40 Steel Reefer - Weathering

[Greg@mnrr]

Forum:

I'm starting to use some different methods to weather some of my freight rolling stock. I started with an Athearn RTR steel reefer and did a heavy weathering job.





The story behind the weathered reefer is that it was stored on a siding near Chicago for 15 years and the Milwaukee Northern (MN) purchased the car at auction for salvage prices. The management of the MN needed some inexpensive cars for local freight deliveries on the line. I intentionally did a heavy weathering job. I'm not a fan of graffiti, but is a sad part of real railroading.






I still need to finish the couplers and do some fading on the ladders.

Thanks.

Greg

 

[cajon]

Greg
Very doubtful that a car from the '30s-'50s would have been tagged like that. Those kind of cars were all scrapped by the end of the ''70s. That kind of "art" didn't begin til the '80s. At most a car from that era would only have RR clerk, train men, car men & hobo chalk markings.

 

[Greg@mnrr]

40' Steel Reefer - Weathering

Andy:

You're correct about the tagging on a car of this vintage. A fellow modeler in our group also pointed out that graffiti would not be common nor would this car of this era be around to survive today.

My explanation, using some modeler's license, is again this car survived through the years like the photo of PFE Car #910094 (from the collection of R. Sorensen - dated 2005) as a MOW car. And, then sat on a siding for 15 years until sold to the Milwaukee Northern.



The tagging was just done recently while the car sat idle on a remote siding.

Thanks.

Greg

PS: Besides, the price of the car was cheap and it was fun doing.

 

[Airslide]

pretty amazing that car is still around.