Modeling a specific prototype

Bottineau's Ford grain truck


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I decided I had to have a model of this truck, which has been part of the landscape in Bottineau for many years, so when the Lindberg Moving Van arrived in the mail, I began studying the differences and the similarites.  This is the Lindberg Moving Van kit, as it builds from the box:

Modeling generic prototypes

Kenworth COE from the Tyco model

Although in this case I'm not modeling a specific prototype that I've taken or found a photo of, the Tyco Kenworth just begs to be upgraded.  I welcomed the opportunity to add another well-used, older tractor to my fleet of grain haulers.  Cabovers don't seem to be favored in this line of work, but they show up regularly enough that having three or four different types can't hurt.  And the fact that the Tyco model represents an older Kenworth, which is definitely in character for farm-owned equipment rather than contract haulers, helped justify the cause for this model. 


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As built:                                   How it looks today:

      
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Background, inspiration, philosophy, etc.

 
GMC Astro COE daycab from the Lindberg model

This distinctive looking tractor requires some work to look good, but in the end it's worth it.  Think of a daily driver with a new lease on life.  I grew up seeing them on the highways and on CHiPs, so I just had to have one of these.


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International Transtar II COE from the On-Trak model

 A long quest to locate one of these nearly out of production models finally paid off.  Click the photo to read about the quest, the model, and how to get these -  and other - rare On-Trak kits for yourself.

Many modelers view vehicles as mere scenery items and that's certainly fine for them.  For me, vehicles share the HO scale world with the trains and help convey a true sense of scale to scenes.  It is cars and trucks that most people are familiar with, so seeing a model of one next to a model of a train gets the point across of how enormous trains really are.  On top of that, vehicles have really come into their own as models in their own right in the past few years, in large part due to the efforts of companies like Athearn, Boley and Classic Metal Works.

I grew up with a children's book called "Big Joe's Trailer Truck" by Joe Mathieu and I can't help but think this book has played a large role in my modeling interests.  I can't tout this book highly enough - it's got a simple story, loads of detail, incredible illustrations, and every scene has a very busy, active feel to it.  In fact, one of the models discussed here was inspired by an illustration in this book.

I am a fan of trucks just about as much as I am a fan of railroads, so it should come as no surprise that I am greatly interested in the facets of railroading and trucking where the two can be found together.  The most obvious part of railroading involving trucks is TOFC operations, and I like that just fine.  In fact, when I was offered a position as survey party chief on the BNSF Alliance Intermodal Facility expansion project in 1996, I didn't know whether I should be more excited about working up close with the trains or the trucks.

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Peterbilt 379ish Winch Tractor from Malibu's Peterbilt, loads of Dennis Aust parts and a little love

It's amazing what can be done with the el-cheapo diecast stuff you find at Walmart.  Here's proof that humble beginnings can lead to great things.
I ended up modeling as much TOFC and COFC rolling stock as I could afford with my disposable income at the time, and that included the loads: trailers and containers.  I didn't really concentrate on taking my modeling "all the way" back then, so many of these models are in a state of limbo so to speak, awaiting a time when they can be transformed from what I call "three-foot models" to "one-foot models."  Essentially, that means I'd like the level of detail, painting and weathering to stand up to scrutiny when examined from a distance of one foot.

Another realm of railroading that directly involves trucks is grain loading and unloading.  If you think the various dry vans and containers available to the modeling community in HO scale is small compared to what's out there in the real world, try modeling modern grain trucks!  Counting the fair Herpa grain hopper, the Trucks N Stuff grain pups and the stellar Lonestar Wilson hopper, there are three whole models available!  And on top of that, the world of grain haulers is populated with many home-built designs and independent builders that will never be modeled without individuals scratchbuilding their own models.

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W900L from Malibu's diecast KW

I'm not in the habit of taking requests, but my Dad asked for a KW for Christmas.  How could I say no?
I mentioned earlier that the HO scale vehicle modeling world was better off because of companies like Athearn, Boley and CMW.  Athearn's old Kenworth conventional and Freightliner cabover tractors were very nice models for their time.  Then Athearn upped the ante and brought out the Ford C tractor, a true staple in the trucking industry for several decades.  Athearn's Ford C wasn't the first version of this model, but it's certainly the best.  Not long after the Ford C, RTR versions of the Freightliners and Kenworths followed, available in liveries never produced before with some being based on the manufacturer's designs.  And of course, Athearn recently brought us the absolutely gorgeous Mack B and R tractors. Boley continues to crank out every chassis they can think of to attach their latest diecast cabs to, and that's fine if you're into the ultra modern era they keep plugging away at.  I'm not into very much of anything past the mid 90s, so few of their releases work well for me as-is.  But, the chassis they are slapping these cabs on are nice and with a little work, who knows what you could end up with?

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Freightliner pipe truck from Athearn's kit
A couple items I remember well from my childhood are the various truck kits sold by Lindberg and the Tyco Kenworth cabover.  All the Lindberg tractor trailer kits have issues, but they were pretty fair representations of their respective prototypes for their day.  Lindberg also made some "not quite HO scale" vehicles in their "VanGo" series, including a VW microbus, a concrete mixer and a moving van.  Like Matchbox cars, these weren't any particular scale - they were simply scaled so they'd all be roughly the same size.  The VW microbus is too large for HO scale, the moving van only slightly too large (obvious when next to a 1:87 scale vehicle, though) and the mixer is tiny.  The Tyco Kenworth is a fair model, but has a very distinctive look to it and is a great starting point for modeling a cabover with a look far different from anything else available in HO scale.
This model is the result of my participation in the Lunchtime at the Overpass contest put on by Hank's Truck Pictures & Truck Stop Models.


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Miscellaneous Debris

Tanker projects

One type of truck I've always wanted is a good-looking elliptical tanker trailer.  I grew up in north Texas and we have tons of these rigs roaming around the highways delivering fuel from the various terminals around town.  For years you could get only the older 60s style with the integral cabinets or just the round barrel type tankers.  Eventually, I found a nice elliptical tank with a Kenworth Anteater tractor several years ago and figured I'd dress it up one day.  Well, that day came a few weeks ago.  The first thing to do was disassemble the entire tank down to its individual components.  Next, I glued the tank halves and ends together, clamping to ensure the best possible fit (and the fit was by no means perfect, but you play the hand you're dealt when you get a model that's even close to what you're after in this hobby!).  Ordinarily, I would do my sanding with 1000 grit paper to true up a joint, but in this case the joint was so bad I had to start with 320 grit.  After getting things smooth with the rough stuff, I wet sanded with 1000 grit.

Another tanker I've began to notice over the years is the tanker truck and trailer rig with the body mounted tank on the truck and a tag along pup tanker.  In fact, I don't know if I've ever seen these in Texas, but saw them plenty in Colorado, New Mexico and North Dakota.  So, since the elliptical trailer will fit right in my Fort Worth modeling scene, this rig will work out fine for the Bottineau scene.  It's a Boley model and all I've done is remove the cab and diesel tanks, replacing them with parts from an Atlas Ford. 

In order to remove the conspicuity striping to backdate it a little bit, I needed to remove the vacuum plating on the tank bodies.  After asking on the 87 vehicles and ho vehicles yahoo groups, I got a tip from Chester Fesmire about using Castrol Super Clean to remove the vacuum plating.  Well, it worked like a charm and I've been sanding and smoothing the tank bodies ever since.  Here is a before photo:


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Update: July 28, 2007

I have been slowly plugging away on the Boley tanker bodies and the old Promotex elliptical tank body, working them until they were smooth enough to apply Bare Metal Foil.  Here are a few images of the Boley tanker pup with Bare Metal Foil's Matte Aluminum applied to the body (A-line wheels are mounted on the trailer temporarily):


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Yes, it can use some polishing up, but it looks much better to my eye than the vacuum plated finish the trailers came with.  And it's far better than any silver paint job.  If this is a sign of what's to come with the straight truck shown above and the 40' tank body, then I will be very pleased.  I am sold on Bare Metal Foil.


More models are on the way...



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This page was modified on February 12, 2008


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