This is a flash-back of modeling from four years before I started this blog. I've mentioned over the last 6 years that I have kitbashed this car, but never did a blog on how it was done. So let's crack open the old photos from late 2012 when I started working on this car.
I marked where the center point of the car will be. The resulting sides will be trimmed down to final length and glued together.
Floor
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| F-50-16 kitbashed from shortened RC F-70-7. |
For many years the best modelers could get was RedCaboose NYC AAR prototype 42ft, fish-belly 50-ton flatcar or even looking back to the Athearn tooled 40ft car.
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| My partly completed "stand-in" F-50-16 using the RC 42ft AAR flatcar (7-2022). |
However both of these other options lacked the short spacing of the stake pockets between the bolster and the end of the car and the overhanging deck, which was a signature on many later designs of SP flatcar.
Prototype Research - Flashback to 2012!
In late 2012, I was working on kitbashing a 53'6" Red Caboose/SPH&TS F-70-7 70-ton flatcar into a shorter lighter-weight 40'10" F-50-16, which was the smaller sister. Both classes were built in 1949.
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| SP 541778, renumbered F-50-16 at Walong in 1971 - Charles R Lange (Cropped) used with permission |
Roster
SP 140000-140499 (500 cars)
T&NO 24650-24749 (100 cars)
Total 600 cars
Renumbered during the consolidated 6-digit SP freight car numbering system, circa 1956 to 541000-series.
Kitbashing
Red Caboose F-70-7 Underside
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| SP F-70-7 with center underframe cut out for track cleaning slider |
For this project I started with an unbuilt Red Caboose/SPH&TS F-70-7 kit. Shortening of the sides, floor, and deck to 40'10" in length.
Cutting Up F-70-7 Parts
Sidesills
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| F-70-7 pre-cutting |
I marked where the center point of the car will be. The resulting sides will be trimmed down to final length and glued together.
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| NWSL "Chopper" used to cut sidesills squarely. |
The Chopper was used to keep the cuts square starting off.
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| Spliced sidesills after gluing together. |
Finished sidesills ready to be assembled into body.
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| Top of marked floor for cuts |
My plan on this project was to cut the underframe, keeping the center and ends for the F-50-16.
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| Bottom of marked floor for cuts |
Ideally the cuts were made just inboard of the outer set of crossbeams and just outboard of the inner set of crossbeams. I marked the B-end of each piece.
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| Floor cut into five pieces, three to become F-50-16. |
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| Three F-50-16 floor parts set back next to each other. |
Time to glue it all back together... but the sidesills will control final length.
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| Centersill-Underframe marked for estimated cuts. |
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| Fish-belly centersill cut apart. |
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| Centersill parts for F-50-16. |
The cut pieces will be sanded or trimmed down to make the final fit of the underframe centersills.
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| 53'6" deck cut down for F-50-16's 40'10" length deck. |
Deckboards are one of the main features witch will control final length.
Assembly Into F-50-16
Glue the sidesills together into the full length of the 40'10" deck length car.
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| Sidesill gluing to B-end floor. |
I started by gluing the completed sidesills to the B-end floor piece, accounting for the depth of the steel floor weight.
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| Applying Tamiya liquid glue to side-floor joint. |
Making sure the glue joint is good and solid weld of the two pieces together.
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| Whole side gluing with floor and weight. |
Checking the flatness of the car with the steel weight in place.
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| B-end floor, both sides and both ends glued together. |
Here's the completed frames (side and end) around the B-end floor.
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| Both floor ends, endsills, & sidesills glued together. |
Insert the A-end floor into the completed frame.
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| Top of assembled body with center floor section installed. |
Glue in the center section, splitting the under-lenght space to each side of the center section.
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| Roughing out the positions for the brake rigging under the car. |
Center floor section inserted into opening. AB Brake system check-fitted before centersills are installed. The centersill frame was installed without problems, but I seem not to have taken photos of that step.
Jump in Time
I missed taking any more photos of the applications of the stake pockets, couplers, etc. I some medical issues in early 2013, and wasn't able to do fine detail work for about a year or 18 months. So at some point over the following 2-4 years I did some more body detailing, applying the 24 stake pockets to the car and underbody.
Painting
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| SP F-50-16 painted standard SP FCR. |
I masked the deck and sprayed the body with Star Brand SP/UP Freight Car Red.
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| SP 140234 Underframe, completed after painting. |
Underbody painted with FCR, and oversprayed with some weathered/grimy black color (custom mixed). Note at this point the car still has "shop wheels" which are plastic. They will be replaced with metal before entering service.
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| F-50-16 deck weathering with a little FCR overspray at left. |
As the F-50-16s were new in 1949, the decks should still be in good shape for the majority of my modeling era of 1948-1954. I used ny techniques, but in a minimal way to keep the deck from looking too beat up.
In Closing
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| SP 140234 decalled and waiting for final detailing with grabs, stirrups, and brake staff. |
Decals came from the upgraded SPH&TS set included. I'll need to piece some bits of data together for 50-ton weights (not 70-ton) and the car class. The final details, like grab irons, stirrups, hand brake details, etc still need to be applied and touched up with finish paint. Then a bit weathering will be applied.
Jason Hill
Related Articles:
Athearn 65ft Mill Gondola (Part 2) - SP 94296 G-70-4
Athearn 65ft Mill Gondola (Part 3) - SP 160023 G-70-6
I’m sure your models are more accurate than the F-50-16’s I made from Tyco flats, but I just couldn’t cut up my original RC F-70’s…
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