Pennsylvania Railroad X32A model photos

 

This post picks up the finishing of the pilot model for the Speedwitch X32A parts set (or with Shadow Keystone; note: if you want to peruse the instructions for these sets, the linked file can be found via the two previous links.) The model was painted using Polly Scale light freight car red, followed by Polly Scale zinc chromate primer. I lettered the model with National Scale Car's set for the PRR X31/32/33. Weathering included some streaking using artists' oils, dilute washes and more artists' oils (especially on the roof to simulate pooling of sooty/dirty water, etc.,) plus application of PanPastels in select places. The chalk marks are also from National Scale Car. The placards on the doors are images of actual placards that I had printed on decal paper. The route cards are from Owl Mountain.

I found the base color I airbrushed to be a little too dark for the prototype so instead of repainting the entire model, I sprayed the center of the panels on the sides and roof with a lighter color, resulting in a shaded outcome that was appealing (to me, at least)

I added oils to simulate the spray from the wheels of adjacent cars

The underframe was one of the impetuses for this entire project

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 

PRR X32A Build part one

Late last year, the PRR Projects group announced the X32/X33 as the subject of their first half of '25 group build project (after a poll of members.) I'd been wanting to model and X32A, so I jumped at the chance. Based upon my research, I knew there were some things I wanted to address with the Bowser undecorated model that I had. The Bowser Pennsy wagon roof (or "round roof") design cars are exceptionally well-tooled HO scale models. However, they have cast-on details like the ladders, grabs, placard boards, and end brake details.

The underframe also has some issues. The bottom cover plate is incorrect; it should only have one row of rivets with the rivet row centered over bottom flange of crossbearer. The top cover plate is the same shape but offset and is centered over two rows of rivets, as it is riveted through to the flange of the crossbearer as well as the flange of the angle that stiffens the crossbearer. Put another way the bottom and top cover plates are the same size and shape, but if looking straight down, they do not align, as the top cover plate is centered over the main portion of the crossbearer while the bottom cover plate is centered under the flange of the crossbearer (see drawing snippet.) This also ignores that fact that the Bowser underframe members are all "blobs" with no undercut detail.

Notice that the two crossbearer cover plates are not aligned, but are rather offset to be centered based upon what they are riveted to

The cast-on detail of the ends was the other main consideration. The plan was to remove the portion of the Bowser end that has corrugations, ladders, other details, etc. (there is a "ghost" trace line visible that can be used as a guide - see photo below.) and add a Detail Associates 4/5 end section, suitably modified. On the DA end, I’m not wild about the end portion of the ribs adjacent to the corners and rivets also need to be removed, but it is a sufficiently “easy” starting point compared to removing and adding a Red Caboose end (which has weak rib shape anyway) or cutting and splicing Details West ends to arrive at a wider 4/5 end starting with a “narrow” 4/4 end.) Note that the Dreadnaught end on the Bowser X32A has a shorter top rib, similar to the X31, but the prototype X32A had a full-width top rib, like the other eight ribs on the end. While my model shown here used the Detail Associates end, I did go through the exercise of cutting and splicing a Details West end to include in the parts offering (shameless plug alert.)

The end of the Bowser model contains a "ghost" trace line that can be used as a reference for where to scribe a line to be used for snapping out the end section

Removal of the end sections would seem to represent a high hurdle to this kitbash. However, I have a way that I believe makes it a much easier task. By gluing small pieces of strip to the corners, I created "stops" that the steel ruler could rest against, allowing me to scribe straight lines in the precise location needed to facilitate the scribe and snap method. 

Bits of styrene strip, glued on the side of the end that is to be removed, can be used to lay a ruler against for scribing a "snap" line in the styrene. Ruler not shown, but it would rest to the right of the strip bits when used to scribe the line

This image illustrates the end with everything in place to begin to remove the material. A steel ruler placed against the stops (from the top of the end) allows for a straight scribe line

The center portion of the end was removed by cutting in two places from the bottom of the end to the upper horizontal scribe lines, using a Dremel tool with a cutoff disc. The center section was then "snapped" off by pushing it into the carbody along the scribe line and then moving back and forth along the scribe line until it broke free

Cuts were made along the top of the end section using a razor saw. With these cuts completed, the end section is only connected along the adjacent edge shared with the side. Again using a scribe line, the two end sections were gently pushed "into" the carbody along the scribe line and then moved back and forth to free the sections.

This is the end view of the car after removal of most of the end

This is a side view after removal of the end

This illustrates the replacement end panel using a Detail Associates Dreadnaught end, plus many of the various etched metal detail additions

This is the pattern for the end section included in the parts set; this will yield a far nicer outcome than the path I followed with my model 

The new underframe, minus brake levers and rods

The X31/X32 and X33 family used two heavy steel sections for the underframes, with two flanges on top (like an "I" beam and one on the bottom, riveted together on top with a cover plate. This was at a time when industry practice was moving to zee-bar center sills welded along a flange, like the 1932 ARA design box car.

This is a closeup of the brake gear components and some of the underframe detail. 

The underframe is the other major upgrade I made. Due to restrictions of a single piece tooled underframe, the nuances of channels, flanges, etc., cannot be rendered. I wanted to replicate these features, as well as to add a complete set of brake equipment. I scratchbuilt the basic underframe from styrene and then augmented with etchings, as shown. 

I will show more of the detailing and finishing in part two and also point out some fo the things I did not get perfectly correct. Until then...