Another Hopper... Another Dream...

The QSSR Mark VI brings me joy in a new way. This layout isn't great nor flamboyant nor original. Once everything two days, I set a random operating session, moving around cars following a match plan devised on the spot. A few cars are spotted, some catch my fancy, I take them to the workbench and start to work on them. When a step is completed, I screw back the trucks and they are ready to run again for a while until I add another layer of details or weathering. No need to finish everything, I let the inspiration of the moment define what I will do next. Fortunately, keeping it simple means that even if I lack focus, I have so little projects to complete that I can't stray very far. 

In my folders, I have that group of covered hopper pictures that I downloaded years ago from rrpicturearchives.com, my favourite prototype website. All have one theme in common; they were all shot in Ste. Rosalie and Farnham in Quebec, back when MMA was still a thing. This collection of ragtag cars brings infinite inspiration and some cars just begs to be modelled. One of them is that nice DWC yellow hopper with spartan lettering and data. It is one of many cool pictures shot by Richard Marchi.

DWC hopper in Ste. Rosalie (Credit: Richards Marchi)

I find great solace in modelling these unassuming subject... Krylon paint from a can, an old Intermountain kit, pieced together decals... Nothing classy, almost prototypical, genuine character and full of personality.

A fun and rewarding project

This is a great way to enjoy the hobby in an achievable, meaningful and successful way. It is both whimsical and sensible at the same time, which fits my needs and personality for these times when I don't feel like replicating a specific railroad.

Weathering a Walthers Mainline 54' PS 4427 CF Covered Hopper

A few days ago, I discussed the topic of weathering with Louis-Marie, who seldom model and never weathered a single car. Indeed, we weren't talking about "weathering" but about the effect of "weathered" cars on our interacting with trains. We came to the conclusion that weathering was that immersive process that transforms plastic toys into replicas of heavy steel prototypes. When weathered, there is a sense of weight and of mass than draws you to them and trigger that desire to play with trains. And since the QSSR is all about decrepit Southern Quebec operations... cars need to be decrepit. Fortunately, I've been able to collect dozen of heavily weathered cars that ran over the MMA rails back in the days and they provide countless inspiration.

However, that CNW hopper has never shown its face on pictures I've seen of MMA, but it was still in service in that era and given the wide variety of hoppers that wento to Farnham and Ste. Rosalie, there is a big chance that it could have visited the area at some point. But enough about that, back to the model and weathering!

Taking your time with weathering projects is always the best way to assess what you are doing and correct trajectory if required. Otherwise, you rush, you take these supposed shortcuts and butcher your work. Not that I’m advocating to make prize winning models at each time, but just not running mad with the pastels and washes.

Paint faded with a mist of diluted white paint

 

In this Walthers hopper’s case, the dark green is quite dark and while it was indeed darker than other CNW hoppers, photographs clearly show it turned lighter with UV exposition. Not only it was faded, but it also acquired a more yellowish hue with time. Trying to replicate that may sound tricky but with some washes and pastels, you can achieve a lot of depth.

Regarding this particular hopper, I made two acrylic washes made of blue mixed with harvest yellow. The mix wasn’t perfect to have color variation and streaking patterns appear on the surface. To have plenty of time to work the paint around, I pre-emptively added water to the matte surface, and also added dots here and there of pure harvest yellow, mixing it directly on the model with a large flat brush.

Subtle streaking with green and harvest yellow acrylic washes

When done and dry, I ground pastel chalks; pure green and lime green. Once again, with a flat brush, I dabbed the surface and blended the powder with the gritty matte paint. The trick was not to add pigment everywhere, but randomly in the middle of the panels. This lighter color would replicate how the buckled panels catch lights. In some way, we can say I forced the shadows and highlights with this technique. Military modellers would call it post-shading, or pre-shading… or whatever expression they use for that. Basically, it’s about adding color variation to the surface and using it to creates fake shadows that enhance the 3D aspect of the model. The smaller the scale, the sharpest contrast will be required.

 

When I was satified with my work, I simply sealed everything will dullcoat. This step blends the pigments and tone everything down. It will be also easier later to apply various washes and effects with oil paints.

 

Subtle color variations with regular powdered pastels

In terms of details, I also added the COTS placards which were soldered to the ribs on the prototype. This is a nice modification that I preferred to do when the initial acrylic washes were done because I didn’t want weird streaking patterns around the placards.

 

A gritty and varied surface showing rain streaking

That said, in an excess of zeal, I added steel end platforms over the coupler draft boxes. Seems I was ill advised since these old hoppers didn’t have such a safety measure. The will be removed later when I continue the weathering process.

Improving Walthers Mainline 54' PS 4427 CF Covered Hopper

 A few years ago, I acquired a few Walthers Mainline covered hoppers for a good price. Though it was a bargain, it was also an ill-advised purchase since I had a lot of trouble finding a use for them. It didn't help either their end cages were from 1960s-1970s quality with very thick grabirons. However, the paint job was crisp and generally accurate and they sat in my stash until a few days ago.

Removing grabirons with a pair of nippers

I still have a hard time find a purpose for them on the layout, except for a nice dark green Chicago & North Western car that was still in use back in the early 2000s at least.

New Tichy and wire grabirons primed in Tamiya Gray primer

It's not the first time I have to deal with lesser quality cars. Not that I hate them per se, but they do look silly when running with higher quality cars. Let's face it, mating a Walthers Mainline hopper to a top of the game Tangent one isn't particularly a winning formula. However, there is hope an here is what I did in less than 3 hours.

Phosphore bronze grabirons are easy to make and look great

Keep in my your friend when doing this kind of work is to use Tichy #3062 18" ladder rungs. They are perfect to replace grabirons on cars because you don't have to drill a gazillion minuscule holes through flimsy plastic members nor care about precise alignment. Sure, they have their limitation, but for covered hoppers, they can truly save you some sanity.

Modified VS original

Another big offender are the longer grabirons which must absolutely be replaced, well before you start wondering about the ladders. They can be easily replaced with phosphore bronze wire. In this case, I used 0.015" wire from Tichy.

Painted wire grabirons VS molded plastic ones

Finally, I replace the roof corner grabirons too, using Tichy parts and photoetched eyelets sold by Yarmouth Models.

End cage now look like a real steel car

Matching paint was a matter of mixing blue, yellow and a touch of black to get a similar dark green color. There is no need to mix a perfect match since heavy weathering will be applied, but trying your best to be close enough always pays in the long run.

The completed model ready for weathering

I won't claim this car is perfect because a thinner photoetched roofwalk would make it shine better. I could add cut levers (you know, that fancy detail that is the craze among prototype modellers) and other stuff like that, but I think I've reached the sweet spot. 3 hours is equivalent to a nice evening spend at the benchwork. No need to drag the project for longer.

The car now has a finer silhouette which match my higher end model and it makes a huge difference, one big enough that I want to keep the car on my layout. More detail work will be done in the future (decals and weathering), so stay tuned to see this car find a new lease on life.

QSSR Mark VI - Layout Early Assesments

Exploration continues with the QSSR Mark VII and along the way, many serendipity moments are discovered, while some well thoughts ideas just don’t materialize. I’ll sum up here my few key observations over the last few weeks.

Wiring… I’m bad at wiring. My brain isn’t wired for wiring. And as such, I’ve been unable to do a good job at wiring the turnout frogs on my Peco Unifrog turnouts without getting shorts. I tried to trouble shoot them, but it’s a mess. Will wait for Louis-Marie to sort that mess out. It’s probably a very simple issue. Speaking of turnouts, I’ve also observed that Peco code 70 turnout with solid rail points have a slight flaw. When the points are pushed against the rail, they sit a little bit higher than the stock rail. That’s annoying because it makes cars wobbles in an unrealistic manner. I’m thinking about adding some fine shims on the throwbar so the sit at the perfect height. Robin Talukbar also shown me his wonderful turnout control mechanism in St. Louis. He developed the idea from products his company manufactures and distributes. It’s really interesting because it is a turning motion which I feel more realistic. He can also control the fake scale stand switch without complicated links. That’s something I really want to try. 

"Close and personal" is the name of the game

A nice discovery was that my feed mill which I scratchbuilt earlier last year for a different module based on the same concept do fit the layout without alteration. I’m looking at ways to enlarge it by adding warehouses, but for now, this is a neat and fairly nice looking structure that fills the gap conveniently. I’ve yet to decide how I will handle it in the future, but it’s great to have something already made.

Operations: Will it get boring? I don’t know. That layout isn’t about big operations but rather as a whimsical diorama which I can turn out at the flick of a finger and move around some nice cars. It is a close and personal layout, meaning it’s more about seeing nicely weathered cars and engines in motion. For such a purpose, it seems to be a success and operating session last about anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. No preparation required, I just turn my chair around, plug the control cab and move freight.

One thing that worked according to plan was to use the station as a view block to hide the staging entrance. Not only does it work well, but it also frames the train in a perfect fashion as you see it emerging behind the structure. It distracts the eyes and you don’t question where the train is going outside the modelled scene.

Another advantage that appeared after a few operating sessions was that I would leave the locomotive idling by the station, as if it was a natural spot to park it between different scenarios. In some ways, it is the anchor point on the layout and just shows that this structure is not only a view block but also part and parcel of the narrative. Hence, the interest in making it a maintenance of way dedicated area. I’m really tempted to park a fuel truck there from time to time.

Station hiding the staging and loco ready to work

On the other hand, another scenic idea that I developed kind of failed. It is the raised foreground which seems to trick my eyes when I’m sitting on my chair and looking at trains. For some reason, when my eyes are close to the ground level in that area, the little bumps and lumps on the fascia start to trick my vision. My eyes focus on the fascia bumps and that makes the trains go blurry. I would have never expected something like that, but it sure does happen and makes the experience less immersive.

That little bumps really tricks you eye...

...and will be lowered to create a smoother transition.

I will probably need to alter the raised foreground left to the grade crossing to remove the bumps and make it smoother and lower. However, the raised terrain on the left corner really works well and will be kept as is.

The raised terrain and vanishing yard tracks

This raised terrain really frame the tracks which looks like a small yard in that area. I’m really glad to have curved the main line and sidings because when you look at them from the grade crossing, you can’t see their end against the backdrop. If you leave a cut of cars on these, you can’t really see the end of your train, thus it really creates the illusion of a full-length yard when it’s just a bunch of short tracks. In that regard, the unplanned optical illusion is a wonderful quality I didn’t expect.

72" of fun is good enough...

That really helps to create a sense of immersion as both the station and the curved tracks do blur the layout ends. It really feels like you are at the center of something really big, just like when you stand trackside in real life. In that regard, I consider the layout to be my best version of the QSSR experiments. I did love my other versions, but this one really provides a compelling experience.

It doesn’t feel like an artificial slice of reality, but rather like standing in the middle of a real place. It also proves that 72” long is good enough to fool your brain if your design is well thought out. All kind of locomotives are at their place on this layout, be it large 6-axle modern diesel, big steamers or small switchers.

Speaking of locomotives, the layout is so focussed on accurate and slow movement that I’m really considering the acquisition of a Proto Throttle. This is truly a layout where I feel it could shine and add an extra layer of immersion and realism. It would be wise to start saving money for such a controller.

QSSR Mark VI - Stop the Bashing

Working on the Atlas station has been a fascinating experience. It started as an icon of model railroading then took a new, or should I say improved, identity by acquiring a new footprint and clearer functions. Then, that new roof line changed everything… I could detail my process, but at this point, I want to share some discussion snippets taken out of a discussion with Chris Mears. At the end of the day, the goal wasn’t really the station itself, but the fun and quality time derived from working on it and experimenting with different ideas.

Chris: I love how this station is like seeing someone in a crowd in a city you haven’t been in a while and it makes me think: do I know you?

Matt: It has acquired a transcendent identity that makes it familiar because it's generic and relatable, but also because the Atlas parts are still familiar.

All these thoughts are driven by the desire to make something "good" out of a pair of Atlas stations. At this point, I'm pretty sure you will all say I should have scratchbuilt it from styrene and it would have been faster and better. That is absolutely true.

But the other alternative was to throw them away in the garbage bin to free some space because I’ve reached that point in life where cluttered collections no longer make sense. So better recycle nicely molded sidings and roof brackets, do the best I can, save some money and plastic products from waste. I still want however to improve the windows a little bit…

Back to the station, making the roof was an exercise in patience. For some odd reasons, I had the hardest time to find the correct geometry. However, I did some experiment with angled cuts. Theses cuts make mating cardboard edges easier and virtually eliminate gaps and discrepancies. Not very hard to achieve with a hobby blade and saving some extra steps down the road.

I’ve also painted and cut to length an old Atlas brick chimney. It is quite high and may required to be trimmed, but on the other hand, I like that it can tell the storey of a chimney that was lengthened due to poor draft issues. For the foreseeable future, it will stay like that!

For now I only need to reinforce the roof, apply distressed asphalt shingles, fascia, drain pipes and gutters, then call it a day.