Ale-8-One Reefer

[EZnKY]

I'm getting close to the end of my caboose so I've starting working on my next project.  I tend to get impatient and rush things when I only have one project, so this will give me something to do while the paint dries on the caboose.

I've mentioned on another thread that I got a Phil's Narrow Gauge 30' reefer for Christmas.  I'm going to be using Phil's kit as a starting point for a freelance reefer.  I plan on using some of the kit parts, and scratchbuilding others.  Mostly though this project will be about improving my painting and finishing skills.

Below is the rough rendering using a D&RG reefer as background.  "Ale-8-One" is a central Kentucky soft drink.  I've heard it was originally made in the 20's as a mixer for bourbon; hence the corny "late one" pun. People tend to either love it or hate it.  Personally I couldn't live without it.  (You can learn more at www.ale-8-one.com)

I am confident Ale-8 never had a reefer, let alone a narrow gauge one, but I'm going to ask everyone to overlook this fiction.

I don't plan on doing much of a step by step since most of this project will be pretty simple, but if there's interest, I'll point out some of the places where I deviate from the kit as I progress.

[EZnKY]

I started cleaning the fuzz off the pre-glued frame that came with the kit and decided it would be easier to build my own frame.  This allowed me to add a bit more detail, and to install link and pin couplers from Hartford.  I also tried using individual boards for the decking instead of scribed wood.  It was less time consuming than I anticipated.

[EZnKY]

I also made some brake hangers and bolster details.  The truck center plate started out as a poling pocket casting I had on hand.

[Malachi Constant]

I am confident Ale-8 never had a reefer, let alone a narrow gauge one, but I'm going to ask everyone to overlook this fiction.

I don't plan on doing much of a step by step since most of this project will be pretty simple, but if there's interest, I'll point out some of the places where I deviate from the kit as I progress.

Sign me up!  "Suspension of disbelief" mode engaged ... concept drawing looks fabulous ... not to worried about the exact kit details, but interested in any problem-solving or custom touches done ... and look forward to that detailing style of yours that's quickly becoming famous with the fabulous caboose project! 

Cheers,
Dallas

[finescalerr]

Can you spell A-R-T-I-C-L-E-S? -- Russ

[EZnKY]

Thanks Dallas.

Russ - don't underestimate my ability to screw this up before it's done.

Anyway, I've got most of the details done on the frame.  The brake rods are in place and terminate at the bolsters where they won't be seen.  I'm still missing some NBW on the coupler wear plates and along the edge sills.  I've also slopped a rust coat on the metal parts.  The whole thing will get a black wash which will tone down the rust.

[EZnKY]

I've stripped the factory paint off the trucks and done some clean up on the castings.  More to do, especially on the mold lines around the nuts.  I couldn't get the plastic journal boxes off without breaking them, so I've used some Ozark covers I had on hand.  They're a little crude, but by the time I get them coated with grease I don't think you'll be able to tell they lack the finesse of the Accucraft covers.

I've decided I'm going to rough out the brake beams and hangers based on this drawing from "Kirkman's Science of Railways."  Google books is amazing...
I've ordered some brake parts from Hartford to see if they'll work, but I haven't received them yet.

[EZnKY]

I wish someone offered wheel castings with the ribs on the backs.  That's such an obvious detail to me on early equipment, and the trucks really look wrong to me without them.  I've tried turning some old Bachmann wheels down to form a hollow in the back.  This helps some, but they still look really plain.

I've thought about making some decals to suggest the shadows from the ribs.  Is this crazy?

[EZnKY]

I've built the car body sort of following Phil's intended methods, so I'm not going to really cover this.  I deviated a little by building the body separate from the frame so I can paint them separately.  I've also added an additional layer of 1/16" basswood on the roof to increase the height of the wood trim at the eaves.  (I need the height for the lettering on the rendering.)

I've stained all of the wood with varying shades of Builders in Scale stains.  (There's a separate thread on this.)  We'll see how this turns out.  From what I've seen online painting and weathering yellow is tough.

A few of the details are in place that will get painted the body colors.  The only other thing I did to the car body was to add some nail heads using a 3mm drafting pencil (without any lead), along with some scrapes and dings.  I also notched the bottom edges of the scribed plywood so the "joints" are visible at the bottom edges. 

[EZnKY]

If things go as planned I should have the base coats on the car in the coming week so I can start the lettering and details.

[finescalerr]

If it makes you feel better, some wheels had no cooling fins; they look just like the wheels you photographed. -- Russ

[EZnKY]

It does make me feel better, but I still think the ribs look cool...

Since Phil's detail parts are fairly robust, I decided to leave the hatches loose so they can be opened.  I also decided to add some detail inside the car body so there's something to look at when the hatches are propped open.  I started by cutting holes in the roof and making new hatch curbs with an offset to conceal the rough cut in the wood roof.  This also creates a lip on the inside of the opening for the insulation inserts you sometimes see in photos of the cars being iced.  (At least that's what I think those big pillow-looking things are...) 

Pretty simple construction - I just let the sides run long and trimmed them to length after the glue dried.

[EZnKY]

More shots of the sequence...

[EZnKY]

And here are the hatch curbs in place.

For the ice bunkers, I started with a drawing from the 1895 Car Builder's Dictionary.  The drawing is actually for a Hanrahan patent car, which the model isn't, but this is no more absurd than an Ale-8 reefer.
I made the bunkers quite a bit shallower than the drawing showed to allow some room for weights on the floor of the car.  I also decided it really didn't matter how deep the bunkers were since so little of them would be visible through the hatches.

[EZnKY]

The bunkers are just boxes made from black mat board, with individual boards glued directly to the face of the mat board.  For the side facing the car interior, I glued vertical framing to the mat board first, and then glued the horizontal boards to the framing.  The black mat board makes it look like the interior is just in shadow.  It also saved me the trouble of painting the car interior.

I stained the boards with Blackwood, but didn't even bother to get rid of the fuzz or add any detail.