Soo Line Box Cars 137006 and 137190

From the to build cabinet two more plastic box cars kits selected for this build project.  This time two Branchline Trains, Blueprint Series, Soo Line Box Cars, kit 1430, numbered 137006 and 137190.  The two boxcars have the four-foot-high “SOO LINE” billboard lettering that was applied to these box cars which made them stand out.  Soo Line 137006 has the lettering as first applied high on the side of the car and close to the door.   Soo Line 137190 has the changed lettering moved down several inches and close to the ends of the car.  Why the change?   The moved “LINE” lettering would not have a portion of it covered when the box car door was open.  The Branchline  lettering was well done and the numbers correct for the Wisconsin Central (WC) built box cars in series WC 136800-137198.

Soo Line billboard lettering after and before change.
(Click or tap on this or any image to enlarge)

The prototype Soo Line Wisconsin Central box cars were built at Soo Line North du Lac Shops in 1951.  These steel cars had five panels on each side of the corrugated 5/6/6 doors, R+3/4 improved dreadnaught ends and a diagonal panel roof with metal running boards.  Draft gear on these box cars was Miner.  Trucks for these cars were ASF Ride Control A-3 or Barber S-2-B stabilized.

Photos of Soo Line 137100, 137190 and a photo showing a mix of new Soo Line and Wisconsin Central cars can be viewed in Soo Line Freight Equipment and Cabooses (Soo Line Historical and Technical Society, 2014).  A diagram for these cars can be viewed in Soo Line Freight Car Diagrams (Soo Line Historical and Technical Society, Inc., 2013).

Kansas City, MO
George Sisk photo, Jay Williams collection.

I began the build of Soo Line box cars 137006 and 137190 with the basic underbody work.   On the underbody the molded on brake components mounts were removed and the underframe was installed.  Coupler pocket pads and truck bolster king pins were drilled and tapped for 2-56 screws.   Kadee #262 coupler pockets with Kadee #148 couplers inserted were installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 3/16 inch screws.   Accurail trucks (to be changed later) with InterMountain 33 inch metal wheel sets inserted were installed with 2-56 x 1/4 inch Fastenal screws.   Brake components were installed as follows:

• air reservoir, kit
• AB valve, resin Sunshine Models
• Brake cylinder, unknown from spare parts
• Brake cylinder piston, Tichy Train Group phosphor bronze wire (PBW)
• Brake levers, kit cut from molded piping and brake rods
• Brake lever hangers, plastic grab irons
• Brake cylinder chain, kit chain attached to brake lever
• Bell crank, Tichy set #3013, added later to accept B end brake rod Clovis

Brake components installed.

One problem with Branchline Trains kit 1430 was  the ends provided in the kit were not correct for these cars. Therefore, build of Soo Line box cars 137006 and 137190 began by finding correct ends for the cars.   A correct end was found in Branchline Trains undecorated kit #1500.   Since I had only one undecorated kit I used the ends for a master to make a rubber mold.   I used the mold to make the end R+3/4 resin castings used on Soo Line 137006.   The ends from kit #1500 were used on Soo Line 137190.

Correct R+3/4 ends installed.

Once ends were installed on the the box cars with CA, the box cars were weighted to 3.8 ounces with kit weights attached with Permatex Clear Silicone Adhesive and stick on tire weights.

Car weights installed.

With the cars weighted, the diagonal panel roofs provided in the kit was installed.

Diagonal panel roofs installed.

Next the resin cast ends on Soo Line 137006 were airbrushed with a mix of Vallejo Model Color Calvary Brown, 70.892, 20 drops and Vallejo Satin Varnish, 70.522, 10 drops and 22 drops thinner.  Soo Line 137006 was set aside to dry.  Underbody work included hand painting some prior added parts as AB Valve with Calvary Brown, 70.892, adding piping and brake rods on Soo Line 137190 was done now and on Soo Line 137006 once paint was dry as follows:

• Piping from air reservoir to AB valve, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
• Pipe from back of brake cylinder to AB valve, Tichy # 1106, .0125 diameter PBW
• Train line, Tichy #1114, .020 diameter PBW
• Brake rods, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
• Brake rod clevises made with MEK Goop
• Dirt Collector, kit one enhanced with MEK Goop

Piping and brake rods installed.

Before starting on the B end work I installed Kadee Apex Red Oxide, #2000 running boards on the roof and kit ladders on the sides.

Running boards and ladders added.

Next B end work was done.  Work included adding the following details:

• brake step, cut from lateral Kadee running board
• Brake step brackets, kit
• Brake housing, Miner Moloco, HB-0301
• Brake rod chain, Precision Scale #48533, 34 links per inch
• Brake rod, Tichy #1102, .015 inch diameter PBW
• Brake rod Clevis, Tichy turnbuckle #8021
• Retainer valve, Precision Scale #31796
• Retainer line & brackets, Tichy #1100 .008 diameter PBW
• Brake wheel, Kadee Champion #2024
• Uncoupling lever brackets, Resin Car Works resin cast brackets
• Uncoupling levers, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW

B end parts installed.

Resin uncoupling lever bracket installed.

Resin uncoupling lever bracket installed.

Uncoupling levers installed.

Back to the sides where kit ladders had already been added.   On the sides Kadee bracket grab irons #2250, were installed in manufacturer holes enlarged with a #75 drill.  On the ends, the kit bracket grab iron was installed.   The handhold was cut off with a nipper and a wire handhold bent form Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW was installed (see photo above).  Install of A-Line #29002, sill steps followed.

Bracket grab irons and sill steps installed.

Finally, the 5/6/6 doors, kit, were added.   The doors had the molded on door handles removed and replaced with wire door handles made with Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW.   Placard boards provided in kit were also installed.

Doors with and placard boards installed.

One additional detail added to the sides was the route card box located by the lower bracket grab iron on the left end of the car.  Styrene from the bits box was used to make the route card boxes.

Route card boxes installed.

And, finally the end reporting marks and numbers were applied to the car ends.  Rather than airbrush only the ends, the entire car was airbrushed with Vallejo Satin Varnish, 70.522, to provide a decal base.  Decals purchased from the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society were used for the reporting marks.  End car number decals were made by applying Clover House Railroad Condensed Bold-White Dry Transfer lettering, 9600-11, to decal paper and coated with Microscale Liquid Decal Film.

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.  Again when dry, car body sprayed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish #70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling.  Again when dry, the car body was sprayed with Mig-Ammo Ultra-Matt Lucky Varnish, AMIG 2054,  to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering when applied.

End reporting marks and numbers applied.

One more step before putting Soo Line Box Cars 137006 and 137190 in service was to weather the cars with light brown and black eye shadow makeup.  An eye shadow light brown color was applied over entire car body with a makeup brush.  And, an eye shadow  black was used on the roof and lightly over safety appliances on car body.

Weathering brushes and colors.

Cars weathered.

Cars weathered.

Soo Line Box Cars 137006 and 137190 were ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”  A car card was made for each, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

Soo Line cars on Dawkins siding used to hold 
Soo Line cars from Soo Line Interchange.

Soo Line cars on Dawkins siding.

Soo Line cars on Dawkins siding.

Soo Line cars on Dawkins siding.

After I  published this post on the Soo Line Box Cars here I was made aware that the end ladders in the kit should have been reduced to seven rung.   An error on my part that I did correct after reviewing prototype photos.

End kit ladders reduced to seven rungs.

 

I want to say, “Thank You” to Ken Soroos  for providing prototype photo and permission to use photo of Soo Line Box Car 137190 (see above) from his book Soo Line Freight Equipment and Cabooses for building my Soo Line Box Cars cars.  

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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Shippers Car Line Tank Cars 15345, 15348 &15362

Since I had just finished the build of two CB&Q Box Cars I thought I would choose an easy build or builds for the next project.   In the to build cabinet were three Red Caboose 10,000 gallon welded tank car kits , ICC type 103W  (w = welded), kit number RC-3040-1.  The Red Caboose kits were Data only kits; that is they were manufacture painted with tank data applied in white lettering.  All I would have to do is assemble the kits and add the Shippers Car Line Corp. name , reporting marks and number making for, in my opinion, easy builds.  And, two of the kits had been in the cabinet since 1996 and the third since 2002 so definitely time to get the tank cars built and into service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company.

Before starting assembly of the kits, research had been done to choose numbers to finish lettering on the kits.  The car kit data lettering told me these tank cars were built by American Car & Foundry Company (AC&F Co.) 

Red Caboose Data
(click on this or any image to enlarge)

Lettering shows Built by AC&F Co.

Upon looking at AC&F Company photos of black tank cars with white data lettering in sources I had, I felt the Shippers Car Line Corp. road name was my best choice.  A National Model Railroad Association reproduction of the January 1953 Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER) showed these cars had an American Railroad Association, or ARA, classification of TM.   After checking numerous class TM series and associated notes of each series in the 1953 ORER, I found series 15322 to 15362 were type ICC-103W.  A check of car numbers in this series in the United States, Canadian And Mexican Railroads,  Freight Tariff 300-H, Showing Capacities of Tank Cars effective September 30,1955 (W.J. Preterm, Agent) showed these cars had a 10,000 plus shell capacity and dome capacity of  444 gallons.

A search for a prototype photo of 10,000 gallon tank car, type ICC-103W provided no photo.   All photos I found were of 8,000 gallon tank cars.  The best photos I was able to find of type ICC-103W tank cars were of SHPX 22540 and 22578, both 8,000 gallons, in Tank Cars American Car & Foundry Company, 1865 to 1955 (Edward S. Kaminski, 2003,  Published by Signature Press).  These two cars built in 1952 have AB brakes mounted as molded on the frame in the Red Caboose kits.  In addition to photos, this book has tank cars diagrams showing Details of Standard AC&F Co. Steel Tank Car Design.

Red Caboose molded underframe with AB brakes.

A photo of SHPX 7673, ICC-103W, also a 8,000 gallon tank appears in the Car Builders’ Cyclopedia 1949-1951 (Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 1949).   This car built in the late forties has the AB brakes mounted as common in prior years built tank cars.

Photo from 1949-1951 Car Builders' Cyclopedia

My build of these tank cars, built per instructions with very few changes, began with coupler boxes and truck kingpins on frame drilled and tapped for 2-56 screws.  Coupler boxes with Kadee #148 couplers inserted were installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 3/16 inch screws.   Trucks provided in the kit with InterMountain 33 inch metal wheels inserted were installed with Athearn #99006, 2-56 x 1/2 inch screws.  Trucks were to have InterMountain 33” semi-scale .088 metal wheels sets installed later.

Couplers and trucks installed.

Weighting the tank cars to 3.8 ounces with different ways was next.  On the first tank car I used sheet lead strips glued inside of bottom tank section and stick on tire weights mounted above.  After some thought a better method was used for the second tank car.  I cut twelve strips of .020 sheet lead strips cut 3 1/2 x 1/2 inches that were glued inside the bottom tank section on the second car.  And for the third tank car still a better method.  Why cut twelve strips of sheet lead when six of .040 sheet lead cut to 3 1/2 x 1/2 inches would do.  All sheet lead strips were glued inside of the tank bottom section with Permatex Clear Silicone Adhesive.  And, the two tank cars with sheet lead strips had mounts cut from kit sprues (gate) to keep them vertical.

Three methods used to weight tank cars to 3.8 ounces.

Once the tank cars had weight inserted the tank halves were glued together and glued to the frame using MEK for the adhesive.  The tank cars were ready for install of tank car detail parts.

Car ready for install of tank car detail parts.

Now, the dome safety valves, manhole cover, dome platforms, tank handrail and tank bottom outlet, all kit parts, were installed.

Initial detail parts

Before installing the handrail I decided it would be best to install the the kit tank band ends with turnbuckles.  On the underside of the tank frame the tank outlet valve was installed.  Install of tank band ends with turnbuckles provided in the kit followed.  On the underside of the frame holes for the tank band ends (extensions) were drilled in the bolsters near the running board with holes coming out on the bolster top cover on the bolster web.

Holes drilled in bolster ends near running board.

Tank Car band ends with turnbuckle installed.

Next the kit handrail, .018” diameter, was installed.   The better size handrail would have a .019” diameter which I have installed on past upgraded tank cars using Detail Associated .019” diameter brass wire.  The molded on handrail brackets (stanchions) are the old open style.   An upgrade which I chose not to do could be done by cutting off the molded on handrail brackets and installing Precision Scale or other manufacturer handrail stanchions.  

Handrail installed.

However, later in the build the ends of the handrail brackets were enclosed around the inserted handrail using MEK Goop.

Handrail brackets closed with MEK Goop.

Install of additional kit parts were, ladders, sill steps, and brake wheel.  The kit plastic brake shaft was replaced with a .015” diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW) one, cut from Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #1102, .015” diameter PBW.  The top of the brake wheel was positioned six feet above the track rail as shown above in tank car diagrams in book above.  

Ladders, sill steps and brake wheel to be installed.

Install of wire grab irons bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW, followed.  When grab irons install was finished the uncoupling levers bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 PBW and eye bolt brackets bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW were installed.

Wire grab irons and uncoupling levers installed.

Wire grab irons and uncoupling levers installed.

Brake shaft and uncoupling levers.

The tank cars were ready for the paint shop.

Two of the three tank cars ready for paint.

All detail parts added were hand painted Vallejo Model Color Black 70.950.   Once dry tank cars were airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510, to provide a gloss decal base.

After drying overnight, decals were applied.  Protocraft Decal sets, SHPX-1 (1:87),  were used to apply the following:  road name, reporting marks, stripes and car numbers.

Protocraft Decals used for lettering.

The car numbers used on the tank cars had to be pieced together from extra numbers available on a decal set.   Photos of SHPX tank cars  in books mentioned above were used as a guide to apply decals.

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.  Again when dry, car body sprayed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling.  Again when dry, the car body was sprayed with Model Master Acryl, #4636, flat to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering when applied.

Decals applied.

One more step before putting tank cars 15345, 15348 and 13562 into service was to weather the cars with Pan Pastels.  Pan Pastels used were Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1 applied over the entire car body and frame with a makeup brush and Burnt Sienna Shade 740.3 applied to tank bands and trucks with a micro applicator. 

Tank Cars weathered with Pan Pastels.

Tank Cars weathered with Pan Pastels.

Shippers Car Line tanks cars 15345, 15348 and 13562 were ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”  A car card was made for each tank car, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company.  However,  the car card was not the final step for putting the Shippers Car Line Tank Cars in service.   The final step for Tank Cars is to change the wheel sets to InterMountain 33 inch semi-scale .088 wheel set.   The wheel sets were changed after photos of tank cars on railroad Chicago Great Western (CGW) were taken.

InterMountain semi-scale wheel sets installed.

Tank cars sitting on Chicago Great Western
Interchange ready for service.

Tank cars sitting on Chicago Great Western
Interchange ready for service.

Tank cars sitting on Chicago Great Western
Interchange ready for service.

Tank cars sitting on Chicago Great Western
Interchange ready for service.

Tank cars sitting on Chicago Great Western
Interchange ready for service.

I want to say, “Thank You” to John Hile, for making me aware of the Protocraft Shippers’ Car Line decal set.  John responded to my post on RealSTMFC asking who had Shippers’ Car Line Corp. decals available.

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.  Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer

.