Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Modeling

Not all freight car builds and upgrades start with kits in the to build cabinet. Some freight cars with a history running on the railroad are in need of upgrade. Such is the case with Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company (M&N) new maintenance of way equipment, weed sprayer M&N X-155 and tank X108, that are assigned to the railroad “Cleaner” Train. The “Cleaner” Train on the M&N consists now of a weed sprayer, tank, locomotive and caboose. This train is run before each operations (ops) session. The freight cars in this train have a “slider”, a simple track-cleaning device consisting of a free-floating masonite pad based on a classic John Allen track cleaning method. The free-floating Masonite pad slides on top of the rail head when the “Cleaner” Train is moving.

Slider Track Cleaning Car
(Click on this or any image to enlarge)

The original “Cleaner” Train before the rebuild of the two subject maintenance of way pieces of equipment consisted of a Varney box car, kit number 2465K, acquired in 1987, into which I installed a slider, and a locomotive to push it. The Varney box car was lettered with Private Name Decals, the number changed from 61550 to X-155 and weathered with Bradgon weathering powders. A Varney box car was chosen due to the heavy molded center sill.

Original Varney Slider Box Car

After running the Varnery box car until 2009 with only a locomotive behind it and not having another car behind the locomotive, MILW HH660 number 1600 assigned in 2010, to back into sidings, a caboose, M&N 05, with slider was added in 2014.

M&N Caboose 05

Caboose M&N 05, a Walthers Silver Streak, kit 929-121, was gifted by a friend in 2009; however, not put into service. The original wood caboose received painted red with no lettering was finally reworked in 2014, including the following work:

- Roof, camera lens cleaning tissue

- Smoke "T" Jack, Walthers metal

- Smoke Jack guy wires, Ngineering N2104-10, .04 diameter stainless steel wire

- Ladders made with brass ladder stock (manufacturer unknown)

- Marker lamps, Walthers Kit 933-815

- Handrails, Detail Associates #2506 .019 diameter brass wire

- Uncoupling levers, Detail Associates #2504 .012 diameter brass wire

- Uncoupling lever brackets, Detail Associates #2206 eye bolts.

- Precision Scale chain #48472, 32 links per inch

- Underbody Center sill fabricated from large strip wood

- Painted, PollyScale: Caboose Red #F414128, Grimy Black #F410013

- Lettering, Woodland Scenics RR Roman White 1/8" Dry Transfer lettering

- Andrew Trucks, Accurail #0116 with Intermountain 33" metal wheels

A good choice, as later research revealed a caboose was common on a weed sprayer train.

"Cleaner" Train with Caboose 05 added.

Not being able to find a diagram showing John Allen’s slider plan showing dimensions I designed my own. My first slider pads were made with 1/8 inch Masonite cut to a 1 x 1/4 inch length by 1 x 1/8 inch width with bevels sanded on two sides opposite each other. Nails, No. 8, 1/8 inch in diameter were cut to a 1 inch length and attached with epoxy to the Masonite pad spaced 5/8 inches apart. After having a nail come off while in use I changed to the current design. Two Masonite pads cut to size as before, one with holes made deep enough for the epoxied nail heads to sit in and the other with holes drilled to slide over the two nails to glue the second pad to the first pad. And, the nail ends were colored red for B end of car and blue for A end when inserted into a car. The slider for caboose had to be shorten to a 7/8 inch length to fit between the trucks.

My slider design.

Back view of my slider design.

M&N Box Car X-155 with slider,
Note heavy molded center sill.

M&N Caboose 05 with slider

The “Cleaner” Train was run with this consist before ops sessions for many years until 2023.

Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company
"Cleaner" Train in Randolph, Minn.

In 2023 an article, "Track Dirt Science", by Paul Welsh in the April issue of the National Model Railroad Association Magazine (NMRA) had a photo and description of the author’s Masonite pad track cleaning car built using a gondola with a masonite slider pad and enabling use of alternate cleaning pad types. My M&N “Cleaner” Train had to have one.

Alternate cleaning pad types shown by Paul Welsh.

Within days after seeing the photos of the gondola with larger slider pad without any nails for mounting was built. I used a Great Northern general service gondola (unknown manufacturer) acquired in 1992 that was now in the junk drawer to build the new cleaning car. A hole, two inches in length and width of floor was cut in the floor in the middle of the gondola. Sheet styrene .032 thick was used to build a box to insert into the hole cut in the gondola.

Gondola with hole cut for slider and slider.

Coming out of the junk drawer Great Northern general service gondola, numbered 71082, underbody had a few other items that needed attention as follows:

Bolster center plate had Evergreen #224 1/8 inch styrene tube inserted in 1/8 drilled hole to mount trucks. Styrene tube tapped to accept 2-56 screws.
MEK Goop used to fill damaged areas around 1/8 styrene tube inserted
Kadee coupler boxes with Kadee #148 coupler installed
Accurail cast ARA steel with spring plank trucks with Intermountain 33 inch metal wheels installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 1/4 screws

Styrene box for slider and other items and
other items needing attention.

On the gondola inside, three pieces of sheet lead were cut to fit on each end of the new well (box) and one to cover the Masonite slider made to fit into the gondola well to get the car weight to 3.8 ounces. Spraying of the interior and underbody with Testors black using a rattle can followed.

Underbody painted black with rattle can.

Great Northern gondola 71082 ready for service was inserted into the “Cleaner” Train.

M&N "Cleaner" Train with M&N 71082
with slider added at Bass Lake Jct., Minn.

Now each time I ran the “Cleaner” Train prior to an ops session I would tell myself I needed to add a load to the gondola. And, I continued to remind myself a rework of the Varney box car into something other than a box car leading the “Cleaner’ Train was needed. No good ideas until the seeing Luke Lemmens Weed Sprayer in the 2025 July issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Of course, that Varney boxcar M&N X-155 could become a weed sprayer. A quick search of the internet to find a few photos to get ideas of changes that could be made to turn M&N X-155 into a weed sprayer.

One of several Cleaner Train photos to gather ideas.
Internet Photo

Quickly Grandt Line windows, #5081 52 inch x 32 inch, four pane door, #5088, sill step below door, A-Line #29000, a door grab iron, Tichy #1101, .010 phosphor bronze wire, and a kit sprue for sprayer were installed on box car M&N X-155. Other additions as A-line sill steps, #29000, and replacing molded on grab irons with wire ones, Detail Associates .012 diameter brass wire #2504, had been done in 2004 to improve M&N X-155.

M&N X-155 with windows, door and front sprayer.

Now weed sprayer M&N X-155 needed additional upgrading to improve its appearance. Therefore, the following upgrades were made. On the roof a Details West Blat Air Horn, AH173, and lateral running board brackets, made from strip brass, to which grab irons were added later. On the sides, the ladders had molded ladder rungs carved off. Wire ladder rungs, Tichy #1101, .010 phosphor bronze wire, were installed. Weed sprayer pipes, kit sprues, were installed.

Roof upgrade details and ladder rungs installed.

Upgrade of the B end was also done with new parts installed as follows:

Running board ends thinned in 2004 and
Running board brackets, Evergreen #8102, 1 x2 strip styrene installed
Brake wheel, Intermountain, replaced in 2004
Additional work in 2025
Brake shaft step, Tichy #3013 AB brake set
Brake housing chain, Tichy #3013 AB brake set
Retainer valve, Tichy #3010 AB brake set
Retainer line, Tichy #1100, .008 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW)
Uncoupling levers, bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
Uncoupling lever brackets, eye bolts bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW

M&N X-155 B end details installed.

Upgrade of the A end was also done with new parts installed as follows:

Headlight dual light resin cast in M&N Shop cut in half for single light
Headlight lens, MV lens
Windows, Grandt Line #5081, 52 inch x 32 inch
Window glazing, clear greeting card box cover material
Ladder rungs, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW installed later
Uncoupling levers, bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
Uncoupling lever brackets, eye bolts bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW

M&N X-155 A end details installed.

With the weed sprayer upgrade considered to be complete, all added items were hand painted with a mix of Vallejo Surface Primer 50% and Vallejo/MicroMark Undercoat Light Gray #29013X2, 50%. When dry M&N Weed Sprayer X108 went into service in the “Cleaner” Train.

M&N X-155 front end view.

In my research regarding weed sprayers the following was found on the Great Northern Historical Society website, “the typical weed spray train consisted of spray car, three tank cars, an engine, and a caboose. The 36,000-gallon total capacity of these trains was good for 300 miles of main track, but probably about 250 miles was the practical limit. ……..While the company had two homemade 16,000 gallon weed spray tank cars (see Reference Sheet 317), and one assigned locomotive tender.”

Upon reading the above, I needed only one tank car as the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company is only 70 miles in length as was the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern I use for design, structure and operation ideas ( 250 miles divided by three). No tank I could use in inventory; however, I did have and old plastic locomotive tender in the junk drawer.

Another “light bulb on” idea. M&N gondola X108 needed a load. The locomotive tender would be cut up and made to into a tank to press fit into M&N X108 to cover the well for the slider pad. To create the tank the flat heavy metal under body was removed, the coal bunker cut off, and one side cut off to remove enough material to narrow the tender body to fit into M&N X108 gondola. After removal of material using a belt sander to narrow, the cut off side was reattached. The hole created by coal bunker removal was filled with a .040 patch cut from sheet styrene. MicroMark decal rivets were added. Evergreen #8206, 2 x 6 strip styrene and resin cast corner gussets in the M&N Shops were installed to create the top rail where the coal bunker was removed.

Tank for M&N X108

Next the Great Northern name, herald and from the car number 71082 , the “7” and “2”, were removed with Walther’s Solvaset and scratch brush. Decal removal areas were cleaned up with Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Molded on ladder rungs were carved off and replaced with ones bent from .010 brass wire (unknown manufacture). Ladder rungs and areas needing touch up paint were hand painted with Vallejo Model Color Black 70.950.

Great Northern Lettering removed.

When black paint was dry, the car was airbrushed with two coats of Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510, for a decal base. When dry, Champ Private Name Decals and herald printed on an Alps printer years back, were applied. Decals were soaked off in distilled water and applied to the car body where MicroScale Micro Set had been applied with a brush. After the decal was applied in the Micro Set and positioned the edges had MicroScale Micro Sol applied. Any excess solution was sucked away with the torn edge of a paper towel.

Champ Decals and Herald applied.

And once dry, again two coats of Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 were applied and let dry before uncoupling levers bent from Tichy Train Group (Tichy) # 1106, .0125 diameter PBW and eye bolts bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW, were installed. Eye bolts were installed in holes drilled in the bottom of the ends with #79 drill and bent out over the end.

Eye bolt for uncoupling lever installed on bottom
and bent forward.

Uncoupling lever installed.

After uncoupling levers were painted and dry, Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company M&N Shops homemade tank car M&N X108 was airbrushed with a coat of Mig Ammo Ultra-Matt Luck Varnish to apply Pan Pastel weathering. Pan Pastels used for weathering were Paynes Gray Extra Dark 840.1, Black 800.5 and Burnt Sienna Shade 740.3.

M&N X108 before weathering.

M&N X108 after weathering.

As M&N X-155 weed sprayer, M&N tank car X108 is back in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company “Cleaner” Train. Finally, now when running the “Cleaner” Train I should have no thoughts of rework.

Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company
"Cleaner" Train on Soonor Wye.

I want to say, “Thank You”, to Luke Lemmens for his weed sprayer article to inspire Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Weed Sprayer X-155. And, a “Thank You”, to George Toman for sending me the MicroMark decal rivets to complete M&N X108 tank quickly prior to my reordering them since I did not have any in stock.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog. You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so. Please sign your comment with your name if you choose to leave one. All comments are reviewed and approved before they appear. Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer

Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Modeling

Monday, September 1, 2025

M&N Weed Sprayer X-155 & M&N Tank X108