x 0.100” strip (269-145)
• 0.060”x 0.060” strip (269-153)
• 0.080”x 0.080” strip (269-164)
• 0.100” channel (269-263)
Floquil: Polly Scale
16
FEBRUARY 2008
• 0.010” diameter
• 0.012” diameter
• 0.015” diameter
• 0.019” diameter
3/32”x 1/64” brass strip
0.006” phosphor-bronze sheet
• Railbox Yellow (270-414125)
• Engine Black (270-414290)
• Boxcar Red (270-414281)
Kadee:
• #58 couplers (380-58)
• metal wheelset (380-520)
LASERKit™: N5C window set (152-256)
Microscale:
• Micro Set (460-104)
• Micro Sol (460-105)
Testors:
• Dullcote (704-1260)
• Glosscote (704-1261)
Tichy Train:
• roof corner grab irons (293-3028) or similar
• 18” straight grab irons (293-3021) or similar
• 18” drop grabs irons (293-3015) or similar
• AB brake gear (293-3013)
Brass or phosphor-bronze wire
References
• Cabin Cars of the Pennsylvania and Long Island
Railroad, N.J. International
• Fallen Flags and Other Railroad Photos,
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/
• Keystone Crossings, http://kc.pennsyrr.com/
• The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical &
Historical Society, http://www.prrths.com/
• PRR Color Guide to Freight and Passenger
Equipment Vol. 3, Ian Fischer, Morning Sun
Books
• Rob’s Pennsy Home Page, http://prr.railfan.net/
PRRPro Update
by Bruce Smith
After a quiet November and December,
PRRPro is back in full swing again. Most of us did
not make much progress on our X31’s over the
holidays, so that project has been extended until
approximately mid-March. Lately, there has been a
lot of discussion on how to fix problems with the
Bowser underframe in a way that is compatible with
building a “fleet” of these cars. Options ranging
from salvaging the bolsters, center sill and crossbearers, to resin casting, to laser cutting new parts
have been discussed. Members have been posting
and continue to post in-progress and completed
model photos. In addition, a number of members are
working on completing a variety of Pullmans from
the previous project including the Rivarossi Duplex
(look for an article in TKM on this model!)
Finally, we recently decided on what projects
the group will be doing in the near future. We
usually decide two projects ahead to give members a
chance to order supplies. We got a bit carried away
this time, and decided on the next four projects.
They are:
• Project 14) TM8/AC&F type 11 tank car
(March 2008-June 2008). This project will
focus on class TM8, which is in reality, an
AC&F type 11 tank car. All road names will be
allowed, although obviously, the PRR aspects of
this car will be emphasized. In HO scale, the
Funaro and Camerlengo kit will be the focus. In
other scales, we will look at the possibility of
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
•
•
17
kitbashing this car using an AC&F type 21 tank
and frame and backdating both. One modeler has
already expressed an interest in modeling these
tanks as they were used behind L1s Mikado’s as
auxiliary tenders.
Project 15) PRR H class steam locos (June
2008-?). The later H classes, H8, H9 and H10
will be the focus, but earlier H’s are welcome. In
HO, modeling will include upgrading the Bowser
model and detailing inexpensive brass (Sunset)
models. In N, kitbashing will be needed to get to
this class, and other scales are welcome to jump
in!
Project 16) FGE wood reefers (especially the
1922 and 1927 cars). This project will offer a
wide range of possibilities. In N scale, the
Intermountain car will be used for the 1927 car.
In HO, the Accurail wood car will be used to
kitbash the 1922 car and the Intermountain kit to
build the 1927 car. In addition, Sunshine Models
has resin kits of the 1922, the 1928 and the postwar rebuilds of these into 12'11" reefers. If you
want to build a Sunshine kit, order now! There is
a six-month delay in getting kits. Order by
sending a check that includes $4 shipping (Mo
residents add 6.675% sales tax too) for up to 5
kits (so order 5 kits!) to: Sunshine Models, Box
4997, Springfield, MO 65808-4997. Note that
the Sunshine item numbers have been posted to
the PRRPro group if you need to look these up.
FEBRUARY 2008
•
This list of projects should take care of just about
everyone for the next year or maybe even a bit more!
Stayed tuned for more updates, or even better, join us
at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PRRPro/ . At last
count there were 713 subscribers to the PRRPro
Yahoo discussion group.
Project 17) PRR ES-15 (GP7) diesels. This
project provides equal time for the diesel
modelers left out on the H class steamer project.
In most scales, plastic models will be the starting
points for a variety of PRR specific
modifications.
Modeling PRR Class F30A Flat Car 474489
by Jack Burgess
All photos by author unless otherwise noted.
The completed flat car loaded with a scratchbuilt reel of wire rope.
This project, to model a specific PRR flat car, was
prompted by a prototype photo of PRR 474489 at
Incline on the Yosemite Valley Railroad. The car was
loaded with a reel of wire rope for the Yosemite
Sugar Pine Lumber Company logging incline that
rose 8700 feet above Incline. Labeling on the reel
revealed that the wire rope was manufactured by the
John A. Roebling, Sons Company of Trenton, New
Jersey. The Roebling Company was served by the
PRR (C&A), hence the use of a PRR flat car for this
cargo.
This photo of PRR 474489 at Incline on the Yosemite
Valley Railroad provided the author with the catalyst to
duplicate the car using a Bowser F30A kit. Photographer
unknown, Jack Burgess collection.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
18
FEBRUARY 2008
of the buffer. When these pieces had dried, I filed the
cast buffer flush with the new pieces of styrene.
I began with a Bowser undecorated PRR F30A flat
car kit (#55950). The first step was to remove all of
the cast-on details including the steps, grab irons and,
on the A end (without the brake wheel), the buffer
above the coupler which is incorrect compared to the
prototype.
I then added new drop grab irons on the side sills
and end sills. The space available on the side sills is
barely wide enough for the grab irons (Westerfield
18" drop grabs #1197) and the inside leg will need to
be very close to the adjacent stake pocket. Those on
the ends should be level with the side grab irons and
near the corner as shown on prototype photos. I
added N-B-W castings above each grab iron. Rather
than drill holes for these castings, I carefully sliced
N-B-W castings from the sprue directly under the
washer with a razor blade and then glued the castings
above the grab iron.
A piece of 4” x 8” styrene was used to fabricate a
new buffer on the A end to duplicate the prototype.
On the B end, I first added a short piece of 4” x 4”
styrene to fit under the cast buffer. I then added a
short piece of 4” x 8” styrene to extend the right end
The B end of the car illustrating the modified buffer and
new grab irons and cut levers.
Another view of the B end showing the retainer valve.
The B end of the completed car.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
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FEBRUARY 2008
from DA .012" brass wire. I gave the end of the wire
under the coupler a right angle bend and glued it to
the bottom of the coupler box with a drop of CA to
provide a stronger mount.
I used a Kadee brake wheel for this car. The brake
wheel shaft should be .015" brass wire while the hole
in the Kadee brake wheel is about twice that in
diameter. Therefore, I mixed up some 5-minute
epoxy and filled the hole in the brake wheel with
epoxy. When dry, I then drilled the brake wheel with
a #78 drill and glued the brake wheel to the shaft with
CA.
I wanted to completely model the brake system. I
began by cutting off the protrusions cast into the
frame for the kit brake gear. I used printed
“Unpainted Wood Wall or Floor” paper from Paper
Creek Model Works (www.papercreek.com) to hide
the steel weights as described in an upcoming article
in Railroad Model Craftsman.
The prototype cast steel frame had “lightening”
holes cast into it. I drilled some holes (but not enough
or large enough) in the frame and then used a
combination of parts from Cal Scale and Tichy AB
brake sets to replicate the brake system. On the
prototype, the reservoir and AB valve appear to have
been bolted to the side sills. I had to add styrene
channel to support these parts so that they could be
piped and painted with the rest of the underbody. All
of the piping was added using appropriately-sized
brass wire while brake rods were duplicated with
.010" brass wire and Grandt Line turnbuckles. The
chain between the brake cylinder push rod and the
hand brake rod was modeled with photo-etched chain
from Burl Rice (http://burlrice.com/).
No. 75 holes were drilled in the underside of the
side sills and I inserted A-Line steps centered on the
grab irons. These were glued in place with CA.
Two pieces of 1” x 6” styrene about 10" long were
glued to the side sills adjacent to the second stake
pocket from the left end; I’m guessing that these were
Trust plates.
A retainer valve was glued to the side of the first
stake pocket on the left side, looking from the B end
toward the A end of the car. Piping for the retainer
valve was added by drilling a #80 hole on the
underside of the deck inboard of the retainer valve
and forming the pipe from .010" brass wire.
Short pieces of 6” x 6” styrene were glued on the
bottom side of the deck adjacent to the right side of
each coupler pocket to provide additional support for
the air hose castings. No. 74 holes were drilled in the
end sills and into the styrene strips to the right of the
coupler for the air hoses. While the prototype air
hoses extend out from the end sills, they would
interfere with the coupler swing in this configuration
so I glued them with the angle cocks flush with the
end sills. In addition, while prototype air hoses angle
cocks were installed angled 30° toward the center of
the car, I install them vertical so that they don’t
interfere with the couplers.
After installing the couplers the bottom–mounted
coupler cut levers were added. On the prototype,
these were mounted on an extension to the end sills. I
cut short pieces of styrene 4” x 6”, rounded the
outside edges, and glued them to the end sills to
duplicate these mounts. The prototype has a flange
and pin arrangement to hold the cut lever in place but
I just drilled #80 holes in these pieces and used a
Details Associate eye bolts. The cut levers were made
The kit underframe detailed with after-market brake system parts.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
20
FEBRUARY 2008
A close-up of the brake system. Note the photo-etched chain between the brake cylinder and brake wheel rod.
Another view of the underframe.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
21
FEBRUARY 2008
The underbody of the completed car.
to be made from Delrin which can’t be glued with
regular CA. I use Cool Chem (www.mrhobby.com)
for this purpose. Note that gluing Delrin requires the
use of Poly Treatment to pre-treat the parts prior to
gluing.
I scratchbuilt the wire rope reel from .020″ Vscribed siding with a piece of ½" I.D. PVC for the
reel. Grandt Line N-B-W castings were added per the
prototype photo.
The prototype used 2E-F10 trucks that featured a
leaf spring between two outer coil springs. I modeled
these trucks using a pair of Proto 2000 #21251 50-ton
freight car trucks together with a set of Tichy
Bettendorf caboose trucks #3051 for the leaf springs.
I cut the leaf springs from the Tichy trucks with a
jeweler’s saw. I then used a razor blade to slice the
leaf spring sets down to fit the space between the coil
springs in the Proto 2000 trucks. Both trucks appear
A close up of the reel.
of Model Masters Wood, Raw Umber, and Grun
RLM 73 dark grey. I then applied an overspray to the
entire deck with Masters Aircraft International Black
to blend everything together along with some more
Raw Umber to kick up the contrast.
The deck was air-brushed followed the suggestions in
a Stan Rydarowicz article in RMC. I started with a
coat of Model Masters Radome Tan on the deck and
let it dry overnight. I used a piece of .010" styrene to
“mask” individual deck boards and added oversprays
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
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FEBRUARY 2008
Once the deck was completely dry, I masked it
and air-brushed a coat Floquil Zinc Chromate Primer
on the frame and body and, finally, a gloss coat for
decaling.
The flat car decals are from Stan Rydarowicz and
went on in a straightforward manner. I used Micro
Sol both before application and after. The lettering on
the wire rope reel was drawn in Photoshop and
printed on decal paper on an ALPS printer by a
modeler friend. The decals were then given several
light coats of Dullcote.
The wire rope on the reel was duplicated using
Clover House (www.cloverhouse.com) Stranded
Cable #282. I made hold-downs for the reel using
.012" brass wire and Custom Finishes brass
turnbuckles. They fit onto a “wood” axle made from
styrene that fits through the hole in the reel and are
glued to stake pockets.
Final weathering was done by overspraying the
sides of the flat car with Floquil Zinc Chromate
Primer. The sides of the reel were oversprayed with
flat black to “fade” the white lettering. Highlights
were added using a combination of pastel chalks and
Bragdon
(www.bragdonent.com)
weathering
powders.
jack@yosemitevalleyrr.com
Here’s What I’ve Been Working On
Steubenville, OH layout
by Bill Neale
All photos by Craig Wilson
[For more information on this layout and its operation see the December (current) issue of RMJ- Ed.]
Pulling a bad order car from the yard.
Pulling steel from the Weirton plant.
Coupling up.
Extra 1122 west by Weirton Junction.
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FEBRUARY 2008
Andy Rubbo’s New York Division Layout
by Al Buchan
All photos by Bill Lane
Andy has become very well know for his superior
PRR catenary modeling. Several folks visited Andy’s
layout recently and Bill Lane provided the photos from
that visit. Andy’s excellent modeling carries down to the
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
street level also as can be seen. Next month we’ll
continue Andy’s catenary modeling series with Part 3 –
Catenary on Curves.
24
FEBRUARY 2008
Modeling Morris Tower
by Ron Hoess
All photos and drawings by the author
the Trenton Cutoff, the freight-only low grade route
around Philadelphia. In addition to the Trenton
Cutoff, there was in close proximity to the tower a
substantial yard, engine facilities and trackage for the
Fairless Works of U.S. Steel. All these facilities made
MORRIS, at one time, a very busy interlocking. One
can appreciate this from John Born's wonderful
account of railfanning at MORRIS tower on a
summer day in 1964 (Keystone Vol. 24, No. 2, 1994).
MORRIS tower was an important interlocking along
the Northeast Corridor located in Morrisville,
Pennsylvania. Despite its close proximity to
Philadelphia, the tower was actually part of the New
York Division of the PRR. The interlocking was
complex and had the characteristic Pennsy flying
junction to facilitate the high volume of freight and
passenger traffic. The most important function for
MORRIS was controlling the flow of freight traffic
diverging from and proceeding onto the main line via
Morris interlocking diagram. PRR drawing, Ron Hoess collection.
effort, it does, on occasion, reveal some interesting
idiosyncrasies about the structure. For instance, the
three windows on the second floor facing the tracks
appear, at first glance, to be centered. Careful
inspection, however, shows that they are
approximately 5½” off center, an asymmetry that will
undoubtedly remain a mystery. Once all the
dimensions were determined, a set of scale drawings
was made. Because MORRIS sits on an embankment,
most of the basement level is exposed so the
drawings actually encompass three stories. If one
were to model LINCOLN, one could dispense with
most of the basement, although there were outside
steps to the basement entrance, just as in MORRIS.
As with any modeling project, one needs to be aware
that towers were modified over the years so one
needs to try and locate pictures from the time period
one is modeling. Fortunately in the case of MORRIS
very few modifications were done to the tower and
with the exception of some added relay cases and
some missing downspouts, little has changed since it
was built.
The original tower at Morrisville was designated SV,
built in 1889 to control the intersection of the newly
built Trenton Cutoff with the main line. The last
tower to be built on this site, in 1941, is the one
standing today and the subject of this article. It is a
substantial brick tower with little adornment. The
classic bay window for the operator, seen on earlier
towers, is no longer present. This style foreshadows
the last series of PRR towers to be built along the
main line in the post-WWII years. The brickwork is
Flemish bond and the roof is slate. LINCLON tower,
further up the main line at Metuchen, New Jersey,
was built a year later in 1942 and is identical to
MORRIS.
In order to model MORRIS or LINCOLN,
one first needs a set of good drawings, since
blueprints are not available. The tower was
photographed from all sides and a few horizontal and
vertical measurements were made. Using the field
measurements and counting bricks from the
photographs, one can derive all the necessary
measurements required to determine window size and
placement. While counting bricks can be a tedious
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FEBRUARY 2008
Morris East Elevation
Morris West Elevation
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FEBRUARY 2008
Morris North Elevation
Morris South Elevation
With drawings in hand, construction of the model
could begin. The techniques that I used have been
described in previous articles in TKM (see September
2006). The tower is constructed with sheet styrene
and brickwork laminated to the walls. From a
modeling perspective, the most challenging aspect
was the construction of the windows. There was
nothing commercially available that came close to the
size and the mullion arrangement of 8/0 required for
this tower. Therefore, I scratchbuilt the windows
from strip styrene as shown in the figure. Each
window represents 16 individual pieces of styrene
and, given that there are 16 windows in the tower,
meant a fair amount of work. Modelers might
consider an alternative which I have tried since
completing the tower, which is to make a RTV mold
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FEBRUARY 2008
of one window and then resin cast the remainder.
While convenient, this is not a perfect solution, since
the mullions are extremely thin and making good
quality castings is not always easy.
The other noteworthy outside feature of the
structure is the course of brick soldiers that encircles
the building between the first and second floor. Also
the window lintels are brick soldiers as well. This
requires cutting individual bricks for each of these.
Aside from the 16 windows there are basement
windows that are a lot simpler to construct. There are
also two smaller openings at the basement level in the
back of the tower. My guess is these were for getting
coal into the basement for the furnace. Probably
sometime later in its lifetime the furnace was
converted to oil use.
North elevation
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FEBRUARY 2008
I like to include an interior in my tower models if
I can find documentation of the actual interior layout.
Unfortunately, interior photographs of towers are rare
and MORRIS is no exception. There were two in
John Born's article in the Keystone but they were
limited in what features they showed. I had the good
fortune to meet fellow PRRT&HS member Ken
Martin who used to work at MORRIS. He was kind
enough to send me a detailed description of what was
on the second floor and where it was located. From
that I was able to build a fairly accurate and detailed
interior. The center of the room is dominated by a
Union Switch & Signal machine with 47 levers.
Above that is a model board with the track diagram
of MORRIS interlocking. Other details included a
power board, bathroom, refrigerator, water cooler and
a cage for electrical equipment. Most of these items
are scratchbuilt since most are not commercially
available. Nevertheless, I find it an interesting
challenge to come up with a water cooler (cut from a
clear styrene spur) or an electrical cage (Scale
Scenics brass Micro-Mesh).
West elevation
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FEBRUARY 2008
Once the interior was complete, it was time to put
the tower in its proper context. As mentioned, the
tower was built on the side of a fairly steep
embankment, so that the basement wall at the back of
the tower is at street level. What I proceeded to do
was build a styrene walkway and steps that would go
around three sides of the building, as shown in the
photograph. Once this was completed, the walkway
and steps were fitted around the tower and painted
the appropriate concrete color. On the base where I
was going to put the tower, a small portion of
ballasted track was constructed so that it would be
level with the first floor of the tower. Part of the
embankment was also built and ballasted but a space
was left so that the tower with its walkways could
just be slid into place.
Like most of the interlocking towers
remaining today, MORRIS is no longer an operating
tower and is used primarily as a MOW base. While
in time the interlocking tower will more than likely
completely disappear, as historians and modelers, we
can preserve this important piece of railroad history,
even if it is only 1/87 of its original size.
West elevation – completed model
Equipment Drawings from Microfilm
Copies of PRR equipment drawings are available from the Society’s microfilm collection. To order drawings, you
must know the drawing number and title. Ordering information and lists of arrangement drawings are available on
the Society’s website, www.prrths.com, under National Society, The Interchange. If you require a printed copy of
this information, please send your address and a check for $2.00 made out to PRRT&HS to: Richard C. Price, 779
Irvin Hill Road, McVeytown, PA 17051.
THE KEYSTONE MODELER
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FEBRUARY 2008
TKM CD Issues 37-48 and 1-48
A CD of TKM issues 37-48 is now available at $15.00 for members outside of NJ ($16.05 for NJ members); TKM
1-48 with over 1,500 pages of PRR information now also is available for $60 for members outside of NJ ($64.20
for NJ members). CDs are also available for issues 1-12, 13-24, 1-24, 25-36 and 1-36 at a cost of $15.00/ one year
of 12 issues. Send a check or money order in $US made out to PRRT&HS to Al Buchan, 785 Cornwallis Drive, Mt.
Laurel, NJ 08054-3209. Each CD contains a very comprehensive index of all previous issues.
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THE KEYSTONE MODELER
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FEBRUARY 2008