Is the rot setting in?

Well, it was only a matter of time before it happened. I added a second freight car to my O scale inventory. A Weaver Centerflow hopper body kit. I did already snap off a stirrup, something that I would replace anyway, so no loss here. But with the addition of scale trucks and couplers and a bit of weathering. It will look the part on any layout I build.

Improving the Weaver Boxcar (1)

So, here we go. Improving the Weaver Box car.

Nice and simple to start with.

This picture shows the simple first stages on the first corner (from left to right).
1. The Boxcar as it comes with moulded on hand rails.
2. Shave the darned things off.
3. Wire handrails added from .26 music wire. A huge improvement on the look.
Three more corners to go, by the finish of them my technique will have improved so much that I'll have to re do this one.
The jury is still out on the wire. I wonder if styrene rod might not be better.
Should I be paying more attention to the painting and weathering before I go any further?

Here's an idea...

Take this Weaver boxcar kit that is dimensionally accurate, just a bit lacking on the detail front.

Then shave the moulded on details off and add new details in brass and styrene and whatever and see what I've got. After that, if I like what I've got then I can add Proto 48 Barber trucks and couplers. If i'm feeling really confident as I go along I can try some weathering on the boxcar body. Here's an interesting looking MT&W Boxcar for reference and another one here. In fact, there are quite a lot of reference images to choose from. This looks to be a good starter project.

More Protocrastinations

Whereby, The Protocrastinator succumbed and bought a Weaver O scale Box car and is considering converting to Proto 48 standards.