Taking My Own Advice

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the Copetown Train show with 3 other modellers.  I hadn't attended this show in a couple of years and it was worth the trip yet again.  I met a few other modellers who read my blog and one who's blog I read regularly.  I even managed to pick up some 40' Plano roof walks, that had been holding me up on other projects.  On the drive home a discussion about what Trevor Marshall should tackle next on his layout started.  I don't remember the details other than my suggestion to him was to work on something he hadn't done in a while.  This got my thinking......

I am now off for a week long break from work with the family and this usually means I bring a couple of freight car kits to build in the evening.  Car kits take few tools and aren't to messy to deal with when away from the work bench. I paint and decal them when I get home.  What I have ended up with over the last year is a big pile of built, but not finished car kits.  Over the past few months I have cleared out the pile and only have a bit of weathering and a few re weigh dates to decal.  So before packing up more car kits to build on vacation,  I decided to take my own advice and work on something I haven't done in a long time.

I dug into my box of scenic details and collected everything I have, along with a few tools and paints.  I plan to work on a different project each night and follow up with a blog post.

Scenic Project 1.

Superior Propane delivery Truck.  The feed mill and supply business on the Algonquin also refills propane tanks. I wanted a Truck for deliveries.  I couple of years ago I purchased a Magnuson Models Cast Resin Ford Propane Delivery Truck.   I opened the box the other day when packing and noticed the Cab was solid with no easy way to make see through windows.  They are meant to be painted.  I wasn't really happy with this...... so I made a quick trip to Hornet Hobbies for some paint and maybe some advice on how to deal with painting the windows to look like glass.   Well when I got there the solution presented itself.  I found an Athearn Ford C series Truck with stake bed, painted in UP Armour Yellow with Red wheels hubs.  Somebody wanted me to find this I guess.  (Superior Propane Trucks are yellow).  I grabbed some UP Armour yellow paint to match.  On the way to our vacation destination I stopped in at the Barrie Train Show.  One of the dealers had a set of Microscale Superior Propane Decals.  The stars seam to be aligning on this project.

I started by cutting about 0.540" out of the middle of the frame and gluing it back together, along with shortening the drive shaft.  I braced the frame with short pieces of HO scale 1"x6" styrene.

Next I removed the mud flaps and cut 0.375" from the frame behind the wheels.  I glued the rear sections back on.  I managed to remove the UP Shield by scrapping with a hobby knife.

 I cut the cab mounting tongue from the tank with a razor saw and also removed the cast on fuel tank.  This is where I ran into a road block.  The Magnuson Model tank is also its frame.  When placed on the Athearn frame it sits about 0.125" to high.  I couldn't sand it down, as that would ruin the box extension on the rear of the tank.  I need to cut a channel or slot into the tank sub frame to lower the tank to the correct height.  There is no easy way to do this with the tools I have on hand.  I will use my milling machine to cut a slot when I get home.   So after all this I am going to go home with yet another incomplete project........I guess its just time for  a Brew...