Breathe New Life Into Old Freight Cars

The local hobby shop I mentioned in this video is the YMR Train Shop in Westminster, Colorado. This is a non-profit hobby shop which sells donated, used model train gear and uses the proceeds to pay for field trips and modeling clinics for local teenagers interested in model railroading. (YMR stands for Youth in Model Railroading.) If you are in the Denver metro area, please stop in and support them.
Links to items mentioned in this video. (Note: I am NOT endorsing any particular product(s), nor am I compensated by or connected to any of the companies mentioned.) I do NOT guarantee that these links will give you the best available price! Consider these links to be a starting point for your search.
Kadee Car of the Month: www.kadee.com/shop-by-categor...
A viewer has corrected me: Northwest Short Line IS still in business. You can visit them at nwsl.com/ They sell a wdie variety of tools, along with geared wheelsets, repowering supplies, and much more.
Excel Sanding Sticks: excelblades.com/collections/s...
NMRA Car Weight Standard: www.nmra.org/sites/default/fi...
Life Color wood tones paint set: www.hobbylinc.com/htm/lfc/lfcc...
Car body weights: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
Tichy Train Group Stirrup Steps: www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/...
Tamiya Spray Primer: www.tamiyausa.com/shop/finish...
Sadly, Scalecoat paint is no longer manufactured. Two possible alternatives are:
Tru-color Spray Paint: trucolorpaint.com/spray-cans/
Tamiya Spray Paint: www.tamiyausa.com/tamiya-spra...
Remember that colors such as “Box Car Red” or “Reefer Orange” are generally not standard. Also remember that any car in service for more than about six months will have started to fade. So don’t stress too much about how “prototypical” a particular color is.
Microscale Decals: www.microscale.com/
Pennsylvania Railroad Freight Car Roster: prr.railfan.net/freight/
If you’re looking for prototype data on other railroads, you should be aware that many large railroads - past and present - have historical societies dedicated to collecting and preserving information related to those railroads. Every few months, Railroad Model Craftsman publishes a directory of many of these societies. The April 2023 issue listed contact information for 45 such societies, ranging from the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society to the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Historical Society. All of these societies offer membership opportunities, which usually include a subscription to a periodical publication devoted to the railroad of interest. Check ‛em out.
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This video was edited using Shotcut for Linux. Video footage and still images were recorded using a Galaxy A10e phone and a Nikon D7100 camera.

[@jakeabel9433]

5:00 Northwest Short Line is still in business. I just bought a bunch of parts for my Duplicutter and Stanton drives a few days ago

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thank you for the correction. Others have made the same comment. Mea culpa! I have provided corrected information and a link in the comments above.

[@notmuch_23]

The little imperfections I feel add more realism, since things like slightly crooked lettering/numbering, and a replacement rib on the underframe not quite matching would likely happen in real life over the service life of the car.

[@DJE2025]

👍👍Very nice restoration! The finished car looked Great. 🚂🚂

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thanks!

[@jimjohnston7688]

Very enjoyable video. Always great to see an old car refurbished. Lots of good tips.

[@steveashcraft718]

Good way to save money by redoing freight or other cars. Used cars can be picked up cheap. Excellent work you do.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thanks for the compliment. Not only is it a good way to save money, but I find it relaxing as well - a nice, easy, low-stress model railroad project.

[@michaelsmodelrailroading7665]

The finished car turned out to be a great looking model, well worth the several hours you put into it. Documenting your step by step process is very helpful, and inspirational to those of us intrepid enough to undertake a similar project. Thanks for taking the time and effort to share your work with us.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thank you for the kind words and for the encouragement!

[@greenbaypicker4976]

Lots of good tips and pointers. I have a bunch of cars that aren't the greatest models that I've meant to improve. Thanks for the encouragement!

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thanks for the kind words. I put these videos out hoping that someone will find them useful. It's nice to know that is the case.

[@josephseverino674]

Well done, bringing an old model back too life, with a cleaning,painting and detailing. A great video how this hobby can be affordable ,developing modeling skills and just plain fun as it should be.👍👍👍👍👍

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thank you so much!

[@billjacon4527]

Looks great! You have given me inspiration to do some of my own cars. All I buy is the used ones from my local shop. I replace the knuckles and wheels, and now I'm going to try pain and decals. Thank you for such detailed videos.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thank you! Comments like yours let me know I am achieving my goal of helping other modelers. Best of luck.

[@redbarnz]

Nice video! Thanks for sharing!

[@MikeyJr.]

Saw an EJ&E gondola in your video. I live near Joliet, IL where the EJ&E had a rail yard. My Dad was born at the Hospital across the street from there. He always use to say that he he was born when the EJ&E (the J) blew their noon lunch whistle. I have switched to O scale in my older age because its easier to see and handle. I have an EJ&E engine and a few cars myself.

[@rwissbaum9849]

My very first HO train set - 60 or so years ago - included a Varney EJ&E gondola. When I found the identical car on eBay, I bought it and refurbished it using many of the same techniques I described in this video. It's my way of staying connected to my beginnings in the hobby. The Sinclair tank car and the Wilson reefer were also part of that same set.

[@Morganstein-Railroad]

Excellent! Well done on your refurbishment of that freight car. I work in N gauge, and have done some weathering of rolling stock. Maybe you have too. Have you done a weathering video?

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thanks for the praise. I have not done a weathering video - I'm not sure I have much insight to offer in that regard. However, the video I am working on right now - assembling a "shake the box" freight car kit - will include some weathering ideas.

[@roberthultman9691]

One thing I always check on rolling stock is vertical movement of the coupler shanks in the coupler pockets. I minimize the vertical movement by inserting small pieces of transparent tape to the bottom & top sides of the coupler pocket as needed. This serves 2 purposes- 1) the coupler height can be very closely matched to the KD coupler height gage & 2) minimal vertical movement of the couplers means less chance of train break-in-2s especially if trains are going over ascending grades.

[@rwissbaum9849]

All excellent points. I've also found that using a Kadee #5 instead of a #148 helps to reduce vertical play - the copper spring acts as a shim inside the coupler pocket.

[@roberthultman9691]

@@rwissbaum9849 I think the KD #5 coupler centering spring is actually phosphor-bronze sheet metal, not copper............ a minor nit.......... You're correct, the #5 centering spring does take up some of the vertical space in the coupler pocket, but I find usually with Ath BB kits, the couplers are typically low & thus the centering spring moves the coupler the wrong way. If you put the centering spring under the coupler shank, then you've defeated the delay-uncoupling feature of the shapes of the 2 centering spring "fingers". Solution- use the whisker couplers, no sheet metal centering spring to fool with. Another "trick" I use to raise KD couplers to meet the coupler height gage height is to ever so slightly bend upward the front "lip" of the sheet metal coupler pocket cover........ combine that with the 0-80 x 1/8" screw securement for the cover, one can easily fine-adjust the coupler height. The very last thing I want to do to get couplers to the correct gage height is to stick washers between the car bolsters & the truck bolsters......... Doing so makes the cars look like they have their "hi-water pants" on.........

[@rwissbaum9849]

@@roberthultman9691 I stand corrected regarding the spring material. I did not mean to imply that the centering spring should be used to adjust the coupler height; only that it would reduce the vertical play of the coupler in the pocket. A lot of manufacturers set their coupler pocket height based on a #5 coupler with its spring; using a #148 sometimes results in a droopy coupler. I like your idea of transparent tape. If a little more thickness is needed, Evergreen makes styrene sheets that are 5/1000" thick. Nice to hear from a modeler who so clearly pays close attention to details!

[@roberthultman9691]

@@rwissbaum9849 You're correct that EGS thin sheet styrene can be used to shim couplers up or down as needed. Reasons I choose transparent tape are 1) cheepness & 2) it stays in place after I install it. Something else I routinely do is to apply teeny tiny amounts of dry graphite powder to coupler pocket interior surfaces & burnish the powder to the surface using suitably-shaped tools. For example, on plastic coupler pocket covers I very lightly file the surface on which the coupler will rest to remove any burrs or molding marks, then apply a tiny speck of graphite & smear around with a tiny spatula liberated from a college quantitative analysis lab 50+ yrs ago.

[@billdryden6275]

@@roberthultman9691  I agree with your comments about “tuning” the coupler pocket. Back in the Ath BB days, there are several points to attend to - filing the outside edges of the coupler box to reduce the molding double taper so the coupler cover would fit tightly; being sure the coupler cover sides are an actual 90° corners, again so the cover would fit tightly; filing the flat ends of the pocket to assure that there was not any flash that could interfere with the coupler swing; filing the kerf off the end of the centering spring which also interferes with the coupler swing - all of these are instrumental to having reliable coupler action. I also, file the shank of the Kadee shank just enough to remove the color, then lightly ream the holes with a hand-held chamfer bit (Harbor Freight) on each side of the Kadee shank to clean out any file fuzz. Sure, it takes a bit of extra time over just "shaking the box" and setting the car on the tracks, but if you're into operations, it saves considerable frustrations.

[@mlkesimmons758]

Thanks for the many tips and recommendations. The stirrup replacement options will allow some of my cars to make it out of the shops and back into revenue service. I'll watch again and take notes this time.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Tichy also has side mount stirrups, which I personally prefer. I couldn't use them for this project because the car had too much detail cast all the way to the bottom of the car side; but if your car has a bottom sill, the side mount stirrups look way cool.

[@davidballoid2118]

I like the lesson of being practical instead of wasteful, a lot of enthusiast can learn a few things from this and become a master modeler. Thank's for the video.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Very kind words. Thank you!

[@lmmplus4]

Enjoyed this video! I have some old Southern coal cares that needs some work and I want to restore them. I found this video to very interesting! Thank you!

[@rwissbaum9849]

If your cars have truck mounted couplers, you'll need to take a couple extra steps to get them performing well. I plan to address converting truck mounted couplers in a future video.

[@klsc8510]

With all the work you put into this car, I would have used sprung trucks. When I add weight to a car, I put the weight if possible between the bolster and the end of the car. My theory is this minimizes the car flopping to the inside of a curve. The added weight moves slightly to the outside of the curve to keep the car on the tracks. I have had great success using the Micro Scale system. I have gotten decals to form around car ribs. I once got 3 MDC 3 bay hoppers someone had decaled. The decal film was at an angle between the rib and car body. With a lot of Micro Scale Red, patience, and a soft paint brush, I got the decal to finally lay down fully over the ribs. As the decal softened, I used just the weight of the bristles of the brush to slowly stretch the decal film until it conformed completely to the ribs. It can be done!!!

[@rwissbaum9849]

Great comments - thanks. I agree with your comments on MicroSet and MicroSol. I have also found that, when all else fails, Walthers Solvaset might be helpful - it is even more aggressive than MicroSol.

[@billdryden6275]

@@rwissbaum9849 I started out with Walthers Solvaset nearly 50 years ago. It IS aggressive and you MUST be patient - it will bubble the decal and you will absolutely think it is ruined. However, and from experience, do NOT touch it; let it dry overnight and tomorrow you will be amazed at the way the decals snuggle down. 👍

[@wabisabi6875]

Nice work, thanks for sharing. This kind of re-do and restoration is essential to modelers who don't have the income to fork over $40 (!) for a single freight car. I find, however, that attaching the stirrups last prevents them from getting broken off during the handling of the car body.

[@rwissbaum9849]

My point exactly - not only can a modeler build a pretty nice roster for not a lot of money, but these projects are quick, they are relaxing, and they are great skill builders with almost no risk. After all, if you destroy a $2 car, you're not out a lot of money. I try to attach stirrups just before I paint the body - that way I can prime and paint them the same color as the car body. Tichy's stirrups used to be cast from styrene (in fact, I still have some of the old ones hanging around). The newer ones are cast from Delrin and they are a little less likely to break if they are bumped. The downside is (a) they MUST be primed before painting, and (b) they must be glued on with CA, not styrene cement.

[@billdryden6275]

A good video, well done. Couple of points from my own experience. (IMO - of course) First, I believe that the NMRA weight standards are consistently between 1 and 1½ ounces too light for my preference; the heavier car tracks better and has fewer derails. Next, I have found that the "3-point" policy for tightening trucks still allows for card to wobble down the tracks. I tighten both trucks until the are at the point of slightly binding, then loosen the screw about the thickness of the screw driver blade thickness. The do not wobble, they track very well and rarely, if ever cause any problems going through turnouts during operations. Last, I drill and tap nearly ALL coupler pins for a 2-56 x ⅛ blackened screw. I do not have to [then] go back later and fix something that should have been done correctly from the beginning. I agree with using Accurail truck frames as needed, though I do not normally swap out the kit frames. Also, I choose to use Kadee #148s (#5s but with whisker centering springs) and Intermountain wheelsets in lieu of parts that come with most kits.

[@rwissbaum9849]

There's a lot of good stuff packed into your comment. First, I had never considered adding weight beyond the NMRA standard - I had merely been alarmed at how many (that is, nearly all) cars fall below the standard and so I focused on bringing their weight up to standard. I will try your suggestion to see if it improves performance. Second, your point about tightening trucks is also well made. I've found that mounting the trucks on the bolsters is also critical: it is not sufficient to have a flat mounting area on the bolster. I routinely add a length of 1/8" styrene tube in the center of the bolster, protruding about 1mm beyond the face of the bolster. This helps center the truck on the bolster and still allows the trucks to be fully tightened. I'll be demonstrating this method in an upcoming video. I also like your comment about drilling and tapping coupler mounting pins: couplers mounted using screws are always more trouble free than snap on coupler covers - I've just been lazy in this area, I guess. For viewers who have never drilled out the coupler mounting pins, A-Line makes a wonderful drill and tap jig set that makes this task easy - it'll set you back about $30. Finally, I try not to disparage any particular product; instead, I prefer to demonstrate my preferences. In this case, I replace all couplers with Kadee #148 or #5 (unless I need a specialty coupler like a short shank coupler); I replace all truck sideframes with Accurail (unless I need something other than a Bettendorf sideframe ); and I replace all wheelsets with Intemountain. (By the way, do not be fooled: one coupler manufacturer - I won't say the name but it rhymes with "photo-flax" - makes an all-plastic coupler that looks almost exactly like a Kadee #5 - even to the shape of the coupler shank and the phosphor-bronze centering spring.)

[@billdryden6275]

​@@rwissbaum9849 Thank you for you comment about not disparaging products; I modified my comment accordingly. btw - My method for truck tightening takes a touch to get the tension correct; it is truly more of an art, but with practice, it becomes almost second nature when mounting trucks. On cars without a kingpin, using a ⅛" styrene rod/tube is a must. The Plastrut ⅛" tube, IMO, is ideal, the ID is just about correct for a 2-56 screw without having to drill it out. As you said, keep the pingpin short. The real critical thing about tightening trucks - the kingpin MUST be shorter than the thickness of the mounting hole on the truck bolster; otherwise, you're tightening the screw onto the kingpin and not to the truck bolster. I have a 10" flat file that works well to shorten the factory kingpin. I go over the end of the kingpin a couple of passes (or s necessary) with just the weight of the file pressing down and it does the trick quite adequately. Then, all that is needed is a bit of cleanup to get rid of the "filing fuzz". Then, I will tap the hole for a 2-56 screw and mount the trucks. About using a drill and tap jig - I have been doing this for a long that I am able to get the holes drilled pretty well centered and perpendicular without any jig, though I have thought about trying the A-line jig. Couplers - I began primarily with the KD #5s, though I have some cars old enough that have the #4s (didn't know how to swap out draft gear boxes back then) and I used the 6,7 & 8s on locomotives to greatly reduce the risk of cross-shorting the frames through the couplers. Since Kadee introduced the #148s, I am buying them in bulk and using them almost exclusively (still have some #5s hanging around). Also, I choose not to use the #158 ("scale size") couplers; in my experience, they aren't as consistently reliable mixed with the "standard size" and I have too many of the latter to consider converting everything over (HA!).

[@rwissbaum9849]

@@billdryden6275 I've had good results using Evergreen 1/8" tubing - I suspect the dimensions might be the same as Plastruct. The Evergreen tubing doesn't even need tapping (although I tend to use Accurail 2-56 screws, which are advertised as self-tapping.)

[@kimrok1]

Great job!

[@dennispaulson8734]

Good video lots of good tips how to make a car come to life again. thanks for the information. 👍👍 Canadian Rockies

[@Greatdome99]

Strip paint from car first (brake fluid or alcohol). Get rid of steel weights, as they are affected by uncoupling magnets. Be aware Delrin detail parts do not take paint. Replace fat roofwalk with a thinner Kadee (or equiv) one--makes a big visual difference!

[@rwissbaum9849]

I'm lazy - I only strip paint when the original paint job is very heavy. My next video will show me stripping paint from a passenger car. The Delrin stirrup steps - and, indeed, the Delrin sideframes from Accurail - must be primed before they accept paint, but they will take a good primer. You are absolutely correct about the running boards. I have a video in the works in which I (a) shave/sand off the cast-on ladders and hand grabs and replace with separate parts, and (b) replace the running board with Kadee. The issue of steel weights being attracted to uncoupling magnets is new to me; but I don;t use uncoupling magnets. Very interesting.

[@michaelthayer643]

Very well done.

[@RubberChicken10000]

Awesome video. Thanks for the tips!

[@1610nsb]

Excellent video thank you very much

[@canyonpast]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@Christiane069]

Good job. Very interesting and simple to do, and very inspiring too.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thank you!

[@Classic_Electrics]

Great video! This will be an excellent guide for when I get back into more serious model railroading. One thing I thought was interesting is how similar your work here is to what mine would have been. Since I’ve been mostly self-guided, it’s nice to know there are others doing things like me! Thanks for the video.

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thanks for the kind words. The response to these videos has opened my eyes: I thought the hobby in general was moving away from building in favor of ready-to-run. Based on the interest and comments, that is clearly not the case.

[@Classic_Electrics]

@@rwissbaum9849 Anytime, and thanks for replying so soon! I tend to like both styles, but I always install Kadee couplers on everything (as well as those Intermountain wheelsets if the factory ones aren't metal).

[@michaelquinones-lx6ks]

Nice! I'm inspired by your video in refurbishing and repurposing old trainset cars that will give me some hints on how to do it.

[@rwissbaum9849]

One thing that makes these projects interesting is that every one offers a different set of challenges. I may do more videos in the future featuring different cars.

[@steveg3981]

Great video. Well presented. Got yourself a new sub. Thanks

[@rwissbaum9849]

Thanks for the compliment. Welcome!

[@Steamerthesteamtrain]

I'm rebuilding a Blue Box F7 although it's not on a budget though.

[@rwissbaum9849]

I applaud your ambition! (And I don;t see how you could do such a project on a budget.) I have in my stack of "someday" projects my old Varney F3 - received as a Christmas gift almost 60 years ago! I have already taken a razor saw and cut off the cast-on "diaphragm detail" and prepared to install an actual diaphragm. I have also collected an array of detailing parts and a cast-off Athearn Genesis DCC mechanism. My next step is to continue removing cast-on details (ladders, hand grabs, and the like). Then I need to add the new details, prime, paint, decal, etc. etc. I keep asking myself why I want to go through all this effort, and I have just one answer: sentiment. I would love to see that gift from my childhood revitalized and running on my layout! Let me know how your project proceeds.

[@Ravenbow]

Great video. Fantastic presentation. You have a new subscriber. I have wanted to do this with many pieces of rolling stock that have come my way over the recent years. Whenever I try to price replacing the hook-horn couplers, trucks, and wheels, I find the cost to be prohibitive for an otherwise free or sub $5 car. You link many of the products seen in the video which is always appreciated. Would you (or others) mind stating the products brand and product numbers used specifically the wheels, trucks, and couplers? (I know you say it, but I want to know I heard right) Having a name or link also saves me trying to replay that section of the video many times to extract the information to begin a search. Thank you again for an inspiring video.

[@rwissbaum9849]

I always provide links to the products I mention in the description of my videos (you'll have to click "show more"), but in case you missed it: For couplers, I use either Kadee #5 or Kadee #148. Kadee #11, which is a 20 pair bulk pack, can be bought for about $32 (shop around!) Kadee 148-25, which is a 25 pair bulk pack, can be bought for about $52. So your coupler cost will be $1.50 to $2 per car. I always use #148 unless the coupler pocket is too deep, causing the coupler to droop. (See the exchange with Robert Hultman below.) You might also need a supply of replacement coupler pockets. I use Kadee #242 - this is 10 pair for about $4, adding another 40 cents per car (when needed). I buy my truck Bettendorf sideframes from Accurail - part #164 (12 pair), #154 (50 pair), or #151 (100 pair). If you are modeling the modern era, you'll want roller bearing trucks, parts #165, 155, 152, repsectively. Trucks will cost a little over $1 per car. Note: the 50 and 100 pair packs are sold only through Accurail's web site. I buy Intermountain 33" metal wheelsets, part #40050 (12 axles) or #40055 (100 axles). The 12 axle pack retails for $14.95 and you'll rarely find a significantly lower price. The 100 axle pack retails for $114.95, but just now, I found a price of $83.79 - that's a cost of $3.35 per car. One final note: I live 100+ miles away from the nearest hobby shop, and 200+ miles away from the nearest *good* hobby shop. As a result, I do a LOT of online purchasing. Some tips: (1) pay attention to shipping charges! (2) find a supplier who sells everything you need and place one order to reduce shipping costs (but you'll want to compare the total order cost, plus shipping, among suppliers). (3) order extra! This also reduces shipping costs. Best of luck!

[@rwissbaum9849]

Oops! I seriously thought I had included links to trucks, wheelsets, and couplers; but I see I omitted them. Sorry!

[@davidcurtis5398]

A lot of this seems a waste of time as a lot of the work can not be seen when the cars are on the layout. Only if and when you pick up the car will the fixes and addons be able to be seen.

[@rwissbaum9849]

You are absolutely correct - a lot of this is purely personal preference. As you see, I tend to go overboard, not just on repairing parts that normally won't be seen, but also on researching prototypes to try to get as many details as "correct" as possible. By showing everything I do, I hope that people will say to themselves something like "I'm never gonna do THAT," or perhaps even, "Hey, never thought of that - maybe I'll try it." Regarding the waste of time, I don't know if I mentioned it anywhere, but I recorded just over two hours of video on this project, and the only parts I did not record were drilling the holes for the stirrup steps, applying the decals, and painting. So I'd guess I spent a total of about 3 hours on this one car. For me, the fun is more in the journey than the destination, so I enjoy it all. Others, of course, don't have as much time to devote to the hobby as I do, so - like you - their perspective will be different. Thanks for your comment!

[@michaelsmodelrailroading7665]

It's all a matter of personal satisfaction.

[@readingthebible5413]

Ten dollars….plus a couple hours of your time. Most people can get a job at a fast good place for $18 an hour. Professionals make considerable more than that but we will stick with $18 an hour, and we will say 2 hours. That’s $18 + $18 + $10. $46 in total. If you say you’re doing this for hobby and relaxation purposes that’s cool. No more explanation needed. But if you’re trying to save money? Ehhhh, arguable….as I’ve shown.

[@rwissbaum9849]

The only way one can reasonably argue that their time is worth $X per hour is if they have to give up the opportunity to work those hours. By your argument, a single good night's sleep costs you $144. In that same vein, if I spend 8 hours volunteering at a charity, the IRS doesn't allow me to deduct lost wages as a charitable donation. Now, if you want to argue that you can only allocate 2 hours a week to your hobby, and you'd rather spend those 2 hours operating trains (or building scenery, or whatever) rather than working on a model, THAT'S an argument I can agree with. We're all limited by time, space, and money; and we all have to decide where our priorities lie.