How to Upgrade and Customize Cheap Rolling Stock

[@rwissbaum9849]

In this era of $50+ ready-to-run models, it's great to see that people are still doing a little extra work to get good models at a reasonable price. I had two Varney cars (a tank car and a reefer) from the very first HO train set I received as a Christmas present 60 years ago - new paint, decals, wheels and couplers made these some of the best cars on my layout. Don't forget to check the car weight: old cars are almost always under weight, and once they've been disassembled, it's easy to add more weight.

[@danielbackley9301]

Two things one remove the lettering before repainting this is easily done with rubbing alcohol and a q-tip . this allows for a better paint job by preventing bleed thru of the old lettering and means fewer coats of paint needed. The second thing is to apply the solvaset right after applying the decal if you watch your video you can see the edge of the decal film showing around the cheaspeake and ohio to the left side of the door . This occurs when you wait to long and thus do not get the decal to set properly. Learned these lessons 45 years ago when we had to repaint and reletter in order to get some roadnames that weren't available or if one was free lancing ones own roadname.

[@timw7946]

409 works well too. Let it soak overnight. Viola!

[@cdjhyoung]

A few additional things: before closing up the body, weigh the entire car and add wheel weights to bring the car up to NMRA minimum standard weight. But these adhesive weights at your local tire store - they will be many times less expensive than buying them at the hobby shop. Check the wheel sets with an NMRA gauge to make sure they are in gauge. The wheel sets you used from Kadee are virtually always spot on. Coat the car with dullcote to knock down the glossy look. It also gives a nice tooth to the finish that hold weathering chalks better.

[@chrissharp5073]

Im a Brit who models American ho scale railroads and find bargain pre owned railroad stock at model railway exhibitions and like you upgrade the box cars for my layout. Great job satisfaction in accomplishing these upgrades where you end up with a unique box car. Great video presentation

[@thecnwmondovilinepaulscota7304]

I inherited a whole fleet of Blue Box Athearn and Roundhouse rolling stock fro my dad. He already changed the couplers, but I added JayBee steel wheels to all of them, adjusted height, etc. The only thing I found is that almost every blue box 40' boxcar is lighter than NMRA standards. I added weight using peel & stick automotive wheel balancing weights that you can get in strips of 1/4 oz and 1/2 oz from amazon or Harbor Freight. The cars perform better with a little more weight.

[@michaelsmodelrailroading7665]

A very nice how-to video. Old Athearn blue-box rolling stock was quality to begin with, and is usually well worth the effort to restore and upgrade. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@MosriteCharlie]

If you intend to repaint the car, I suggest stripping the existing paint with either brake fluid or 90% alcohol. Adding to the existing paint over existing lettering makes the coating too thick over details.

[@hadynmcloughlin4661]

Love this especially for someone new to the hobby on a budget and starting out. Gives it a chance to make your own spin and customise to suit a project

[@TomasTrains7]

Awesome video, I love seeing old stuff being refurbished

[@toycarcollector]

You really did a great job on that box car. Looks better than store bought.

[@Greatdome99]

Yes, it is an Athearn--be advised that you can pull off the upper door rails and roof walk before painting. Paint everything separately, including the weight, underframe and floor and new brakewheel. Before painting car, remove existing paint and lettering by immersing in brake fluid or alcohol. Only takes a little while. Lettering not removed will often show thru any new paint. You may wish to replace the thick roofwalk with a thinner Kadee one. If you use spray cans, make sure they stay warm by immersing them in a pan of warm water. A cold can loses pressure and will ruin your paint job.

[@txag007]

To go a little more advanced the stirrups could be replaced with scale wire. Add a few break line details on bottom and replace the cat walk with a brass photo etched on top!

[@hadynmcloughlin4661]

Exactly the video was I looking for as someone new to the hobby, thanks for sharing your process and products used. Have some vintage HO rolling stock that need some new wheels

[@kgmodelrailroad]

Glad it was helpful!

[@co8466]

Great job I'm a hardcore C&O ❤ enthusiast

[@w.rustylane5650]

I have an old can of red oxide primer I use for my ore cars and boxcars. I had to thin it down with some lacquer thinner to get it to flow through my airbrush. I use Dull Coat I mix for my airbrush. For an acrylic gloss I use Future Floor Wax (Acrylic) mixed with Isopropol alcohol. I have a bunch of 1960 - 80's rolling stock I updated with body mounted Kadee couplers and Walthers Proto 2000 metal wheel sets. Cheers from eastern TN

[@whiskandplungertrains9707]

I would have sanded and painted the weight separately but I love in a very humid place Also to note used stuff is great when you are disabled like me you can still add on to what you have and not break budgets

[@majortomtogc]

That fixture you use to position the car for decals in pretty neat.

[@TrainDetailsbyGuss]

I model N, but this info still applies to my rolling stock. Thanks.

[@kenvandevoort7820]

I use an A-Line Bulls Eye drill jig to drill through the pins in the coupler boxes so the coupler cover can be screwed on. They will never drop off somewhere on the layout.

[@AlanFricker-u8l]

I would suggest using some kind of dry lubricant in the coupler boxes. This will allow the couplers to slide around a little easier.

[@MosriteCharlie]

Painting the floor that is visible when doors are open can be enhanced by running an Xacto blade over the grooves to reveal a shadow between boards. Dusting on a dark grey over the planks will give them an aged look.

[@thehouseofhorsepowerautobo4506]

I think you did a great job you made it your own personal creation pretty cool hopefully you come back and make some more videos!

[@kgmodelrailroad]

Thanks! More videos soon.

[@mlloyd45]

Cool video! What is that cool stand you have throughout the video to hold your model? That thing is awesome

[@michaelsmodelrailroading7665]

Yes, I noticed that very nice stand/holder as well. It looks like it's VERY versatile.

[@herbertrodriquez6456]

Kadee couplers and Walther's '36 metal wheels did it for me.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Great little tutorial. Thank-you...

[@paulsayer8248]

Thank you, I need all the help I can get, old at everything else new to this.

[@bethanysersion2223]

Very manageable project!

[@CerveloR5]

Wow I'm actually doing the same thing as I write this. Great video.

[@836dmar]

Well done! Looks so much better and likely runs much better!

[@azmike4202]

I suggest a 2-56 by 1/8 screw to hold down coupler pocket cover. Amazed you didn’t have shading of the old lettering through the primer. I usually strip my cars to bare plastic to eliminate that issue.

[@leroyducharme2477]

The KD whisker couplers are my goto coupler.

[@SantaFeBob]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you for sharing.

[@Davidsladky135]

I miss doing this

[@MosriteCharlie]

An easy way to "paint" the metal weight is to first lightly sand off the rust, then use a broad tipped Sharpie to coat the weight. Takes under 5 minutes and dries in less time. No airbrush to clean, no aerosol can smell either.

[@chrismiller5198]

The raised round casting marks on the underside of Athearn boxcar floors prevent the weights from fitting perfectly flat. I always sand those off.

[@mannyrich7083]

Sweet video mate! Very nice result - I'd love to see how the weathering goes 👍

[@MosriteCharlie]

Add car wheel weights inside from NAPA to bring the car up to correct NMRA standards.

[@whiteknightcat]

If you're going to paint the upper surface of the floor, you may as well paint the interior of the car as well before painting the exterior.

[@hunterriley9904]

Wow great upgrade!😎

[@MosriteCharlie]

Okay, you have painted the floor but to make it look more realistic, scribe the joint lines between boards with an X-acto blade revealing the black paint below, them, dry brush shades of gray over the tops of the boards.

[@Crookedriverandeasternrr]

Very nice job. Great tips. New to your channel. Thanks for sharing

[@randylearmonth4047]

That was a nice video, very informative

[@gunfighterzero]

Great video, you should keep them up

[@kgmodelrailroad]

Thanks! I plan on uploading new videos this year.

[@fredsmith6758]

Your car turned out great. I do a lot of custom painting myself. Right now I'm working on a Christmas 🎄 stock car. It's actually gonna be a reindeer 🦌 car. I made one for myself. And now I'm making more for sale.

[@frankkie3849]

Nicely done,,thanks for sharing…

[@MattTheLizard]

Incredibly great work.

[@chevypower1993]

Great tutorial.

[@morganhay859]

I recommend striping the cars before paint but the rest of the video was great

[@rockguitarist931]

What's the best brand of trucks for these old Athearn cars? I'm trying to tune up my roster but I keep running into the issue of the replacement trucks not fitting over the nub on the frame. I've been trying to find some good Kadees since those roll so damn well but maybe I'll have to settle for new wheel sets.

[@kgmodelrailroad]

I can’t really say, there are so many different kinds of trucks and cars and they all fit differently. One thing I can suggest is to get a truck tuner, it opens up the trucks a little bit and can really improve performance.

[@kevinleftridge8241]

Fine job👍🏽

[@tomryan943]

Where did you get that support for the model when you were applying the decals??

[@kgmodelrailroad]

It’s a Tamiya stand, you can find them for $20-25 online and at hobby stores.

[@thehouseofhorsepowerautobo4506]

Thank you I was going to ask the same question!

[@RVA1954]

Great video, thanks. What is the device that you used for working on the model? And where did you get it? Thanks

[@kgmodelrailroad]

It’s from the Tamiya Model Painting Set, I got mine from Hobby Lobby but they are available at many hobby stores and online.

[@RVA1954]

Thank you.

[@Johnny_Yuma]

Did I miss something? I didn't see you reinstall the weight.

[@tomryan943]

I have a couple of flatcars like yours. How did you weather it?

[@kgmodelrailroad]

For the top, I’ll dry brush acrylic paints in various colors to give a work look. For the sides I’ll airbrush a dirt/mud/dust color.

[@robertg8875]

Why would you get rid of the original tagging ?

[@eottoe2001]

TY

[@marvwatkins7029]

Excellent job. But wouldn't it make sense to use rubber gloves while spraying paint, etc.?

[@buentaste]

Nice job..

[@whiteknightcat]

The fully sprung metal trucks would suggest this particular car was originally a "yellow box" kit, pre-dating the blue box era.

[@garysprandel1817]

Or Revell

[@fleischmann_rowa_roco_ho]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@co8466]

Have you any old diesel electric c&o blue yellow and any passenger blue and silver

[@kgmodelrailroad]

No, but I do have several B&O locomotives that have the blue & yellow post-merger scheme.

[@co8466]

@@kgmodelrailroad great if there's a way I can see some pics if you have anything you would like to sell. If it's something that I could use in my collections.

[@microbusss]

well I like the real spring loaded trucks! I'd not change those yeah this be a old Athern model last time I washed a Tyco caboose with PLAIN water the coating came off! weird

[@derekalexander4030]

3 videos from 2020, any plans to continue? Nice job on the car and thank you for sharing your techniques.

[@kgmodelrailroad]

Yes! I plan on uploading new videos this year. Stay tuned and thank you for the feedback!

[@MosriteCharlie]

Why not strip the car before painting? Cheap brake fluid works great on hese cars.

[@LiamStojanovic]

Kit!!

[@Xxxxxx.5303]

👍👌👏👏👏

[@MosriteCharlie]

Stripping the shell in brake fluid will reduce the amount of paint used and make concealing existing lettering unnecessary.

[@markcunningham6086]

Your "how to" is pretty gud.... where did you go. 2 years ago need more content.

[@davidbell4986]

I don't know...6 bucks for the stock and 150 bucks for paint, decals and detail parts.. of course a lot of fun

[@michaellindsey8769]

I just keep my railcars like they are because it just cost more then that it self

[@ShawnCalay]

No paint stripping, no washing the model, no whipe down after decals??? A beginner can get misunderstood on this.

[@cwillpiko1994]

But now it has fingerprints all over it!

[@davidcurtis5398]

Been modeling for over 60 years and never have paid over $10 for any rolling stock. Don't know who made most of them and don't care. Rework them and make them my own...Spray paint from Ace Hardware is just as good and much less money and plastic compatible...

[@jamesstuart3346]

First, wear gloves so you don't smear finger grease all over it

[@mzyvettecrenshaw9670]

This dude must have a lot of time on his hands. Aside from repairing the brake wheel, all he has to do is weatherize it, it's already old, leave it alone.

[@jamesvokral4934]

Make it real, add horrible graffiti to all your rolling stock and don't forget the places on your layout where graffiti can be applied.

[@tazsnuts99]

Use aslo should of tune the wheel trucks so the cars runs nicer and no dragging

[@tazsnuts99]

Should use kadee 148 and drill out the tab for screws

[@tazsnuts99]

You ruin a good car shouldn't used a old athearn unmarked car