Happy New Year 2024, Highlights of Modeling in 2023

 

Minor photoshopped picture from January 2018 LMRC 'Winter on Tehachapi' TT/TO session.

I want some of my favorite articles of 2023, and those articles which you all voted for by viewing the most.

Most Viewed in 2023

1st Place with 435 Views

Open Loads (Part 7) - Shifted Lumber Loads - This article heralded the introduction of the new OwlMtModels Modular Lumber Loads in October.

2nd Place with 429 Views

Routing & Grading Cards with OwlMtModels 1220 Decals - The kitbash of this Fowler boxcar was also one of my personal modeling highlights for 2023 as well as 2nd place in Views.  Because this model was over a year waiting for decals and finishing the model, it received multiple posts of the build, so in some ways this project should be one of the highest views.  I think the finished model matches up with the prototype photograph well.  

3rd Place with 372 Views

Lumber Load in Gondola - SP 160522 - MDC Kitbash - This has been a fun project which keeps giving.  I started the kitbash about 20 years ago, but 2023 brought a custom load for this car... with a twist.

4th Place with 348 Views

Chalk Marks - A New Method - This article was fun to break my skill set and try a new method to make chalk marks. - I expect to do an update on this topic soon, as I found some other ways to change the end result!

5th Place with 301 Views

SP Jawbone Branch (Part 39) - A Ferro-Equestrian Archaeology Field Trip - This was also one of my personal highlights for 2023, as it was a trip that I've wanted to do for several years.  It also kicked me into working more on the structures for Owenyo and by extension the Jawbone Branch project.

My Favorites of 2023

Personal 1st Place

Routing & Grading Cards with OwlMtModels 1220 Decals  The kitbash of this Fowler boxcar was also one of my personal modeling highlights for 2023 as well as 2nd place in Views.I think the finished model matches up with the prototype photograph well.

NC&StL 15337 - Fowler -TRRA photo, East St Louis, July 1948, Illinois, Joe Collias coll, Bobs Photo - Ted Culotta collection

Because this model was in the shop for over a year waiting for decals and finishing the model, it received multiple posts of the build, so in some ways this project should be one of the highest views. I actually started mocking the car up in late 2019! 

36ft Fowler Boxcar NC&StL 15337 (Part 1) Accurail Kitbash

36ft Fowler Boxcar NC&StL 15337 (Part 2) Details & Decalling

NC&StL 15337 (Part 3) - Wrapping Up & Weathering - Other articles on this Accurail 36ft Fowler kitbash are linked at the end of Part 3 article.

Bridgetown 2023 RPM Meet

I enjoyed going to Portland this year to see all the RPM crew up in the Pacific Northwest.

SPHTS 2023 Convention - Bakersfield

October 2023 was crazy for me, wrapping up the month in Bakersfield and reconnecting with old friends for the first time since my last visit to SPHTS Conventions in 2018.

What's Next on the Line-Up for 2024?

Admittedly I'm focusing most of my modeling on aspects of the Jawbone Branch project... so that will be a main focus for the upcoming year of projects and posts.

Jawbone Branch - Owenyo Modules to Sparks/Reno Convention?

SP 3203 at Owenyo with UP steel-sheathed composite gondola. Eddie Sims collection

I'm hoping to get to work more on the Jawbone Branch in 2024, specifically focusing more on the scenery, track work, and structures at Owenyo, with the possible goal of having the three modules with some 'whisker' leads able to be displayed at the upcoming SPH&TS Convention in Reno/Sparks, October 2024.  It would be great fun to play with some switching (think Operations Road-Show style) with friends at the convention.

Owenyo Buildings

If I really plan to take the Owenyo modules as a working layout to Sparks Reno... then I'm going to be pushing to get some of the big signature structures built.  Wiring will have to be moved up the priority list to get the layout working.  I'm also looking at making some new switch point bars and moving the ground throws over for more track clearances... and some basic scenery, which I've only done some testing of painting the ties so far.

UP GS Gondola

UP Steel Gondola - Owenyo Trestle - SG side - unknown calender photo, circa 1951 - Ronald Grau collection (cropped to show only foreign gondolas)

A linked project is the foreign GS gondolas showing up at Owenyo for mineral loading, so a project already in the works is my heavy kitbash of the UP ex-composite GS gondola.  So I hope to get this model wrapped up this year.  Previous posts on this model are: UP Steel Re-sheath Gondola (Part 1) and Modeling UP Gondola (Part 2) - Re-sanding & Painting.

SP B-50-28 Post-war Boxcar

The first Tangent B-50-28 that I picked up to review, which will probably get a renumber soon!

Another linked modeling project will by my hope to be doing some more modeling with the Tangent B-50-28s for Owenyo, along with some weathering on a nearly new car.

In Closing

I want to close this post with a thank you to all of you out there in the community who are supporting the NightOwlModeler blog and engage in communications to help the community grow.  As for other future posts, I'm sure that other topics and surprise topics will come up in 2024 and I'll write on those.

Jason Hill

Related Articles:

New Year 2019

Modeling UP Gondola (Part 2) - Re-sanding & Painting

I left off on this project in 2021, when I had filled in the board grooves on the side of the car around the ribs to replicate the replacement steel siding.

UP Steel Gondola - Owenyo Trestle - SG side - unknown calender photo, circa 1951 - Ronald Grau collection (cropped to show only foreign gondolas)

Here's a new photo from 1951, with a freshly resheathed UP ex-composite gondola.  Oddly this photo also shows a D&RGW steel gondola, I'm not sure why there's a Rio Grande car at Owenyo.  One thought is that they were shipping in coal from UP and D&RGW, but then they probably would have had to be unloaded by hand across into the NG cars.  Another thought would be if they were empties from somewhere else, like Monolith or LA, and then planned to be reloaded for movement towards home.

Continuing Work on Red Caboose Model

See my previous post: UP Steel Resheath Gondola (Part 1).  I also sanded the interior walls to remove the board details.  The next step is to shoot some primer color over the body and see how the new side finish looks.

Steel sheathing of UP ex-composite GS gondola

I "witness coat" of light FCR StarBrand paint used to check how the fill has been done on the body.

Other side of Steel Sheathing of UP ex-composite GS gondola

This sanding work is done with the tip of a narrow sanding stick over the Squadron White putty.  Since these photos, 

Sanded & Primed Interior Steel Sheathing

I've picked up some Tamiya liquid putty, which I look forward to using on projects like this in the future.

Other side - Sanded & Primed Interior Steel Sheathing

One of the challenges of this new car, is that these cars I believe should have flat-plate drop doors, which I'll have to deal with making.  I probably won't modify the bottom of the doors, as it will not be seen on my layout when it's completed.

Underframe primed with lightened SP/UP FCR

I went ahead and primed/painted the underside of the main body at this point.  

Second Round of Sanding

Left side of UP Steel Sheathed Gondola

At this point I went through a exhaustive round of detail sanding to get the 'steel' sides heet sections smoother than the 1st time.Some sections still show brown pain in the lines between the old boards.

Right Side of UP Steel Sheathed Gondola

By this point, I've sanded down to the tops of the original board level and even into that slightly.  The goal is to get everything smoothed out.  I don't mind a few 'wrinkles', as the prototype steel sheathing can have some ripples and dings from various loads being dropped into the car over the years, although I'm modeling in the period of only a couple of years after the steel sides were installed.

What's the Final Coat of Paint Going to Be?

Now it's time to give the body another try at a witness coat, and if it's good it will also become the body paint for the finished car.  This UP car will get special 3d printed ends, so I'm not too worried about building the body up at this point.  Also some weight materials are on their way to me.  So soon I'll be able to assemble the body and put the extra weights into the floor.  The floor with plate doors may need to be 3d printed as well. 

 
The other UP cars I have are a lighter orange-ish shade of FCR than the stock SP/UP FCR from StarBrand.  As I'm also working on some PRR X29s right now as well, which need paint I'll probably mix SP/UP FCR with some Daylight Orange and see if I can get a 3/4 match towards the lighter color to give some variety in my fleet.

Standard Steel UP G-50-13, built 1951 showing the lighter orange-ish FCR from Red Caboose.

We'll see how that goes.  Until I get around to really super-kitbashing the composite side UP gondola, I may just build up one of the UP steel gondola kits that I have as a stand-in model.

In Closing

Here's the photo from the original post that sucked me in.  I believe this may actually be the same day, as both photos have lineage back to the collection of Ronald Grau.  I'm looking forward to pushing this car forward a bit more as I get back to building the Transfer Trestle over this winter.

SP 3203 at Owenyo with UP steel-sheathed composite gondola. Eddie Sims collection

After looking at the prototype photo again, I might stay a bit closer to the original UP/SP FCR StarBrand color, and plan to do light dust weathering, with maybe only a small amount of orange in the mix.

Jason Hill

Related Articles:

UP Steel Re-sheath Gondola (Part 1) - Blanking Composite Sides on RC gondola. (My first post on this series)

Utahrails net Info on UP G-50-11 Gondolas - Researched by Dick Harley circa 2017
Built Feb-March 1943

UP 64000-64999 composite, LT WT 49300 lbs

July 1947 UP Lettering from White to Yellow.

1950-1951 convert to steel sheathing, LT WT 51800 lbs

One-Inch reporting mark bars removed Nov 1952.

"Be Careful" Slogan added in June 1953

Notes: My model should be Yellow lettering, with bars and without slogan for as-rebuilt version.  The new photo near the Trestle shows that the car in question still has the bars over and under the lettering.

UPHS org Info on Lettering Drawings for UP cars - G-50-11, and others 

Dick Harley's UP Smugmug page has some useful information as well.

Decals by National Scale Car 
https://nationalscalecar.com/product/d160-union-pacific-g-50-11-13-14-gs-gondolas/ - Probably better than the Tichy set I bought so far... I'm probably going to get a set of the NSC decals soon to actually finish this car with.