PFE R-40-25 Completed

 

I recently completed the final weathering and detailing on the PFE R-40-25 pilot model for the Speedwitch parts set [previous post linked here.] I am extremely pleased with the outcome. The details turned out almost exactly as I envisioned, particularly the hatch cover supports, the ladders, and the underframe. I doubt I will ever look at another car with Equipco hatch covers the same way again. It's fun to see the details "pop" under some weathering.

Regarding weathering, I used a variety of dilute washes, beginning with Tamiya Brown Panel Line Accent Color on the roof, panel lines on the sides, and overall on the ends and underframe. I added Tamiya black paint to the fan shaft detail on the car sides and then removed most of it with a cotton swab. I used mineral spirits to slightly dilute the panel line wash on the sides. I sealed everything with a flat coat and added washes of artists' oils, including a dilute grey mix overall and a few heavier light grey streaks on the sides, especially under the hatch areas, as well as on the ends to simulate spray from the wheels of adjacent cars. I applied another flat coat and then used Bragdon powders on the sides (a light grey) and PanPastel Paynes grey on the roof, ends, and underframe. 

The chalk marks are from National Scale Car

Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23/-25/-26 from NERPM

 

Mostly completed weathered R-40-25

I presented a discussion about the PFE's 10,000 strong postwar reefers in the R-40-23, -25, and -26 classes at the recent NERPM. The presentation can be accessed via the Speedwitch Files page.

PFE R-40-25 off to the paint shop

 

The steps, ladders, and side sill and bolster support tabs match the prototype

I posted about the prototype PFE R-40-25 class a little while back. Here are some photos of the model that I snapped before it went off to the paint shop...

The goal with this parts set is to not only fix the issues of the Amarillo/Intermountain offering, but to bring the rest of the model up to 2026 standards. The Intermountain R-40-23 tooling is almost 32 years old!

Ordering is open for these and for once, I actually have more than just a handful ready to go!

Look at those "open" hatch supports and straps that prevented damage to the hatches when fully open

The ladders mount to the edge of the roof, just like on the prototype

The rests to support the hatches when fully open are etchings added to the roof seam caps, as per the prototype

The brake gear arrangement is modeled exactly after the prototype, right down to the brackets and manual "pin" adjuster

The crossbearers are "open" and crossties have the channel shape of the as on the prototype's welded underframe 

Pacific Fruit Express R-40-25 Refrigerator Cars

 

The placard held by the gentleman at center reads, "Here she is boss. She looks mighty fine and so will the other 499.The crew that built her." This is presumably the Colton, Calif. PFE shop crew

For modelers, the PFE R-40-25 class has taken a back seat to the more numerous R-40-23 and different, e.g. visually interesting, R-40-26, with flush mounting ("plug") doors. The R-40-25 class was 3,000 cars total, nos., 2001-5000, built in 1949 at the PFE's Los Angeles (2001-3350,) Colton (3351-4000,) and Roseville (4001-5000,) shops. The Intermountain models of the R-40-23 went a long way toward filling the needs of postwar Transition era modelers. In cooperation with Intermountain, the Amarillo Railroad Museum offered R-40-25 kits based upon the R-40-23. While this is certainly a good path to follow, it resulted in models that incorporated several errors, both large and small, that make these kits stand-ins for discerning freight modelers.

The B end of R-40-25 no. 2001. Of note are the uppermost main rib, with flat bottom, the narrow pressed rib at the top, and the arrangement of the side ladder, attached to the sill step at the bottom, which is in turn attached to the bottom of the side sill as well as the attachment of the ladder stiles at the top, using curved pieces of metal connected to the roof. The side ladders are not actually attached to the car sides at all.

End from an R-40-25 kit

Resin end from Speedwitch

Incorrect (and poorly rendered) lettering on Intermountain/Amarillo R-40-25

The largest of the errors are in the ends and the as-delivered lettering. The ends of the -25 class were an iteration of the improved Dreadnaught end and different than those of the -23 class. Changes included the incorporation of a small, rectangular stiffener bulge at the top of the end and revision to the main top rib, making it straight across its bottom and shallower in relief from the surface of the end, compared to the other five main ribs. The Amarillo ends tooled by Intermountain ignored the change to the top main rib and the small rectangular rib appears too proud from the surface of the end and not wide enough from top to bottom.

PFE R-40-25 no. 4246 as it appeared soon after repainting at Tucson, Ariz., in May, 1953

The other major error is the lettering on the as-delivered cars. In 1948, the Union Pacific medallion was changed from red, white and blue to black and white. This change was missed for years by researchers and modelers alike. It was only after I started to see the medallion in color photos and then shared that info and consulted with Dick Harley that the error was revealed. There is no blame in this, but it doesn't change the fact that the models are incorrect on that detail. Fortunately, there are now decals that correct that issue, from National Scale Car.

This image was recorded at a time of day when the sun's light was low, affording a great view of numerous details, especially the underframe.

The other issues are more nuanced and involve finer points of detail. Here they are in no particular order:

• the side ladders should be integrated with the lower sill steps and attached to the edge of the roof via a trapezoidal, curved piece of plate (the Amarillo/IM -25 cars took a half-stab at this issue)
• the side sill supports ("tabs") should be shaped differently; additionally, the Intermountain long tabs under the doors do not have a flat surface, but a wavy one due to the molding process
• the welded underframe is quite distinctive (on the -23, -25 and -26) and the Intermountain underframe is rather simple
• the drains for the bunkers are very crude on the IM kit

This is a stop frame screen shot from a video on the PeriscopeFilm channel on youtube... that I cannot find now to provide the title! [if I do, I will update this post.] However, it is a great illustration of the black & white '1948' Union Pacific medallion.

A little more about the '1948' PFE painting and lettering... in 1948, the word "VENTILATED" was dropped from the stenciling between the two medallions. If looking at a black & white photo, that change is a fairly good yardstick to determine if the UP medallion is red/white/blue (VENTILATED REFRIGERATOR) or black & white (only stenciled with REFRIGERATOR.) However, that is not a hard and fast rule, as I have found a few examples of cars stenciled with "VENTILATED REFRIGERATOR" and having black & white UP medallions. These examples are likely artifacts of errors immediately after the change was implemented. [note: what I have never encountered in photos, and I have closely examined a LOT of color photos, is a single instance of a car with only REFRIGERATOR and a red/white/blue UP medallion... if you have a color photo illustrating this, I would love to see it.]

While PE 1614 was the focus of this image, the PFE reefer behind it and to the right is adorned with the scheme used on PFE reefers between 1948 and the beginning of 1950. The reefer visible at left carries the scheme introduced in 1950, the included "RAILROAD" in the UP medallion.

What I can state definitively is that the UP medallion used between 1948 and 1950 with the words "UNION PACIFIC" was black and white and NOT red/white/blue.

This image, while cropped, shows three cars with the 1946-1948 scheme (red, white & blue UP medallion on middle car,) 1948-1950 scheme (black & white UP medallion on right car [which also has "VENTILATED," likely a stenciling error by the painting and lettering crew]) and the post-1950 UP medallion, with "RAILROAD," on the car at left.

The timing of this post is because I am currently at work on the pilot model for a parts set to correctly model the PFE's R-40-25 class of cars. Details about that will follow in a separate post covering the models.

Again, apologies for the watermarks in the images, but the pirates get me down so this is my only recourse

Where we are at...

 

I am typing this from an almost horizontal position. I was supposed to be arriving at Naperville today, but my balky back made other plans. So, I type this from home. It's been a couple months or so since I started things back up in earnest, including casting. As the "RPM season" sets in, I thought it a good time to share a little bit about what's coming over the next few months.

Some old Speedwitch stuff turned up: DT&I gondola, MEC ARA box car parts, NYC stock car roof and 50' combination rectangular and diagonal panel roof (some prototype details here.)

Parts sets have proven to be a good way to dip my toes in the casting pool. I mostly learned a few things about what shape of mold works best for me and how I like a few varieties of silicone. I am adding a couple wrinkles to the existing offerings. First, for the ATSF Bx-34 parts I have added the 1959-1970s scheme, illustrated in the photo at the top of the page. In addition, I have added Shadow Keystone decals covering 1950s+ schemes for the PRR X32A parts. 

This and the following three photos are of the R-40-25 parts

On the parts front, there are also a couple other offerings nearing release. The first is the PFE R-40-25. This set is intended for an undecorated Intermountain R-40-23 kit or any Amarillo/Intermountain PFE R-40-25 that is NOT the delivery scheme as the UP medallions on those cars are incorrect (I will share info on that when these parts are released.) The sets include correct resin ends and etched parts to correct/upgrade the underframe, side sill details, ladders, hatch cover supports, steps, etc. [there is a companion set for the R-40-26 that is in the works, as well; see undeframe photo below.] The other parts release is for the ITC 1937 AAR box cars with AC&F Carbuilder's ends and also includes resin details, etchings, and decals.

R-40-26 underframe floor casting... board-by-board!

Illinois Terminal AC&F Carbuilder's end for 1937 AAR box car (pre-production before changes)

Photo illustrating the extremely subtle ripples in the side sheathing of the PRR X43A

I am also charging ahead with some full kit offerings. The first is the Milwaukee 50' single sheathed auto cars that I teased awhile back. It will be released November 1st via the Speedwitch site (all decals, etchings, trucks, and other parts are already in house so they will ship immediately!) Another project is the Pullman-Standard-built Central of Georgia 10'0" inside height Emergency box car (PS if you have National Scale Car's set for the A&WP/WofA/Georgia, those decals will work on this model, as well.) If the CofGa offering proves popular, I will add Birmingham Southern, as well. I also have three PRR cars in the hopper: the G28, X43A and X45. The G28 is a project that I started years back. It will be a showstopper, with full underframe detail... and the underframe was a unique welded design with very interesting crossmembers so it bears full attention! The X43A was a 40', mostly postwar AAR design car, with welded sides. I have created patterns with extremely subtle waviness to the sides that I am extremely pleased with and they were unusual in the PRR universe in that they were delivered with black roofs. The last of these three is the X45, a proprietary PRR design for a 50' welded box car. I again added waviness to the sides and the Pennsy proprietary details, including the underframe, are really cool. 

The last of the full kits, but by no means least, and listed in its own paragraph, is a Western Pacific flat car built by AC&F in 1942 that is a fully 3D printed offering. It is spectacular. More details to follow on this gem...

A final tease... several years back I presented a clinic including details about scratchbuilding board-by-board patterns for single sheathed cars. I have been fruitlessly looking for those patterns for over a year. I thought they were lost in the past year's move. Well, a few weeks back, they were presented to me. Turns out I had sent them to someone along with a bunch of other stuff and they were returned! Here is the end for the car in question. IYKYK 

Refrigerator Car Roof Surfaces

Collection of the late J. P. Barger

Having crews work on "bare" roof surfaces presented a seemingly risky endeavor, especially when the surfaces were smooth and wet, such as those on steel-roofed, ice-cooled refrigerator cars. One means to make things a little less perilous was to apply something rough and/or textured mixed with the paint applied to the roof. A common additive was crushed slate granules. This added (and noticeable) texture provided a more sure-footed surface for crews. These two photos illustrate that to good effect. The photo above is the roof of a PFE R-40-20. The texture is quite evident (click on the image to see a larger, more detailed view.) Contrast the surface texture of the roof and most of the hatch cover with the more smooth rectagular-shaped surface in the middle of the Equipco hatch cover (the stencil notes that, "THIS HATCH COVER MAY BE LOCKED FROM INSIDE OF CAR.")

The roof and hatch covers on Santa Fe rebuilt refrigerator car 9161 from class RR-43 are similarly textured.

Santa Fe photo, courtesy of the late Richard Hendrickson

While it may be difficult to effectively capture in HO scale, it is definitely noticeable compared to the other surfaces on the car. Happy modeling!

A Photo and a Story

 

E. M Bittner

This image (click on it to see a larger view) is an ebay purchase. It's a vintage Ektachrome slide that given the decades and Ekta's propensity for color shifting, is actually in tremendous shape. I did little to adjust the color. About the image... as one can see, Yankee Stadium is in the background. The waterway in front is the Harlem River, a strait between the Hudson and East Rivers, separating upper Manhattan from The Bronx. There are two businesses behind the tracks. The one at left is a food distributor and likely the reason for the five food-related cars on the track. From left are an Atlantic Coast Line ventilated box car, a Pacific Fruit Express reefer, a Seaboard Air Line ventilated box car, a Santa Fe reefer, and another ACL ventilated box car. 

It is the business at right that yielded an interesting story. It is Hans Holterbosch. I did a little sleuthing and found the following obituary for H. Dieter Holterbosch:

"Born on July 26, 1921 in Dusseldorf, Germany to Marta and Hans Holterbosch, he immigrated to the United States with his parents and sister at the age of five. Raised in Manhattan, NY, he attended Columbia Prep and then went on to attend Penn State University. He served his adopted country proudly in the Coast Guard during World War II, stationed primarily in Brussels. A self-made man, he built a business empire in the years following the war that included running a family vineyard, importing and building the Lowenbrau* beer brand and starting the largest beer distributorship of major brands in New York State. A life long connoisseur of the fine and rare, he was known for his innate good taste. His first major collection of European royal carriages became the foundation of the permanent collection at the Museums at Stony Brook. He subsequently amassed one of the world's finest private collections of vintage automobiles. Recognized as a respected authority on vintage cars, he served as the chief Mercedes judge at the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach for 20 years. A wonderful raconteur, he was known by his friends and colleagues for his integrity, generosity and great good humor."

Back to the photo... while it's grainy and not too sharp, I was drawn to the pallets and kegs in front of the building that would make a good detailing addition to a similar scale model scene. This scene could be replicated for many different sizes of towns, from the modest track holding five cars, to the vehicles, and the buildings themselves along with their details.

*If you watched any television in the late 70s and 80s, you are familiar with the "Tonight, let it be Lowenbrau" advertisements. Here is an example.

PFE Presentation file from MARPM

 

Presumed to be the work of Bob Carlson; image from my slide files

My presentation about the PFE early 1950s fleet has been uploaded for reference (to be transparent, it is indistinguishable from what I presented at RPM East in March) The link to this and many of my other presentation files may be found here.

PFE Presentation file from RPM East

 

Here is the link to the presentation file from RPM East this past weekend. While it is very similar to the presentation from Cocoa Beach, there are a few updates.

Update on Etchings from Presentation

 During my presentation at the latest Hindsight 20/20, I alluded to the fact that due to the shipping delays in receiving my test etchings due to the Royal Mail hack from late December, I could not inspect and assess what I had received. I spent a few more hours looking at some of the parts, and have a few photos to share.

The first photos are of the ladders for PFE R-40-25/-26 reefers. The primary difference between the two is the -25 class used traditional ladders with treads (rungs) riveted to the ladders stiles while the -26 used Wine-style ladders where the rungs had bends that fit into holes in the stiles, that once attached to the car held the rungs in place. What is displayed here is the -25 riveted style. Compare the prototype photo, above, to the etchings shown below. The sill steps were attached to a bracket that was also integral to the bottom of the ladder stiles, with the entire assembly attached to the bottom face of the side sill in two locations.

The next group of photos are of etchings for a Chicago and North Western PS-1 auto car. Common to all but the earliest PS-1s, that arrangement featured an integral ladder stile, sill step, and bracket attached to the bottom of the side sills, similar to the R-40-25 shown above. [the prototype photo below illustrates this arrangement on a Maine Central PS-1 box car]

There was an interim style of end ladder on PS-1s, with a "jog" in the lower portion of the right stile. Early PS-1s had straight stiles, while later ones had the same "jog," but with two wider bottom rungs, as opposed to one. [note: I could've done a better job bending the little jog to make it straight!]

The last parts I will highlight are two types if zee bars. Most PS-1s had crossmembers that were 4" zee bars. An etching to replicate that is shown in two views. The other simulates a 3" zee bar that will be used to replicate the stringers between the body bolsters and end sills. The photo illustrates the cross section. Etchings such as these have many applications as zee bars were quite common. Until I have more to report...