In my years of researching and building freight cars there have been cars for which the initial information I had and based the car on proved to be wrong. Such was the case for Illinois Central (IC) GS composite gondola 83886. I did obtain a side view photo of IC composite gondola 402998 which did have a Howe truss steel sideframe design rather than the Pratt truss steel sideframe design the kit truss sideframe had. After seeing the photo, it made me wonder if lettering the gondola for the IC was a mistake; however, the Detail Associates data sheet history told me cars of similar design were also found on the Illinois Central. Therefore, I did build and letter the Detail Associates kit for GS Composite Gondola as IC 83886. The build of GS composite IC 83886 gondola I wrote up in my blog post here last month.
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| IC Composite Gondola 83886 |
A friend reading my blog sent me a email that included the phrase, “ I do not mean to rain on your parade; however, the IC gondola.” Of course, I immediately knew that meant I had a problem with my “similar” gondola build. My friend made me aware of the IC website with a diagram of the IC composite gondola showing a Howe steel truss sideframe rather than the Pratt steel truss sideframe design. And, the number I had chosen using only information in an Original Railway Equipment Register (ORER) was for a GS gondola with Murphy ends rather than Dreadnaught ends.
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| Illinois Central Gondola Diagram showing Howe Truss Sideframe Design Illinois Central Website. |
I responded to my friend telling him he did not “rain on my parade,” rather he increased my freight car knowledge for which I thanked him. Yes, with knowledge came, the negative, a rework; however, more important the positive, a model of the prototype. Now what to do with my stand in or “foobie” IC composite gondola. Of course, I was not about to rebuild the steel truss sideframes. Rather the fix was to use the easy solution, change lettering on the IC gondola. At one point when deciding what to letter the gondolas I had previously built, I thought I would letter both for Union Pacific (UP) to have one with as built with wood sides and one with steel sides. A composite gondola built in 1943 with wood sides and one with steel sides that replaced the wood sides in 1951. Now this is what I would do except the wood side gondola would receive yellow letting applied after 1947. Why? My Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company is set in late Spring 1955.
A Pullman Standard 1943 Builders Photo of Union Pacific composite gondola 64142 with wood sides was included in the Detail Associates kit history.
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| UP Gondola 64142 photo found in Detail Associates kit data sheet history. |
Illinois Central composite gondola 83886 was removed from the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Northfield McGregor yard and moved to the M&N Shops, the work bench. Here the lettering was removed with scratch brush with nylon bristles and makeup cotton swab dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol or Walthers Solvaset.
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| Makeup swabs and isopropyl alcohol. |
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| Scratch Brushes and Walthers Sovaset |
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| Gondola lettering removed. |
With the lettering removed and the area cleaned with a makeup swab dipped in 91% alcohol, new Union Pacific decals could be applied. Champ Decal set HG-118 Union Pacific Gondola Complete set, yellow lettering, would be used to letter the gondola. I used this same set to letter my previously built UP gondola numbered 64190.
Choosing to use this Champ Decal set created a new problem. I did not have another set of this Champ Decal set to letter the gondola. Hoping to purchase a set or two, I contacted William Adam, Pearland, Texas, who sells decal sets of various manufactures including Champ still in his inventory. I was informed by William that he had several sets of the UP Champ Decals set I needed. I purchased three sets.
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| Champ Decal Set used to letter UP 64155. |
While waiting for the Champ Decals to arrive I hand painted the areas where lettering was removed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 to provide a gloss base for decals. After Champ Decals sets arrived I reviewed a set to choose a number for the gondola. I chose to use number 64155 in series 64000 to 64999 for this UP composite gondola. The number 64155 was created using the extra numbers in the decal set.
Decals were cut out with straight tip surgical scissors that was purchased directly from Champ Decals when in business. A curved tip is also available for curved surfaces.
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| Surgical scissors with straight and curved tips. |
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.
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| Decals applied. |
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When dry, the new decals were hand brushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling. Again when dry, the new decals were hand brushed with Mig Ammo Ultra-Matt Lucky Varnish, AMIG 2054, to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering when applied.
Onto the weathering before putting composite gondola UP 64155 in service. To weather the UP 64155 GS gondola, Artmatic eye shadow and Pan Pastels were used. An Artmatic eye shadow color like a Light Box Car Brown was applied over new decal areas on the car body. Pan Pastels Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1 was used over the same areas on car body as well to match prior weathering.
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| Weathering materials and application brushes. |
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| Weathered composite gondola UP 64155. |
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| Weathered composite gondola UP 64155. |
Union Pacific 64155 GS gondola was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.” A car card was made for UP 64155 to to join UP 64190 in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.
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| UP composite gondolas on CGW Interchange in Little Chicago, Minnesota |
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| UP composite gondolas on CGW Interchange in Little Chicago, Minnesota |
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I want to say, “Thank You” to my friend Robert Oom for making me aware that my composite gondola for the Illinois Central was a stand in due to the truss sideframe design.
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
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