A little journey into a fictional past

Contemplating the finished street track paving on my HO scale layout.

Economy is booming, a second boxcar was needed

More and more goods are shipped on my Traction Line, so a second boxcar was really needed. It is a again an Interurban CERA standard trailer with rounded ends. Both cars lo nearly identical, but they aren't.

Printed grabs (left) , wire grabs (right)

The newest car, the red one, was printed with solid handrails. The green car has hand mounted grab irons made of 0.3 mm wire.

Floor, with printed truss rods

Printed brake wheel and grabs. 

But as I am a little bit lazy, I tried to print the grabs with the body, in Shapeway's material "Frosted Detail".

The result is not so bad. Level of detail is the equivalent of 1970 plastic models. The handmade grab irons are a little more realistic, but the difference is hard to see, for my aging eyes ....

This means that the goal of a "ready to mount" 3D model is nearly achieved. All you need is to mount a pair of Kadee trucks, screw the furnished drawbars and clip the couplers. A coat of primer, and some paint, and the boxcar is ready to roll.

But now a box motor is badly needed.

Winona Windsplitter nearly completed

I am still waiting for my test prints of the Fort- Wayne - Lima Lightweight Combine, Shapeways is a little bit behind its schedules ...

I use the waiting time to complete the Windsplitter. Now it has a pilot, roofwalks, and the typical small circular toilet windows of Jewett cars.

Only the underfloor equipment is not yet ready, I need to do some final research within the old photos.

Searching the right tan (The true colors of Indiana Service Corp)

"Bambou Tan" of  1965 Datsun cars

There is still a big mystery around the "tan" color scheme of the Indiana Service Corporation. The color was described as Pratt and Lambert's Vitralite "light tan", but it is not easy to recover what this color really was.

The roofs were green and doors and windows red, the striping also green. What could be the nearest color matching ISC "light tan"?

"Deck Tan" Floquil

It is told that eye witnesses compared ISC tan to a tan color of 1965 Datsun cars. I made some renderings, one with a simulation of Datsun "Bamboo tan", and some others with various Floquil tan colors.

What is the best? 

"Early Tan" Floquil

"Sand Tan" Floquil

"Tan Special" Floquil

Indiana Service Corp. Lightweight Interurban Combine

(Update with a new render view, 2014, 01 20)

About 1928, Master Mechanic Arthur Reddersson from Indiana Service Corporation transformed the four ISC Lightweight Combines to one man operation by reversing the car, the former rear end becoming the front end. A folding passenger door was installed on the right, and a drivers cab window on the left. 

This 3D printed model is ready to receive a Bowser Drive with 28" wheels.
Before the first test print, some last details will be fixed.

The colors shown here are probably not prototypical and are subject of further research. Under Indiana Railroad management the cars were "painted traction orange" and altered again a little, dashlights were added, the air horn and the front light modified.