Change a Freight Car Number

At a new hobby shop, Big John’s, I found a Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&St L) Kadee hopper numbered 70333 with a new 1956 build date.  Since my Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company is set in late spring 1955 I should have passed on this car.  However, my memory, if correct, told me the M&St L received a batch of these hoppers prior to 1956.  And, since the car’s price was marked at half of its original price I purchased the car thinking I could change the build date and number if I found information to prove my memory was correct. 

Kadee  M&St L Hopper 70333
(Click on this or any image to enlarge)

Not having data necessary to confirm the M&St L had obtained a batch of these hoppers prior to 1956, I contacted Doug Harding asking if he had information regarding these hoppers.   Doug provided the following information compiled by Gene Green regarding these hoppers.  Of course, I was pleased to find my memory was correct.  A batch of these hoppers, series 70201 to 70279, came to the M&St L in 1955.

Doug Harding email

In addition to this email, Doug provided a car diagram, a photo of the subject car and paint information.  Paint information provided was the M&St L changed the hopper color from black to grey beginning with the 1955 hoppers.

M&St L 70333       Doug Harding Collection

Car Diagram provided by Doug Harding

When you compare the Kadee hopper 70333 to the prototype photo you can see Kadee produced an excellent hopper car.  All I had to do to add the M&St L hopper numbered 70333 to my freight car fleet was to change the number to 70233 and build dates to 1955.

Kadee RTR M&St L Hopper 70333

Now knowing the number series 70201 to 70279 was correct for 1955, I chose to change the Kadee hopper number 70333 to 70233.   In the past, I have been asked how I change car numbers.   Since I was changing this hopper number,  I am sharing my method of changing a car number with you here.

Before I changed the car number I changed the build date by using a sharp pointed dental tool to scratch parts of the number six (6) to look like a five (5).  After the six was changed the top of the now five had to be increased in thickness.  I used a Micron 01 pen to accomplish the task.  The change was made to the “New” date (photo below) and later the build date under dimensional data on the right side of the car.

Tools for changing build date.

M&St L 70333 with New date changed.

Now to change the car number, the “three” was removed from the car number on the sides and ends.  The car number was removed with a scratch brush with a nylon brush.  A few very light passes of the scratch brush over the “three” removed it.

Car number removed with scratch brush.

After the “three” was removed I used a small tip cotton makeup swab dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol to clean off any remaining residue.

Number "two" (2) removed from numbers.

Alcohol used to removed residue.

Next an old M&St L hopper decal set produced by Mark Vaughn under his Wabash Decals label was used to provide the “two” to replace the “three”.  Gary Roe and Rob Adams now own the Wabash Decal line.

Mark Vaughn Decal Set

A surgical scissors with straight tip (also have one with curved tip) purchased years ago from Champion Decal Company (no longer in business) was used to cut out the needed decal numbers.

New decal numbers cut out.

 

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. 

Decal setting solutions.

Any excess solution was sucked away with the torn edge of a paper towel.  When dry, car numbers were hand brushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish #70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling.  Again when dry, the car body was airbrushed with Model Master Acryl Flat Clear #34636, to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering if applied.

M&St L with new car number and build dates.

M&St L with new car number and build dates.

One more step before putting Minneapolis & St Louis hopper 70233 in service could be to weather the car with Pan Pastels or eye shadow makeup; however, since this was a new car fitting into my 1955 late spring time frame, no weathering necessary.

Even no weathering was required, I did paint the trucks and Kadee coupler glad hand Vallejo/MicroMark Model Air Tarnished Black #29022X2.

M&St L 70233 was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”  A car card was made for M&St L 70233 the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

M&St L Hopper 70233 spotted at Schwenke
Cement in Minneapolis, Minnesota

M&St L Hopper 70233 spotted at Schwenke
Cement in Minneapolis, Minnesota

M&St L Hopper 70233 spotted at Schwenke
Cement in Minneapolis, Minnesota

M&St L Hopper 70233 spotted at Schwenke
Cement in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The above described method of changing a number or other data on a freight car works best for me.  However, there are other methods to change numbers that I have tried including rubbing a cotton swab dipped in Walthers Solvaset over the number to be removed,  Walthers Solvaset applied to the number and using a toothpick rubbing gently to remove the number and soaking a piece of paper towel with Walthers Solvaset and setting it on the number for a period of time until number can be removed.   In addition to Walthers Solvaset other removal products have been suggested for number removal.  For me, none of these methods have provided fast consistent number removal as the method I have described above.

I want to say, “Thank You” to Doug Harding for providing M&St L hopper data, car diagram and car photo to assist with my build.  And, a “Thank You” to Gene Green for compiling the data regarding the Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&St L) hoppers.

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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Bits Box and Scrap

Many of my freight car builds, especially freight car upgrades  and freight car modifications (kitbashes), produce scrap that most modelers place in the trash.   Not the case on the my Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company workbench (desk).   On my workbench I have what I and others have named our “bits box.”   In other freight car builds and upgrades described on this blog I have mentioned using materials from the bits box.   I thought it was time to explain what the bits box is and how it can be used.   In addition to the bits box, on my workbench I have two small scrap containers.  And, under the workbench a larger scrap container, gifted by a friend.  Of course, the normal waste basket is also near.  Why do I have a bits box and scrap containers?  I will show you and explain why.

Workbench with Bits Box and Scrap Containers.
(Click or tap on this or any image to enlarge.)

Scrap container under workbench.

First I want to tell you about  my bits box.  A plastic food container with a collection of product bubble formed covers on product packing to let us see what we are purchasing.   The various bits box container sections are for different scrap created during a modeling project.

Bits Box on workbench.

As you can see in bits box photo, it has several stacked containers for various items:  on the left small styrene and next to it larger styrene,  on the right pieces of phosphor bronze, brass, and other short lengths of wire, in front on the right tiny plastic scrap, in the front on the left larger plastic scrap and in the bottom for other.   Cleanup during or after a modeling project produces scrap that ends up here in one of the containers rather than in the waste basket if I believe they may be of future value. 

Bits Box sections.

One example of using the scrap in the bits box is from my latest freight car build.   During the build of a drop bottom gondola I used several pieces of wire for the piping between brake components from the bits box wire container.  And, I used several of the bits box plastic scrap pieces to create two parts on the underbody upgrade details.  The parts were the mount for the pivot plate for the floating brake lever and for the dirt collector.

Drop bottom gondola with bits box parts.

On this gondola I could not use a Tichy Train Group (Tichy) dirt collector from AB brake set #3013 due to small spacing between parts.   I could install the pipe, Tichy #1106, .0125” diameter phosphor bronze wire from AB valve to the train line (green floral wire).  I could create the dirt collector by using small scrap styrene rod molded in black and red color, from the bits box’s glued to the installed wire.   And, that is what I did.

Top view of dirt collector and floating lever
plate (yellow).

Mount under floating lever pivot plate and
dirt collector (black and red styrene rods).

During a freight car build or cleanup after a freight car build is finished in preparation for the next build, parts that are not considered of value to be placed in the bit box will be brushed into one of the scrap containers.

Scrap containers (old film containers)
on workbench.

Scrap containers on desk.

Large scrap container (sold as ash tray).

Large top allows scrap from workbench 
to be easily brushed in.

Lots of space for scrap remaining.

Collecting scrap from the workbench may cause you to ask, “ Have you lost your mind?”   “No”, again  please let me explain.   The scrap collected when building our freight cars can be used to create scrap loads for the freight cars, specifically for gondolas.   A base, in my case a piece of foam core board painted with Vallejo Model Color black #70.950 or packing foam cut to fit into the car, onto which white glue has been spread is covered with the collected workbench scrap from one of the containers.

Scrap loads made with scrap collected
from freight car builds.

Scrap load spotted for unloading at
Leone Foundry, Eureka Center, Minn.

Scrap load spotted for unloading at
Leone Foundry, Eureka Center, Minn.

If you have not already done so, maybe now you too will establish a bits box for your workbench.  And, you may even begin collecting scrap from your workbench.   Even if you do not do either, you can begin to understand and appreciate the phrase, " Model railroaders save everything."

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

.