# Great Northern 25' wooden caboose kit build



## SRV1

Hey guys. Thought Id start a build thread for this. Im not sure if this is the best forum to post this but if it isnt the staff is welcome to move it. 

Going to build this GN HO caboose for my future layout. With any luck at all its going to have working lights too. Everythings here but the decals. Aiming for a mid to late 30s version so it will have to be modded somewhat and will have paint adjustments made.

No guarantees how fast or slow this happens but Ill check in with progress from time to time.










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## doorman29

I'll be watching. :thumbsup:


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## SRV1

Ive decided I will build the 1940 version after all just because I prefer the look of it.
Thats what the kit is so it wont require the mods. Just the proper combo of decals (which im accidentally going to have 3 sheets to use from now!) Itll be left with fresh paint and little weathering, like it practically just left the shop with its updates. 

Couple more things on the way for this project. Im replacing the metal trucks with nice plastic ones to avoid the risk of electrical shorts. I also have some wheel wiper pickups shipping at this time. I like these because of the perfectly sized insulators which allow for power off of all wheels instead of only using one side on each truck. Should work real well.
Have an interior kit and reference sheets ordered from GNRHS and on the way. Should have some time next week. Hope to hit the ground running. Will likely be modeling x582 but not in stone yet.

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## wingnut163

SRV1 said:


> Ive decided I will build the 1940 version after all just because I prefer the look of it.
> Thats what the kit is so it wont require the mods. Just the proper combo of decals (which im accidentally going to have 3 sheets to use from now!) Itll be left with fresh paint and little weathering, like it practically just left the shop with its updates.
> 
> Couple more things on the way for this project. Im replacing the metal trucks with nice plastic ones to avoid the risk of electrical shorts. I also have some wheel wiper pickups shipping at this time. I like these because of the perfectly sized insulators which allow for power off of all wheels instead of only using one side on each truck. Should work real well.
> Have an interior kit and reference sheets ordered from GNRHS and on the way. Should have some time next week. Hope to hit the ground running. Will likely be modeling x582 but not in stone yet.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-R950 using Tapatalk 2



maybe i did not read it right but how do you get electric from the tracks with wipes off plastic wheels???


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## SRV1

wingnut163 said:


> maybe i did not read it right but how do you get electric from the tracks with wipes off plastic wheels???


 The new trucks are plastic. I installed metal wheels into them.

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## SRV1

Well its underway. I cut out the subwalls for it tonight and glued them together. (Then it officialy hit me how small a 25' HO caboose is. )



















After a dry fit, I used Titebond original wood glue. Its good stuff but you dont have alot of working time with it. Especially when applying it thin. 

I applied glue with a toothpick to the tabs and slapped the walls together quickly. Good tight fit. Was careful not to glue the walls to the floor so the body can lift off later. I then applied some extra glue to the corners inside to beef it up a bit. 

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## SRV1

Then I cut out the roof formers and glued them in place. Everything is so smooth and flush so far I dont think Im going to bother sanding the joints.



















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## SRV1

Next, the laser etched balsa side panels are cut out. They have an adhesive backing.



















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## SRV1

First the ends. You can lay it down lightly to get things lined up and then final press in across surface. The ends required very minor sanding at a couple locations to get them flush. 
Then I blew it off with a can of air and applied the sides.



















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## ZebraCakez

Looks like it's coming along well, nice job.


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## doorman29

Looking good. Thanks for taking the time to post progress pictures.


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## Patrick1544

Looks really good. I have a few of their kits. I like the ease of assembly and precise cuts.


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## SRV1

doorman29 said:


> Looking good. Thanks for taking the time to post progress pictures.


Thanks! Yeah its real easy snapping pics with my phone and posting them using tapatalk along the way. Dont have to move from the bench. Its interesting for my own reference too. Hopefully it ends up being a decent review of the products involved. 
So far this Laserkit is awesome. The parts are cut to extremely close tolerances considering the materials. 

Back at it soon..... 

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## SRV1

Ok, cupola sides are cut out. They get pressed together as well. Heres one side installed and the rest waiting to be joined.










Then the ends slide in real nice against the side windows.



















While trying to get that last shot in good light it fell off the bench and bounced on the floor! It was only a matter of time. Managed to bend and nearly break 3 out of the 4 roof braces sticking out at the corners. We'll see how this screw up plays out.

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## SRV1

Cupola installed. Did what I could to glue the thin side ends sticking out. The adhesive backing they have saved them for the most part.










As things get added I continue to think about at what point would be best to start priming and painting. Im going to do it before windows are added. 

May have to look ahead at how many adhesive items are left. I dont want to prime a base that needs a sheet attached such as the roof. 

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## SRV1

For now, going to keep installing. I dropped the floor out and believe I can still paint fine with the base roof sections on. These are nicely laser etched for interior detail simulating boards, even on the inside.











Here they are set in place. These get glued down. Keep in mind the top surface of these are not the finished surface. They fit perfectly in the previously installed roof former slots. 










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## SRV1

Glued contact spots. Also glued around the top edge of the body. 










And the roof his held into its curved shape with rubber bands as it dries.










The sheets gave me a surface to brace the pieces of trim that bent. I wont win any awards for the glue job but they shouldnt be going anywhere now. 


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## SRV1

Used a pipette to add a little insurance glue around the inside edges. Low visibility areas and I dont want any small area popping up on me down the road.










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## SRV1

Next, cut out the roof ends. Theyll help hold the shape of the roof. Theres holes that have to go the right way for ladders. The directions dont mention this.



















In the next step I see I get to cut out what theyre calling letterboards. Rails that run along under edge of roof which will cover up the ends that got bent. Thankfully.

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## SRV1

Letterboard strips with adhesive backing. Not the smallest trim pieces involved by far. 










Have been dragging my feet while glue dried. Might let it sit for a while before I take off the rubberbands. Even though they probably could come off right now, theres no need to rush it.

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## doorman29

Those are some pretty small pieces. If I was at the helm of this build it would be an absolute disaster lol. 

That seems like a nice quality kit, the details look fantastic.


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## SRV1

Last update for today. Rubberbands off. Trim pieces are on. Theres a little shadowing where edges of the roof need to be sanded a bit. 



















The next step is putting windows and doors in. At this point I may go ahead and paint the interior and exterior red when I get back to it. 

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to prime the whole thing before paint? Or should I just paint it? Will be using an airbrush so itll be done in moments. Either way will be quick. I dont think it would hurt to prime it. Or should it just get two coats of paint? 

Going to be taping regardless. Will have the roof to paint black and clear coat to spray at the end.

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## silver69

Really nice work, looking forward to see it painted


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## SRV1

Thanks! I may do some painting tonight yet. In the mean time, the streamlined backshop wipers/pick ups came In today. Looks like the Atlas ones will work best for these trucks. If they stick out a little I can trim them.

The rings are insulating rings to separate them. Notice the nice solder points. These will safely allow all 8 wheels to pick up power. Probably the best $5 spent on this project.










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## SRV1

Ok, im back at the bench this evening. Looking ahead, Im not going to be able to paint just yet. Bunch of window trim to do yet. 
The plan right now is, install exterior trim. Leave windows out. Tape off roof. Prime. Spray interior white. Spray exterior caboose red. Install roof sections. Tape lower portion off. Spray roof black. Install windows, doors. 










My goal is to make the interior somewhat realistic, despite an inevitable rats nest of wires in a small area. At least the inside color will be correct.


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## SRV1

Trim pieces below cupola windows require a pair of tweezers and a steady hand. 
These have peel off backing too. At first glance, you wouldnt think pieces this thin would have enough backing to stick but they do. Its almost like a glue that sticks to the paneling better than I wouldve expected.









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## SRV1

Rear end window trim installed and a door. Door sill added below door. A little dissapointed with the directions on the door. They dont tell you how to install it or how to put together.

I though it needed to stick on inside but the opening and the door are almost identical size. I ended up pressing it into the opening. Its so tight it probably doesnt even need glue. Its not big enough to stick on either face. I did not add the window to back of door yet for painting.











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## SRV1

Adding the trim pieces to all these window frames has been a bit of a challenge. It does make them look pretty good.










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## SRV1

All exterior window trim pieces have been installed. 










Calling it a night.

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## SRV1

Just taped off the roof and windows. Going to spray a little prime. Will prime some parts that are still on their tree right now as well.










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## silver69

good progress
Thanks for posting


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## SRV1

Nice thin coat of primer. Covered all the larger pieces I could find.










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## SRV1

Little bonus, change of pace material... 

Had some primer left so I covered up a logo on a tender I didnt care for and was too late of a version for what I wanted anyway. Will paint and decal some other day.



















There was still a little left so I used it for weathering dust on some rolling stock. Worked quite well.

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## SRV1

Interior white.










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## SRV1

Wow! These pics show up huge on the computer. lol You guys gonna see every mistake I make! Just another (ho hum) 8 mp cell phone camera taking the shots. 

I just painted the exterior and had supper. The red looks super nice. It is the color that these were painted with in real life. "Caboose red." Although it did come in different shades from different manufacturers. Which makes it easier to model since shades could vary slightly anyway. Weathering would change the color relatively quickly as well. 

One thing that was cool was I got a little heavy on one spot and I wiped it off with a paper towel. It left behind streaks of red and the primer underneath showed through. I could've made the paint look 15 years old with this affect. But I wanted a freshly painted 1940 version so I re-sprayed.


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## SRV1

Tape's off.




























It took a few coats to get the full red color. Im very happy with the shade it dried to. 

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## silver69

Red look really good, also like the white interior.


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## SRV1

Started putting windows in here late. Got side tracked. Anyway, surprises abound. Had an idea of what they intended. That wasnt it. 
Again, the directions were shy on details. First of all, I thought the window glass would have sticky backing. Wrong. 
Then I thought the interior window frames were going to ovelap and stick to the interior. Nope. They press into the openings like the doors and stop in the frame. Kind of cool. But now need to get all the frames painted. 
Had to tape the window on the back door. The backing on door had been painted. 

The paper on the back of the glass windows is nearly impossible to remove. Have to use xacto to cut an area to get them started.










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## SRV1

Window frames painted. You cut the glass from the sheet, peel the backing off the frame, stick glass to it, then push the frame into the opening from inside with the red facing out. I think I can get away with not gluing these too. The fit is seemingly tight enough.










Decided to hold off on finishing the roof. Should finish the windows tomorrow. Put sub roof on cupola. Then Ill spray the black parts (roof sheets) off the model so I wont have to tape and risk black creeping in where its not supposed to. 

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## SRV1

I was just telling my wife Id be real happy if my GN reference sheets would get here. Trying to decide what number I want this one to be. Been waiting since Jan. Went out to mailbox a few minutes ago and....










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## SRV1

The GNRHS Dec. 1995 reference sheets which include detailed info for x330-x749 looks like its going to be worth every penny for this project.










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## doorman29

I have visited the GNRHS site a few times but never checked out the reference sheet collection. What a great resource.


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## SRV1

doorman29 said:


> I have visited the GNRHS site a few times but never checked out the reference sheet collection. What a great resource.


 Oh yeah. I discovered it by e-mailing somebody there a bunch of questions. They directed me to these reference sheets from 1995. Reading it now. Really going into detail on the numbering system.

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## SRV1

This reference sheet (catalog) 235 has all the info I needed including many black and white prints of the real deal in service during the late 30s, 40s and 50s.

Has a great photo of x439 in 1948. The author considers it to be an intermediate style based on the criteria he listed. The lettering is actually not in the correct location by GN specs which makes it interesting. The photo is so good, Ive decided to go with it. It wouldve received this conversion, paint and logos in 1940 which is what this kit is. I will be placing the lettering to match the pic as the prototype. The logo will be the side facing goat silhouette with see America First, GNP lettering. Which I was hoping I could use. It wore this logo at least as late as August 1948 where it was photographed in St. Paul, MN.

Then I checked the decal sheet. Out of hundreds of possible 3 digit # combinations, they have 4 sets ready to use for this series. By dumb luck the second one is x439!! Lol

It wouldnt have mattered because they give 0 thru 9 to make any combo you want. This just makes it easier. 

With further investigation, it doesnt appear this particular caboose is in existence anymore in real life, or its where abouts are unknown. 

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## SRV1

Well, enough talk. Better keep going.

Windows being affixed to their frames:










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## SRV1

Pressed in windows with a cue tip. A snug fit in the openings. The cue tip is also helpful for wiping off finger prints once pressed in.










Heres the changed look. Window installed next to bare opening.










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## GN.2-6-8-0

Wondering which brand of paint your using and what is your mixing formula for your hairbrush?


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## SRV1

Model master acrylic in "Caboose Red" thinned with Model master acryl from Testors.
All paints used here are acrylics. When I was air brushing models 15 years ago, I always used enamels because they were more readily available. Had a few of these acrylc bottles but not many. This stuffs way nicer to use. Dont have the harsh chemical smell even as its drying. Clean up is much easier too.

I havent used any science to how Ive been thinning it. Try to get it a little thinner than milk consistency. Maybe 75 paint, 25 thinner? Maybe not even that much thinner. Spraying at 20 psi. The DA Paasche gives you alot of control with paint flow. Takes a good bit of effort to fully clean it.

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## SRV1

All the windows are in. I touched up a bunch of the white interior with a brush.










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## doorman29

Nice.


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## SRV1

Now that all the windows are in I can finally put the cupola sub roof on. Its not airbrushed because I primed it and forgot about it. Didnt feel like mixing up a batch for this piece, not being very visible.










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## SRV1

I pre-bent the roof a little before installing because it was curving opposite of what was needed. 

Used super glue gel to fasten this painted surface to the edges of cupola which werent exactly smooth because of the backing involved. The gel is real easy to control and super glue isnt too picky about surfaces. 










Going to take a break and let that sit for a while. When I come back Ill spray some black paint. No black parts are attached to the caboose yet so itll be easy.

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## SRV1

I filled the cup 3/4 full of flat black. Then I dipped a tooth pick in flat white and mixed it into the cup to tone down the black. This is an old rule when spraying black paint to make it look a little more realistic for the scale. A little white goes a long way. Then I gave it a squirt of thinner, mixed, and started spraying. Many of the parts are still in their wood panels here.

With the paint that was left I sprayed the tender. The decal raises out of the paint a little but should cover up. 
Then I sprayed some soot on the 2-10-2 that will be pulling this train. It looks alot better.



















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## doorman29

SRV1 said:


> Then I dipped a tooth pick in flat white and mixed it into the cup to tone down the black. This is an old rule when spraying black paint to make it look a little more realistic for the scale. A little white goes a long way.


Excellent tip. :thumbsup:


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## SRV1

doorman29 said:


> Excellent tip. :thumbsup:


 Yeah. Like I said you just dont want to over do the white because youll quickly make a shade of gray you dont like! Its personal preference really. No right or wrong way. 
I did alot of reading and modeling back in the day. Ive got an uncle that has had models in Fine Scale Modeler including an Apache helicopter that made the cover on one issue. Hes obsessed with weathering. Picked up quite a few tips from him on stuff. Its pretty much what he does.

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## SRV1

Well I just realized I had an oversight.

The upper cupola trim shouldve been on when I was spraying the red. Then the current roof panel couldve been lined up better. We'll see how these stick on paint now. Might need to glue.









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## SRV1

Looks like theyre going to stick. The overhang on the back here was supposed to go over the trim piece in the front. 

Just going to sand it. No big deal. The trim pieces control the overall length for the black covering anyway so not a huge problem.










Need to sand and paint now.

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## SRV1

The finished roof is another peel and stick game. Which is actually nicer than dealing with glue squeeze out, but needs to be done right.

For the large front piece I backed it up to cupola, lined it up with the roof bracket slots and dropped it down. I pressed it down, right down the middle, lengthwise on the highpoint. Then worked the sides down one at a time pressing down from the center out to match the curve.

Theres about a 1mm perferated overlap that gets folded down along the edges to cover the sub roof.



















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## SRV1

Cupola was the trickiest. No slots to line up. Kind of have to use the sides as a guide with your fingers as you drop it down.










Parts are starting to get widdled down.

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## SRV1

Roof supports broken out and cleaned up. The long ones are for the ladder platforms. Only needed six. They must have cut an extra one in case on got broken during removal.










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## SRV1

Roof brackets installed. Huge pain. None of the tabs would go in the slots. You try to force them and they tip over and get glue everywhere. This part definitely didnt go as intended. At least they get covered up.










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## SRV1

Now putting together the end decks.










The steps have to be held up as they dry. Itll be a while before next update. One drying right now. 

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## SRV1

Ends assembled with steps. Touched up with flat black. In hindsight it wouldve been easier to assemble these and paint them like this.










I will mount kadee magne matic whisker couplers under these.

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## SRV1

I ended up sanding some of my paint off. I dont like to glue major parts on paint. Id rather not glue on paint at all. 

Heres what theyre calling the styrene floor which goes below the interior floor. Has etched lines to get things straight. The edge of end platforms glue directly to it. 










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## SRV1

Used coarse sand paper to sand down the over hang to even, as instructed.










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## SRV1

With the corners sanded even, Ill now add the interior floor. This piece is directional. The tool box area on bottom is on the right (far) side so I want the longer wide section forward. 










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## SRV1

The body drops down over both floor assemblies.










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## SRV1

Main beam sanded and super glued to bottom. Truck holes lined up. 










With that I'll call it a day. Maybe back tomorrow evening.

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## Patrick1544

Coming along nicely. Nice delineation in the side sheathing. What brand of paint did you use? I like the hue of this Red.


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## SRV1

Patrick1544 said:


> Coming along nicely. Nice delineation in the side sheathing. What brand of paint did you use? I like the hue of this Red.



Thanks Patrick. Check out post #48 of this thread. Somebody already asked. 

It is (supposed to be) the exact color they used on the real ones.

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## Bone1977

SV I was at the Madison show this weekend and saw this table. I immediately thought of this thread  The guy was building a similar kit to yours at the time and I snapped this photo. My camera doesn't pick up the details very well, but several of them have similar appearances to yours. The one in the lower right, this picture does it no justice! :


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## SRV1

Awesome! Man they all look great. Thanks for posting!

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## Bone1977

I just noticed the guy's contact info is on the background stand. The two that stand out as closest to yours are the Orange Coast Line and Red NW. If you want the larger (2500x1200ish) picture let me know and I can send it to you.


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## SRV1

These fit in the notches the way theyre supposed to. I pushed them in and glued corners once in place. Much easier that way.










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## SRV1

Cant hold off on the couplers any longer. Need them installed to know how many spacers I want to use on the trucks. The end bumpers were installed properly but they hang down uneven with platform. So I will have to buzz the extra off with dremel to get them even for coupler mounting.

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## SRV1

Doesnt take much. 










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## SRV1

Couplers are on. Now Ill install this peel and stick framing which was also previously painted. Sticks down pretty decent. Might need a little glue.



















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## SRV1

Change of plans. I showed you how the kit wants you to do the underframe. Im going to use pieces of scrap to match the prototype and do this the hardway. I though the channels could go next to these but these were right on the spots where the channels go. Get the dremel!

Note, tool box now installed.









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## SRV1

Underframe channels on the real x439:












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## SRV1

I only managed to get one side done. Other things going on today. Quite tedious but not impossible. Used scrap pieces with the sticky backing to help hold up the vertical parts of the channels while glue dried. Then buzzed ends with dremel to make them even. 
Theres probably a better material to use for them. 

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## SRV1

Trying to get a little bit of work done tonight. Another underframe rail drying. Got some ladder side rails cut out and in the jigs. These are extremely fragile at this stage.










Going to find out soon how well 0.015" brass wire rungs will go in.

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## SRV1

Glad I started these. Think Ill be letting them dry one rung at a time before snipping them. This thread already getting lengthy so (as a courtesy to us all) Ill leave the rest of this little process behind the scenes.











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## Old_Hobo

Let me know if you need GN caboose decals...I have spares.


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## SRV1

Old_Hobo said:


> Let me know if you need GN caboose decals...I have spares.


 Thanks for the offer but we both have spares. I accidentally ended up with 3 sheets of them! Lol. If anybody else needs some let one of us know.

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## SRV1

......


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## SRV1

I dont like this new tapatalk version at all. Seems alot harder to post pics and I have no idea how to delete a pic now because no link shows up.

Anyway, im going to start checking out the Tichy Train Group Westinghouse brake gear assembly. Most of that should probably go on now.

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## SRV1

Testing 123.... 

I see it likes to post the same pic twice now. Ugh.






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## SRV1

SRV1 said:


> Worked on it a little bit tonight, late. Got the scratch built under frame rails installed. They look pretty crude from the bottom but the important parts are the ends that are seen from the sides. The look pretty decent. I used the face of a dremel cutting wheel to even up the outside ends. This helped the corner rails the most.
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> Ok. Messed around with the new Tapatalk and I should be back to normal. They changed some things but should be able to post pics without links as normal now.
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> Sent from my SCH-R950 using Tapatalk






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## SRV1

Heres the Tichy brake details kit the Laserkit recommends. Theres several different types of components here for various rolling stock. Most of it will go unused for this caboose. May be able to use extra parts to detail other cars though.










Heres the parts that I will be using. A couple small one left on tree for later.










Really didnt need to order the cal scale brass hand brakes but they came in handy for other cars anyway.

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## SRV1

After further study, I cant even use all of those parts. I believe the larger auxillary/emergency air tank was on the early 50s versions and up, only.

The 1940 version has some different type of system. Since Im not an expert on this, I cant tell you what this part is but this is the part I cobbled together to most closely match (what is seen) on the prototype.










The right side is the original brake cylinder. The left is an extra part that wasnt supposed to be used and the pipe........a piece of the tree that looked appropriate.

This is as much time as I can waste winging this part. Lol!

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## SRV1

Brake cylinder installed.










After a few choice words and nearly losing the piece twice, the tool box has a handle.










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## SRV1

Painted and installed trucks. Snapped off nylon bolt screw head. Had to drill out. Wasnt pretty. Alot of wasted time getting the piece out but it was my own fault. Knew it was going to happen and snapped it off anyway. But, both trucks are on now. Still need to have wiper pickups installed.



















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## Kwikster

Pretty neat project, haven't scratch built anything myself yet. Overall turned out very well, thanks for sharing :appl::appl:

Carl


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## SRV1

Thanks but its a long way from done!

At this point it still needs: 

- Interior details
- roof walks
- electrical wiper pickups on trucks
- ladders
- lighting, sidemarkers, decoder 
- smoke jack and vent
- hand brake
- clear coat
- decals
- grab irons and window bars


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## golfermd

Sweet work. :appl:


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## Bone1977

Nice to see you get that on the rails


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## SRV1

Bone1977 said:


> Nice to see you get that on the rails


 Yeah. I was getting anxious. Although they do have to come back off to install wiring. I should be able to get a few more things done today on this.


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## SRV1

Roof walks are on hiding my glue mess. Theyre peel and stick. The rear ones were text book, perfectly even. Front went on 'ok'.

Decided to go the extra mile and add brackets underneath on the ends. These are scrap pieces cut roughly to scale size and super glued on. Wouldve been nice if they were included in the kit.



















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## Bone1977

Given the amount of detail you are putting into this, the last shot caught my eye. The door and frame look to be part of the back panel, one single piece. Are you going to do some detail painting? It seems like painted trim would give a little extra realism and separation. Painting the sill may be enough to break the red.


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## SRV1

The doors were pressed in on post #27. They were put together and seated in the door way. I mainly want to stick with the prototype for detailing. From the pics Ive seen the door frames were red as well. If the roof walks didnt have brackets on the ends, I wouldnt have added them. 
The ends will be dressed up alot more once the railings, ladders, panels, brake, grab irons, and decals are installed.

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## SRV1

Basic idea of where interior components are going. This was a separate kit. These parts were not included. I used some scrap wood siding for the benches. Still need paint. 

Decided I could mount my interior LED on the desk where the kerosene lamp would be. Since its a good sized led I have a large resistor to tone it down. May paint the lense as well.
Going to leave the back open. Hoping to be able to comfortably stash the decoder and wiring back there.










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## SRV1

Installing wipers on trucks. The center hole needs to go around the center area of the truck to hold the wiper in place. These ones made for Atlas trucks are the closest size I can use. Have to grind out the center holes to fit these Tichy trucks. A little concerned with how much friction there is. An insulator ring sandwiches in between to separate the pickups.










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## SRV1

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## SRV1

Heres a ladder I finally finished. Still have yet to start the other one. Used the face of the dremel cutting wheel to grind down the rungs even. Smothered the frame in glue to try to give it some stability. Wish it was plastic because theyre really flimsy and hard to install the wire into.










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## SRV1

Just tested this truck on the track with an led and its delivering good power. I drilled a hole for the wires so this truck is going back on.










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## SRV1

Decoder plug is wired for power. Just need to get the pickups sized for the other truck. 
Would love to keep posting updates but Im burnt out on this for today. 

Tomorrow Im going to my annual train show in the a.m. Later in the day I should be able to get back at it. Will be drilling #44 sized holes in the corners for these side markers.










There is some method to the madness. Trying to get all the interior stuff done so I can put this thing back together once and for all. Hopefully not to be taken apart again! 
The fine detail parts and decals will be last but not least.

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## SRV1

Based on pics, majority of the adlake marker centers were even with the top of the window frames and centered 1-1/2 to two boards in. I stayed on the inside of the second board so as to have enough room for the full sized hole. 
Punch, small bit, #44 bit then hand ream with a #42 for the perfect size hole. Purchased the bits a month ago in anticipation of this step.




























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## SRV1

Fits like a glove. I may not even glue it in case I need to remove them for whatever reason. The wire sealer prevents it from spinning.










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## SRV1

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## doorman29

:smilie_daumenpos:


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## SRV1

Wiring complete. I probably should have cut some wires much further back but I hate short wires when you go to remove the body off something.

The DH163D decoder is huge in this. I wanted to put another locker in but now need the room for wiring. The decoder has nowhere to go but up into the cupola. Might just paint the end black and call it a piece of equipment. Lol. The back windows are going to get shades to help hide the mess! 
Everything did fit for the test. The adlake markers are hooked up to the common blue off the decoder and the green function 1. The desk light is hooked up to blue and the white "forward light" so they can be controlled independently.










Since im using this decoder and separated pickups I didnt need the bridge rectifier that comes with the markers.

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## SRV1

There, its a kerosene lamp. 










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## SRV1

Now it has a lived in look. Gotta keep the sun out of the crews eyes! The shades add depth to the windows and theyre a very easy detail to add. Paper and tape.



















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## SRV1

Tested this out on programming track and its not working. It found the decoder one time and I set address but wont find it anymore. When my pcab searches for it the interior led will flash but it cant find the cv. Will have to call Digitrax tomorrow and see what we can figure out. 
All lights flash briefly when I set on the rails so I know its getting power.

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## SRV1

Well the decoder needed a 1/4 watt, 100 ohm resistor to impersonate a motor in order to function. It currently wont accept the new address (its #) Im trying to assign it but its just a programming issue now so I can close it up and move on.

Headlight button:










Adlakes controlled on F1 (1 button)




























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## SRV1

10:08 pm Tuesday night March 4th. Should be in bed but decided I better keep going on something. 

While rungs are drying on ladder #2, I spent the down time transforming a unknown, unused part from another kit into a GN caboose bathroom vent. 
Been thinking about this procedure in back of my mind for a while. Actually turned out better than expected. Perfect size. Used dremel cutting wheel and sandpaper. Aluminum paint. Tonights lesson: never throw anything away. Lol



















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## DonR

Shore is lookin good.

Love those marker lights. The interior lighting shows just
right.

Nice job.

Don


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## SRV1

Thanks Don! Yeah the interior LED may look big but its only a 3 mm, with the end painted and toned way down with a 1/2 watt 4.7k resistor. I may end up removing a little paint off the top of it to get some light up in the cupola. 

In the first pic the camera makes it look alot brighter than it looks in real life. I think having some interior elements help break up the light, adding a little realism. Having it right at the desk helps too.

The camera is accurate on the sidemarkers. Theyre bright and sharp. Tomar Industries makes some nifty accessories. 

If anyones wondering, with a little weight added, the wipers work awesome. No light flicker.

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## SRV1

Worked on smoke jack tonight. Its one molded piece. I knew there was better options. 










So I measured it and cut out a piece of aluminum pop can to roughly the same dimension as a round shape. Then bent it around a toothpick.










Ground off the molded part with dremel. Glued new part on. Now it looks like a real one.










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## SRV1

Jack and vent painted and installed.



















The roofing material is made of something that dries the superglue in about 5 seconds. Almost no working time to get it right.





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## SRV1

Last rung glued into ladder #2. I would attach them now but there are grab irons to attach to the body behind them. And they have to be made yet. Next to the ladders is the grab iron jig that came in the kit. Pretty cool but yet another time consuming effort.

The idea is to cut approx. 3/16" pieces of the included 0.015 wire and stick them vertically into the jig. Then bend the wires around them. Some are intended to go through the jig and also over the edge. These ends will go into the holes on the body.










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## SRV1

Decided to start with an easy one first. This is one of two cupola roof grab irons that will go through the detail associates eye bolts. Needs to be trimmed and bent to shape yet.










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## SRV1

Now I can install the eye hooks at any point. That was relatively painless. Edit: These can be used but theyre not right. The ends were supposed to bend down over edge of the jig to go in roof. Stupid mistake. I thought it got another eye bolt on the ends. Wrong.










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## SRV1

Some parts have to be removed from one jig and glued to the other jig to aid in bending the irons. 












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## SRV1

I redid the roof irons using a softer brass wire. Here they are done properly. These will be easier to pull to the end holes as necessary. Ill use the incorrect ones to make other stuff.










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## SRV1

Want to get this process behind me. Drilling holes in roof with a #80 hand drill from micro-mark. These are the Details Associate long shank eye bolts recommended by the kit. 

Diameters are right but the shanks are longer than theyre supposed to be. I was lucky to get ahold of these because apparently theyre the last ones remaining anywhere on planet Earth. 










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## SRV1

One side done. Didnt take too long.










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## SRV1

Took about 30 min. to get the other side in. 



















Thats all for tonight.

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## SRV1

Ok, back at it. Been working on grab irons for a couple hours. I wont post the process for every one. Just wanted to share the making of one of the side body ones. (The curved ones at each of the 4 corners.) 

As you can see, previously glued an extra half circle to this station. Stick wire in hole. Bend down flat on jig. Wrap around half circle. From that position, the brass flexes back to the exact spot (shape) you need it. Then bend end down over the edge and snip flush.










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## SRV1

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## SRV1

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## SRV1

Hand drilling out hole for a hand brake on end platform. Additional railings and panels go on the end platforms and need to be drilled out with a #78 bit. The ladder ends also rest on it. My goal is to get this end done tonight. At least get railings and ladder on.










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## SRV1

Done with one end. Might not look like much but tonight was a serious cram session. 

The panels on the back rails will get painted black with the railings and also will recieve decals.






























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## Bone1977

Damn that is looking good!!


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## SRV1

Thanks man! Yeah Im really happy with results so far. Some of the wire is challenging to bend to what you need. The bends have to be perfect. Slight mistakes stand out. Im actually running out of wire. And it seems to be sold out everywhere.

I have more of the soft wire but the stiffer wire that came with the kit is nicer stuff. If anybody has a line on 0.015 *round* brass wire, please lmk. I only need 2 maybe 3 (to be safe), 6" strands. 

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## SRV1

Finished the curved side body irons on other end this morning. That used up the last of the kits wire. In fairness I used a couple short pieces for hand brakes for other stuff but I still would have fallen short. They give you just enough wire in the kit. No extra. So I used the last stiff, straight piece for the other hand brake.
Now getting into the soft brass wire from the hardware store. Same size just doesnt stay as straight for longer pieces. Its actually working pretty good. Especially on the small irons above the windows. One shown here. 

I think the jig could come in handy for other projects needing these or if one gets broken off of something. 










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## SRV1

Working on other end now. Found an extra little piece of the stiff brass. Was just enough to do the window crash bars which the stuff is perfect for. Right side painted red (finished product).










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## SRV1

Well, the legacy of the ladder jig will live on in the form of front adlake lantern holders and cupola sun visors (to be painted). 
All that's left at this point is to manufacture and install the end railings, and the ladder and brake on front end. 

After that Ill do some taping off and spray some clear coat. Then finally it will be time for decals. Taking a little break for now. 











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## SRV1

Just got the front end done. I think I did a better job on this end after knowing what to expect from practicing on the other end. 

Added a bit extra brake detail that keeps showing up in pics. Found some ho scale chain (36 links per inch) at a local hobby shop in my travels today. Its still maybe a hair big but I think it works for this application. 
Ill finish painting tomorrow. All thats left is clear coat and decals. 



















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## Bone1977

Are you going to do any weathering after the decals? OR just admire your work?


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## SRV1

Bone1977 said:


> Are you going to do any weathering after the decals? OR just admire your work?



I don't plan on doing much for weathering. I'm doing a early 1940 era train/eventual layout. The aspects seen on this model as it is are updates that would have taken place in 1940. So to be out on the rails on my layout, the prototype would have basically had to have just left the shop with fresh paint. The trucks and the framing are rusted.


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## SRV1

Done painting. Havent spent much time on it tonight.

Went down to spray some clear coat but didnt get that far. Its been bugging me that the doors dont have knobs! Wasnt sure what to do about it. Then I decided to cut and mold a piece of a nearby, #18 brad nail into one. Cut off the head. Round the shank. Then cut the piece off. Ground back as flat as possible. Set on superglue with tweezers. Wa-lah. The size is ideal. Idk what color these usually were but Im going to leave these a steel color.











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## SRV1

The Micro-scale decal info sheet brought some previously overlooked details to my attention. Have added additional grab irons to end bumpers and removed and replaced the brake levers (could be a coupler release) with one that at least is routed to the proper location.










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## SRV1

Taped off the windows and sprayed the clear coat. Didnt thin it this time. Probably should have. Went on a little thick. I shouldve been more careful and sprayed the decal areas only. Its ok. Just a little glossy.










Decals cut:










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## Kwikster

SRV1 said:


> Went down to spray some clear coat but didnt get that far. Its been bugging me that the doors dont have knobs! Wasnt sure what to do about it. Then I decided to cut and mold a piece of a nearby, #18 brad nail into one. Cut off the head. Round the shank. Then cut the piece off. Ground back as flat as possible. Set on superglue with tweezers. Wa-lah. The size is ideal. Idk what color these usually were but Im going to leave these a steel color.


Back in that era most door hardware was brass or brass plated. Leaving it the steel color could be thought of as chromed brass as well, either way cool idea to add that little touch.

Love the progress very nice work.

Carl


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## SRV1

Thanks Kwikster. 

Well, this project has come to an end. I dry brushed a little black on the trucks today. 

Finished applying decals. Went very well. The decal set solution gives you a bit more working time. Then they shrink down, wrinkle up and then flatten right out. Theres moments when it looks like cause for panic if you arent familiar with the process. 




























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## SRV1

You can see the lines where I sprayed the clear. I may end up spraying a light whitewash to blend it in. Or live with it. Only noticable in bright light at certain angles.

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## SRV1

Heres my modified GN 2-10-2 with tsu-1000 heavy steam sound board installed that will be pulling this train. 




















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## Magic

That really looks fantastic.:smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:

Magic


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