Modeling in HO Scale

(Freight Section, Self Made Items)

First, let me begin by commending you on your ambition and (hopefully) abilities.  If you are an old hat at this then stop reading this paragraph, grab your airbrush and get busy.  Sheesh!  For those of you just starting out, I have to honestly say that any assistance I could provide you would be like the blind leading the blind.  I remember in 1999 when I fixed our VCR and then paid $150 to a repair shop to undo the damage I had done.  So let me instead provide you with a few resources.

Pat Durand is an outstanding master craftsman.  The photos I have seen of his custom made models are hard to tell apart from the prototype.  And you gotta respect a guy like Curt Fortenberry who lets you know that the model you have chosen doesn't have the same number of rivets as the prototype.  If you're in need of some good advice on airbrush techniques or decal application then ask Robert Krol or Harold Emerick to give you a few pointers.  Email these people and beg them to help you out.

So, what do you need to get started?   First, pick up some Scalecoat D&H yellow and Scalecoat B&O royal blue for ARR blue and yellow.  Next, you will want to pick up the model that most closely resembles the prototype.  To complete your purchasing binge, buy the corresponding decals for your model.  Lastly, get busy and don't forget to keep the cat (or kids) away from your project.
 
 

Models that closely resemble the prototype

Freight
Manufacturer
Model Type
 Stock No. Car color Lettering Decals
Intermodal car Front Range          
TTX flat car Walthers 89' flat TTX 932-4950 blue black/white use existing
Flat car Walthers 75' TOFC flat undec 932-3950 boxcar red yellow  
Flat car Walthers 54' GSC flat car undec 932-3750 boxcar red yellow unavailable
Flat car Athearn TOFC 140-2000 blue yellow Item 3
Flat car Athearn 50' flat car 140-1399 tuscan red yellow Item 3a
Flat car MDC Roundhouse 60' modern flat car 480-1280 blue yellow Item 3b
Flat car Athearn Impack/reticulated flat 140-5550 orange    
Flat car Wheels of Time Gunderson 62-ft 70 ton Flat Cars various      
*Hopper Athearn 100 ton quad bay hopper        
Hopper Atlas 70 ton Hart ballast car 1150 tuscan red yellow  
Hopper MDC Roundhouse 100 ton quad bay hopper        
Hopper MDC Roundhouse 40' 3-bay hopper 480-1485 black white Set 3
Hopper Walthers 100 ton quad hopper 932-4900      
Hopper Stewart Hobbies Offset Hopper (3bay 70t) 691-10300 black 

black

 orange 

yellow

 Set 1 

Set 9
Hopper Stewart Hobbies 40' triple bay hopper 691-10200 black    
Covered Hopper McKean (out of production)   gray black Item 2
Covered Hopper Athearn AACX-Alaska Agriculture 140-5300 blue   Item 2a
Covered Hopper Atlas ACF 3560 center flow (cement) 936 gray black .
MK Gravel Hoppers Eastern Car Works 2-bay hopper 117-2200 oxide red white Set 10 

Item 4
Hopper Con-Cor 12 panel hopper 223-9320 black yellow Item 4a
Hopper MDC Roundhouse 3-bay rib side hopper 480-1610 black white Item 4b
Hopper Con-Cor 12 panel "ABI" 223-9320 blue yellow Item 4c
Hopper MDC Roundhouse 3-bay offset side hopper 480-1610 black yellow Item 4d
Hopper MDC Roundhouse ballast 480-1580 oxide red yellow Item 4e
Hopper MDC Roundhouse ballast, lg "Alaska" on side 480-1580 oxide red yellow Item 4f
Hopper Atlas 3-bay covered hopper 150-19381 gray    
Gondola Eastern Car Works 65' AAR Mill Gon 70ton 117-3010 black yellow Set 4 

Item 5a
Gondola MDC Roundhouse gondola 480-1340 black white Item 5
Gondola MDC Roundhouse gondola 480-1340 black yellow Item 5b
Gondola Bowser 
1-800-237-5139		 41' gondola 55900 blue yellow  
* Tank car MDC Roundhouse 50' tank car 480-1370    
* Caboose Athearn wide vision caboose 140-5360 blue/yellow blue/yellow Item 7a
Caboose Atlas wide vision caboose 150-1900 blue/yellow blue/yellow Item 7a
Caboose MDC Roundhouse work caboose 480-3480 gray/yellow black Item 7
Caboose (1091-1093) Sylvan Pte. St. Charles Van HO-1007      
*Jordan Spreader Walthers Jordan Spreader 932-5350      
Difco Dump car Walthers Difco Dump car 932-5950 yellow black Set 6
Ballast car Walthers 41' ballast hopper 932-4200      
Boxcar Con-Cor 60' Grnville box undec 223-9630      
Boxcar (original) Details West 

Atlas

 Double plug door 

Double plug door

 500 

150-1750

 red (roof silver) 

red (roof silver)

 white 

white

 Item 1 

Item 1
Boxcar (current) Details West 

Atlas

 w/round ARR logo 

w/round ARR logo

 500 

150-1750

 blue (roof blue) 

blue (roof blue)

 yellow 

yellow

 Item 1a 

Item 1a
Boxcar Athearn McKinley Explorer Route 140-5050 tuscan red yellow Item 1b
Boxcar Athearn Single door 140-1200 boxcar red yellow Item 1c
Boxcar Athearn 50' double box 140-1309 blue    
Boxcar MDC Roundhouse 50' hi-cube box 480-1760 blue    
Mechanical reefer Athearn 57' mechanical reefer 140-5460 orange black  
Mechanical reefer Con-Cor 57' mechanical reefer 223-9800      
Coach Rivarrosi Coach 635-6606 blue yellow Item 9a
Diner Rivarrosi Diner 635-6610 blue yellow Item 9a
Vista Dome Rivarrosi Vista Dome 635-6608 blue yellow Item 9a
Baggage Rivarrosi Baggage 635-6604 blue yellow Item 9a
Pullman-Standard Commuter Cars Walthers Pullman-Standard SP Commuter Cars 932-5970 blue yellow  
Diner and cafe Walthers Union Pacific - 4800 series diners (4806 and 4815), and the 5000 series cafe cars (ARR 5004)        

* somewhat similar to prototype
 

Corresponding decals

Microscale also sells decals and dry transfers. The table below shows what they currently have available.

Microscale Decals

Stock No.
Manufacturer Type
Year
87-256 Alaska Railroad Freight Cars 60-70
87-279 Alaska Railroad Cabooses
70-80
MC-4094 Alaska Railroad Box Car High Cube 1993+

Need an Alaska Railroad Wildlife Express Dome decal? Click here! 

Rusty Wendlandt's release of the Alaska Railroad TNM hopper decals in HO scale

Troop Sleeper Cars

#1 #2

Many of us are interested in the W.W.II Troop Car conversions used on the Alaska Railroad.   There were at least two classes of box cars the 10000 series built from troop sleepers and the 15000 series built from Kitchen cars.

The Alaska Railroad contracted the modification of hundreds of W.W.II Troop Cars.   Box cars, hi-cube box cars, power cars,  MOW cars and camp cars were all built from the surplus  Troop cars received after the war.  The Alaska Railroad express heated and refrigerator cars, power cars and MOW equipment were built from Troop Kitchen cars which had different window and door placement.  While originally equipped with Allied Full Cushion trucks, many of these cars were later outfitted with a variety of trucks such as Bettendorf or National for interchange service. As of 2008 there are only a few MOW troop cars still on the Alaska Railroad. Their 50 year life cycle expired long ago and they can only be used in non-revenue maintenance activity.

Alaska Railroad troop car conversions are now possible starting with thin wall plastic kits produced by Cannonball Car Shop and most recently by Walthers. etched brass and plastic kits of the converted Troop Sleeper in both standard and high cube versions are also available now from Cannonball. Randy Thompson of Roundhouse Hobbies usually has these in stock.

70 Ton 2 Bay Ballast Car Kit

#2

Bob Garner - English Model Railroad Supply (a part of Bowser) is making a kit to make these ballast hoppers. Might serve as a basis for the ballast hoppers the Alaska has. It might not be exact, but it is close.

Curt Fortenberry:

This is the project I believe you're referring to:

https://www.bowser-trains.com/history/english70Ton.html

Here are the Shapeway's parts:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/P5ALG3TL5/3-ballast-gate-morrison-knudsen-conversion?optionId=56547854&li=marketplace

I don't know if he's doing a particular brand or not, or even using these parts. ARR did not have many of these with the open triangular section; I only have proof of one #14919. MK did these using a variety of donor cars.



 

Morrison Knudsen 2 bay ballast hoppers

Rusty Wendlandt's conversion of Morrison Knudsen 2 bay ballast hoppers - YouTube video part 1 and part 2

 

Thanks to Pat Durand, Curt Fortenberry, and Randy Thompson for providing this information
All trademarks and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
  The information on this page was last updated 1/3/21
 

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