Clinchfield Railroad Box Car 5524

I chose two box car kits, a CB&T Shops and an Innovative Model Works (IMWX) to build two Clinchfield box cars to use two Campbell Road, Inc. dry transfer lettering sets for the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR) I had in the decal and dry transfer drawer.  The decals came from Jim Perske, a great friend,  prior to his death sixteen years ago.  I built Clinchfield Railroad Box Car I numbered 5470 using the CB&T Shops kit.  The same research used to build CRR 5470 would be used to build the second Clinchfield box car that after a review of the Campbell Road dry transfers would be numbered 5524.  Unlike the CB&T Shops car which produced a CRR box car with a 10 foot 3 inch inside height (IH) car the IMWX car started with the correct 10 foot inside height.

Campbell Road Dry Transfer Set
(Click on this or any image to enlarge)

Ed Hawkins article titled “10’-0” IH Postwar 40-6” A.A.R. Box cars that appeared in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia 8 (RP CYC Publishing Company, 2003) provides excellent coverage of these follow-on to the 1937 A.A.R. Box Cars.  The prototype for the Clinchfield cars was an all steel 50 ton box car built by the Mt. Vernon Car Manufacturing Company in 1947 using the revised 1937 A.A.R. Design with a 10-foot inside height (IH).   The Clinchfield Railroad assigned these cars to number series 5250 - 5549 and class FB6.  The cars had the following features: ten panel riveted sides, 3/4 improved Dreadnaught ends (IDE) with “rolling pin” shaped corrugations with no top narrow stiffener, a Murphy rectangular panel roof, 6 foot Youngstown doors, Universal hand brakes, Apex Tri-Lok running boards and eight rung ladders.  The cars rode on double-truss spring-plankless trucks.

The Clinchfield Railroad box car features can be found in a chart at the end of the above article.   The chart/table titled “Postwar AAR Box Car Prototypes” can also be found and downloaded on the Steam Era Freight Cars website.  A side view photo of CRR box car 5446 can be found among  the photos in the article.  A photo of CRR box car 5531, a 3/4 photo showing B end, can be viewed in The Postwar Freight Car Fleet (National Model Railroad Association, Inc., 2006).

Clinchfield Railroad Box Car 5446
Colonel Chet McCold photo from Bob's Photo
Lester Breuer Collection

To help with the build I also received a car diagram, a scan of the  5250 - 5549 car series page from the Clinchfield  Diagrams of Freight Car Trains , Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railway.

Clicnchfield & Ohio Railway Car Diagram
for car series 525-5549

Having the research data needed for the build and the build of CRR 5470 done, the build of Clichfield Railroad Box Car 5524 began.  The build started with the underbody.  Basic steps to complete work on the underbody and to install it into the car body were as follows:

• drill and tap coupler pads and bolster center plates for 2-56 screws
• Kadee #148 whisker couplers inserted into Kadee #262 coupler pockets
• Kadee #262 coupler pockets installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 3/16” screws
• InteMountain 33” metal wheel sets installed in kit truck
• Trucks installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 1/4”  screws
• Holes on underframe filled with MEK Goop (plastic melted in MEK)
• Brake cylinder, kit, with resin bracket from parts box
• Air reservoir, kit
• AB valve, resin from parts box on styrene bracket
• Stick on tire weights added to inner floor to weight car to 3.8 ounces

I did no further work on the underbody after installing it in the car body at this time.  The piping and rods and additional details would be done later.

Brake components installed on underbody.

Onto the most difficult part of the build.  The removal of the incorrect 4/5 banana dreadnaught ends and replacing them with correct 3/4 improved dreadnaught ends (IDE).   The molded on incorrect ends were removed with a fine tooth saw blade (razor blade shape)  installed on a UMM-USA saw.  

UMM-USA saw and miter box.

Resin 3/4 improved dreadnaught ends were installed on the ends with CA.  The ends were cast in my M&N Shops using an InterMountain end.

Resin 3/4 improved dreadnaught ends installed.

Resin 3/4 improved dreadnaught ends installed.

Now ladders were installed on the sides and ends.  I like to have the ladders installed to enable me to use them along with prototype photos if available to guide install of remaining detail parts, especially on the “B” end. 

Since I no longer had any eight rung plastic ladders in stock, I used Yarmouth Model Works 8 rung ladder stiles and Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #1101 .010 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW) cut and bent for rungs to assemble and install ladders.  The stile holes had to be enlarged with a #79 drill to accept the .010 diameter PBW rungs.  The top, one middle and bottom rung install were not installed until the ladder was glued to the car side or end with installed styrene ladder mounts.   Ladders mounts were cut from Evergreen .020 x .030 strip styrene.   Once the ladders were installed on the car, the holes in the ladders stiles without the rungs were used as a drilling guide to drill holes into the car body to allow the ladder rung when installed to enter into the car body to provide a very durable mounted ladder.  On the top end of the ladders,  sections were cut out of the stile sides before mounting to enable the remaining top portion of the stile to be bent into a curved shape as on the prototype. 

Etched brass ladders installed.

Etched brass ladders installed.

With ladders installed, the work on the B end installing parts was done as follows:

• brake step, Apex Plano Model Products #131-12
• Brake step brackets, .005 x .025 flat strip brass cut, bent to shape
• Brake step bracket fasteners, tiny drops of MEK Goop
• Brake housing, kit (hole enlarged with #56 drill for Kadee brake wheel)
• Bell crank, Tichy Train Group (Tichy), AB brake set #3013
• Chain, brake housing to brake rod, Precision Scale #48553,  34 links per inch
• Brake rod, Tichy #1102, .015 phosphor bronze wire (PBW)
• Brake rod clevis, to attach brake rod to bell crank, Tichy turnbuckle #8021

B end work started.

Leaving the B end I went to the roof where I installed Kadee #2000, Apex, red oxide running boards using Zap Formula 560 Canopy Glue to attach them.  Prior to install the molded on install pins on the running board brackets were cut off with a PBL gate nipper.

Running boards installed.

Back to finish the B end work.  I continued installing B end details as follows:

• Retainer valve, extra resin kit part from parts box
• Retainer line and brackets, Tichy #1100, .008 PBW
• Universal brake wheel, Kadee #2033
• Poling pockets as the prototype were made with PBW
• Poling pockets, bent .010 diameter PBW  bent and glued on end sill tabs
• Poling pockets wire bent with Xuron wire bending pliers
• Placard boards, kit

The grab irons on the B end were of two types.  The sill grab irons were bent from Tichy #1101 .010 PBW and installed.  The kit bracket grab iron was installed, the handhold cut off with a PBL gate nipper and replaced with one sized and cut from Tichy #1101 .010 PBW. 

Additional B end details installed.

I wanted to finish the grab irons install so on the sides Kadee #2250, bracket grab irons were installed.  I continued working on the sides.  The kit doors were installed.  Additional details added on the sides were installed and hand painted Vallejo Model Color Cavalry Brown 70.982 as follows:

• A-Line #29002, style C sill steps
• Molded on door handles carved off
• Door handles, bent using Tichy #1101 .010 diameter PBW
• Placard boards, kit

Side details installed.

Back to the ends to install the uncoupling levers.  Prior to the install of the uncoupling levers, etched uncoupling lever brackets, Yarmouth Model Works, YMW #507 were installed on which the holes had been enlarged with a #79 drill.  If you attempt to enlarge the hole after install it is very easy to break off the section with the hole on the etched bracket.  And, uncoupling levers, bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW were installed.

Uncoupling levers installed.

Uncoupling levers installed.

Uncoupling levers installed.

With the car body finished, the only major work left to do before moving the car to the paint shop was the underbody work.   Details added to the underbody were as follows:

• brake cylinder lever, cut from Evergreen #8108, 1 x 8 strip styrene
• Floating brake lever, cut form Evergreen #8106 1 x 6 strip styrene
• Brake lever hangers, plastic grab irons
• Floating lever slack adjuster plate, cast resin
• Piping from air reservoir to AB valve, Tichy # 1101, .010 diameter PBW
• Pipe brake cylinder to AB valve, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
• Brake rods, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
• Brake rod clevises, Tichy turnbuckles, #8021
• Chain, A-Line black 40 links per inch
• Train line, Tichy #1114, .020 diameter PBW
• Dirt collector, Tichy set #3013
• Dirt collector tee on train line, MEK Goop

Underbody details installed.

The build of Clichfield Railroad box car 5524 was finished enabling move to the paint shop.

Clinchfield Railroad Box Car 5524 ready
for paint shop.

In the paint shop the car body and underbody were cleaned with makeup cotton swabs dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol, mounted on paint stand for painting with trucks removed, couplers taped with blue painters tape and underbody airbrushed Vallejo/MicroMark Tarnished Black X29022X2.

Paint stand to paint underbody.

Airbrushed underbody.

When the underbody was dry, trucks were reinstalled and the car was mounted another paint stand I made allowing model to have mounted trucks and couplers.  And, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo/MicroMark Underoat Light Gray X29013X2 for a primer coat.

Car body airbrushed Undercoat Light Gray.

Car body airbrushed Undercoat Light Gray.

Once the car body with primer coat was dry, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Model Color Cavalry Brown 70.982.

Car body airbrushed.

Car body airbrushed.

Again when dry the car was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Medium 70.470 to provide a gloss base for decals.  After drying overnight, decals were applied.  The decals were made by applying the Clinchfield Campbell Road Inc. Dry Transfer lettering, set WT-11, to decal paper and coating the lettering with Microscale Liquid Decal Film.  In order to get the car number, build date, and class,  I had to piece data in the dry transfer set together to make the decals needed.  In addition to the made decals, decals used were as follows: Champ Decals 1 inch stripes, set No. S-52 was used for the stripes, Champ Decals, set HD-2 240020 for dimensional data and Smokebox Graphics, set DF0587, pieced together for reweigh date.  I used above photo of CRR box car 5446 above for decal location.

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.

CRR 5524 decals applied.

CRR 5524 decals applied.

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.

CRR 5524 with flat finish ready for weathering.

One more step before putting Clichfield box car 5524  in service was to weather the car with Artmatic eye shadow and Pan Pastels.  An Artmatic eye shadow color like a Light Box Car Brown was applied over entire car body.  Pan Pastels Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1  was used on the roof and lightly over safety appliances on car body.

CRR 5524 weathered.

CRR 5524 weathered.

Clinchfield Railroad box car 5524 was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”  A car card was made for CRR 5524, to put the a car in service with CRR 5470 on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

CRR 5524 was built having the correct 10 foot inside height whereas CRR 5470 is has an incorrect inside height of 10 foot 3 inches.  An inside height does make a difference.

 

CRR 5534 and CRR 5470 sitting in
Minneapolis, Minn. Chestnut Yard

Clinchfield Railroad box car 5524 was moved from Chestnut Street Yard to IB Fine Woolen for unloading.

CRR 5524 spotted at IB Fine Woolen.

CRR 5524 spotted at IB Fine Woolen.

CRR 5524 spotted at IB Fine Woolen.

CRR 5524 spotted at IB Fine Woolen.

I want to say, “Thank You” to Ed Hawkins  for providing photos and suggestions for building these Clinchfield Railroad cars.  A “Thank You” to Allen Stanley for providing car diagram for the CRR 5250 - 5549 box car series.  A “Thank You “ to Ben Hom for providing a PDF of the Ed Hawkins table containing this car type on the Steam Era Freight Cars website.  A “Thank You” to George Toman for providing InterMountain IDEs as a master for casting resin car ends. 

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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St. Louis-San Francisco Composite Gondola 85374

 While working on two Walthers plastic 40 foot USRA composite 50 Ton gondola kits, undecorated kit 933-6859, for service on my Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, I continued my search for a prototype photo of one of the road names Walthers  made available other than the undecorated kit.  One of the road names was the St. Louis-San Francisco, kit 933-6856.  Eureka!  I did find a photo of St. Louis-San Francisco composite gondola 85230, series 85000-85999, assigned to class GB.  SL-SF 85230, a USRA 50 Ton composite design, had a steel underframe, fixed ends, a solid wood floor, Miner brake hardware, Carmer uncoupling levers and rode on Andrews trucks.

SL-SP composite gondola 85203.  An internet photo.
(click or tap on this or any image to enlarge)

Shortly after my photo find, a post on RealSTMFC groups.io offering freight cars for sale from the Jim Hayes estate appeared.  Over the years having exchanged emails with Jim I asked for a cars available list.  I looked at the  list and to my surprise a Walthers St. Louis-San Francisco composite gondola built by Jim was on the list.  I purchased the kit that soon arrived.

Upon opening the Jim Hayes built composite gondola , numbered 50374, I found it had the correct sides; however, the braced ends were not correct for this car.  Therefore, I removed the ends.

Assembled SL-SF gondola with ends removed.

I had a correct corrugated end on hand from my previous build of the undecorated kit so I made a rubber mold and cast a set of correct ends in my M&N Shops.

Master and casting made from master.

Once the end castings were ready I used a single edge razor blade (SERB) to remove the ends from the built car and installed the ends I had cast.  Jim had used the kit wire drop grab irons (large wire size) which I removed and replaced with wire straight and drop grab irons, Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #3015, 18” drop type, on the sides and for ladder rungs.   I bent the straight grab irons from Tichy  #1106, .0125” phosphor bronze wire (PBW).

Grab irons installed.

And, on the sides I removed the molded on sill steps and replaced them with A-Line #29000, style A, sill steps.  

Sill steps installed.

On the ends, ladder stiles were needed for the grab iron rungs.  I cut the stiles from a ladder from Tichy ladder set, #3065.

Tichy ladder stiles with wire rungs installed.

After finishing the ladders, I continued adding detail parts on the “B” end.  Detail parts installed on the “B” were as follows:

• Brake step cast in M&N Shops ( a Tichy set #3013 could be used)
• Brake step brackets from styrene in bits box 
• Brake shaft step A-Line #29000
• Brake shaft, Tichy #1106, .0125” PBW
• Minor brake handle, Tichy, set #3013
• Retainer valve cast in M&N Shops ( colored with silver Sharpie)
• Retainer line, Tichy # 1100, .008” diameter PBW
• Fasteners were made with MEK Goop (plastic melted in MEK)
• Archer #AR88026 rivets, 5/8” diameter decals (no photo taken after application)

"B" end details installed.

"B" end details installed.

With the “B” end work done, I moved on to the underbody.  I thought the look of the underbody could be improved so I removed trucks and underframe.  I installed two Evergreen #154, .060 X .080” strip styrene strips on each side of the weight to give the underbody a better look.  I installed the Athearn brake components I had cut off and pre-drilled for piping in their proper location using various brackets to mount them on.  For mounting brackets I used styrene from the bits box for the AB valve, cut off plastic sill steps from this car for the air reservoir and a Sunshine Models resin one from the parts box.  And, the brake cylinder was drilled with a #76 drill to accept a Tichy brake piston (Tichy set #3013). 

Brake components installed.

Next I removed the kit trucks, with previous tapped kingpins for 2-56 screws and installed Accurail Andrews trucks with InterMountain 33” metal wheels with 2-56 1/4” Fastenal screws.  I hand painted the underbody and trucks with Vallejo Model Color mix of Mahogany Brown 70.846 50% and Black Red 70.85950%.   I let the painted underbody with mounted brake components set over night as I usually do before adding the detail parts.   The next day the following detail parts were installed:

• Brake cylinder lever, made with Evergreen #8108, 1” x 8” strip styrene
• Brake floating lever, made with Evergreen #8106, 1” x 6” strip styrene
• Brake lever hangers, wire grab irons from parts box
• Brake piping from air reservoir to control valve, Tichy #1101, .010” dia. PBW
• Brake pipe from brake cylinder to control valve, Tichy #1106, .0125” dia. PBW
• Brake rods, Tichy #1106, .0125” diameter PBW
• Brake rod clevises, Tichy turnbuckles #8021 
• Chain, A-Line #29219, black 40 links per inch (not in kit)
• Train line, .017” diameter flora wire (not in kit)
• Dirt collector,  resin casting in my M&N Shop

Underbody details installed.

All installed parts were hand painted with the same mix of Vallejo Model Color above.

Underbody added parts painted.

Not wanting to waste mixed paint, I hand painted the detail parts added on the ends.

Added details on ends painted.

When end parts were dry, I taped off the sides and sprayed the ends and interior with the same Vallejo Model Color mix of Mahogany Brown 70.846 50% and Black Red 70.859 50%.

Once dry, I went back to sides to change the car number and the Cubic Feet number number.   The 50374 number on the car was a good number in the 50000-50398 series for a gondola with a steel frame, fixed ends and wood floor; however, as I used the prototype photo above for car 85230 in the 85000-85999 series with the same features I decided to change the car number to 85374.  Therefore, I removed the “50” in the car number and the Cubic Feet number with a Euro scratch brush with nylon bristles, cleaned the area with a cotton swab dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol and brushed the areas with Future Acrylic Premium Floor Finish to provide a gloss decal base. Champ Private Name numbers used for “85” and Champ Gondola 50 and 70 Ton dimensional data set HD-6 provided the cubic feet decal.  Walthers Solvaset was used to set the decals.

Number changed and cubic feet decals applied.

On the ends reporting marks SL-SF and number 85374 were made by applying Clover House Condensed Bold White Railroad Roman Dry Transfers, 9600-11 to decal paper and coating them with Microscale Liquid Decal Film.  The decals I made were applied as on sides on a dry Future Acrylic Premium Floor Finish gloss base.  Again, Walthers Solvaset was used to set the deals.

While the decals on the ends were drying I installed uncoupling levers.  The uncoupling levers, Yarmouth Model Works #400 were installed on a Tichy #1101 .010” PBW wire installed in a hole located in the center of a small square styrene pad installed on the car end.  The small square styrene pad was cut from scrap .010” styrene in the bits box and the hole in it was drilled with #80 wire drill.

Carmer uncoupling lever installed.
Note Archer rivets.

As with other added detail parts the uncoupling levers were hand painted with the Vallejo Model Color mix of Mahogany Brown 70.846 50% and Black Red 70.859 50%.  After the car was left overnight to dry, the next day the car body exterior and interior were sprayed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 to protect decals.

Vallejo Gloss Varnish applied.

Uncoupling lever painted and
 Vallejo Gloss Varnish applied.

And, when dry the car body exterior and interior were sprayed Model master Acryl Flat Clear 4636 to further protect decals and provide a base for weathering.  Once the car was dry, the exterior and interior of gondola car body 85374 were weathered using Pan Pastels as follows: Raw Umber 780.5 and Neutral Gray 820.5 on interior with sponge makeup applicators and Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1 on exterior and interior applied with a makeup brush.

Car weathered Pan Pastels.

Car weathered Pan Pastels.

Car weathered Pan Pastels.

St. Louis-San Francisco (SL-SF) composite gondola 85374 was now ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”   A car card was made for SL-SF gondola 85374, the final step to put the cars in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

SL-SF composite gondola 85374 with pipe load 
on Wildung siding in Randolph, Minn.

SL-SF composite gondola 85374 with pipe load 
on Wildung siding in Randolph, Minn.

A  “Thank You” to  the late Jim Hayes, may he Rest In Peace, for a fine build of this gondola kit.  Another “Thank You” to our fabulous internet for prototype photo help with the build of this car and the photo for this blog post. 

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

.