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Post by g3750 on Jun 19, 2021 3:28:13 GMT
I've been taking a little break from the Panhandle and working on a side project - a Weirton Steel caboose. As you probably know, steel mill rolling stock are some of the dirtiest and most poorly maintained equipment on rails. Sloppy or no paint jobs, high heat, and exposure to corrosive agents are all part of a day’s work. Below is Weirton Steel (WSX) caboose #4, a Pennsy N5 originally acquired for its scrap value but converted to slag run service. It was used on the end of slag car trains for the 3-mile run between the blast furnaces and the dump at Standard Slag. The model started out as an O scale undecorated Weaver Northeastern style caboose. I walled over the inner 2 windows to make it look more like an N5, spray painted it Columbia Gas Meter green (the Weirton Steel livery from the 1940s-1980s), applied home made logo decals and dry transfer numbers, and heavily weathered the body and trucks to reflect years of service and neglect.
  
This the first time I have ever tried seriously weathering a car.
George
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Post by firewood on Jun 19, 2021 3:36:20 GMT
Nice job - well done!
FW
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Post by josef on Jun 19, 2021 8:40:01 GMT
You did good.
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Post by 4dogsinjersey on Jun 19, 2021 12:12:07 GMT
The caboose looks great. It definitely has the “steel mill feel” to it.
Interesting subject matter too. Steel mills seem rather under represented in the modeling world, despite the availability of various rolling stock used in the steel making process, especially in O scale…
Tom
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Post by Adam on Jun 19, 2021 12:18:31 GMT
Nice job!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2021 12:28:43 GMT
Very realistic looking
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2021 12:43:52 GMT
Excellent work
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Post by ptc on Jun 19, 2021 12:52:25 GMT
You sure achieved the look you were going for.
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Post by dennym57 on Jun 19, 2021 13:55:24 GMT
Nicely done.
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Post by g3750 on Jun 19, 2021 14:04:54 GMT
The caboose looks great. It definitely has the “steel mill feel” to it. Interesting subject matter too. Steel mills seem rather under represented in the modeling world, despite the availability of various rolling stock used in the steel making process, especially in O scale… Tom
Tom, one reason for under-representation would be the size requirements. As you probably know, modeling even one operation (coke plant, open hearth, 1 blast furnace) accurately would take a huge amount of space. For awhile, I was a member (and officer) of the Steel Mill Modelers Special Interest Group (SMMSIG). It's a good organization to join if you are interested in amassing enough information to accurately model the industry - lots of resources.
HO scale has the advantage in terms of buildings and structures. Walthers has a steel mill building series that includes blast furnaces, hot mills, rolling mills, coke ovens, etc. These allow a steel mill modeler to get a serious head-start on a plant. And there are lots of other manufacturers that offer steel related products (hot metal cars, rolling stands, ingot molds, etc.).
It's true that there are some steel related cars in O. Both MTH and Lionel have produced slag cars and hot metal (torpedo) cars in both lit and empty configurations. But modeling steel in O requires a bit of trickery. The late John Glaab accurately noted that "Steel mill modeling is theatre". It may be tough to do entire plants, but there are things that can be done to suggest a blast furnace off in the distance or an off-layout coke plant or other facility.
Some things I do:
Use the backdrop. I don't have blast furnace structures on the layout. I use this photo I took in 2010 to indicate their existence.
Angle the mill buildings against the backdrop. That permits you to model more buildings (at least their ends). The green vertical line 1/3 of the way from the right is the backdrop. The mill buildings (bottom to top) are the Strip Steel (a rolling mill), the Open Hearth, and (more to the left) the Blooming Mill. The buildings are still pretty big, but if I modeled them full-size there would only be room for 1 (at best).
George
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Post by Country Joe on Jun 21, 2021 15:55:31 GMT
You did a great job on this caboose, George. 👍
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Post by laz57 on Jun 21, 2021 16:31:41 GMT
From one GEORGE atop another, well done👍👍.
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