CN Fowler boxcar in MOW service


This is a Speedwitch kit with K brakes that I purchased from a friend's collection.  These are what maybe the best resin casting of a single sheath boxcar that I have seen.  Individual boards have saw kerf markings, different wood grain and other features that you notice on close inspection.  Absolutely top notch.

I pretty much followed the instructions with a few minor variations.  I used Kaslo Shops Distributing 7 rung ladders as they looked better than the plastic kit ladders, although I used the kit end ladders.  The roofwalk was a bit too thick for my liking so I scratchbuilt it using scale 2x8 styrene.  The model has K brakes but I modelled it with a brake wheel conversion in place of the vertical staff brake the car was delivered with.  This was based on a few prototype photos showing this arrangement which is not what you expect in a 1917 era boxcar.  

For the base coat I used Tamiya grey surface primer followed by various weathered wood colours.  When I was happy with the wood effect I used Vallejo chipping fluid applied with a minibrush.  This allowed me to get more chipping fluid on the raised board details and less on the recessed parts to get a nice chipped paint effect.  I went heavier on the doors as these seemed to lose more paint than the body did.  Once the chipping fluid was dry I applied Vallejo German red brown to get a darker more weathered look.  I tried to get a bit of the underlying board colours to show through but this didn't really work very well.  

Once the top paint was dry I wetted the surface and peeled it with various brushes and blunt toothpicks following prototype photos for inspiration.  Work service cars had little stencilling so I used Black Cat Decals CN Fowler boxcar decals that got some "decal bashing" to get the CN with stencil lines in the reporting marks.  

Once the decals were set I used Tamiya black panel line wash to bring out more board detail.  I airbrushed Vallejo Ultra Matt varnish with an airbrush using a 0.5mm needle to apply several coats of the matt finish that really brings out the rough board detail.  I may do a bit more weathering after I let this one marinate a bit more.  I'm quite happy with the weathered wood effect and overall look of this car.  Wood boxcars are almost a sub-niche hobby in themselves.  







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