Jack Thompson's

"skeleton log cars"

It has been said I like to take the ordinary and make it into something extrodinary. What I'd like to show is that it doesn't take much to do that and that you can do it too.

This is an example of how these cars looked right out of the box - a set of six cars offered by Bachmann. I really didn't do much to them other than replace a few detail parts and repaint them.

The first things to go were the plastic logs. I also replaced the stock trucks, with their oversized talgo-mounted couplers, with the Carter Brothers-ish ones from Bachmann's series of "1:20.3 scale" 20-foot cars. (Available from the B'mann parts department.) After adding Ozark link & pin sill-mounted couplers, brake wheels, pawls, and chain; then repainting, this is how they look now.

Here's a closeup of the replaced detail parts.

The original models have very good wood grain cast into them, but I had to add end grain to the longitudinal and transverse members (also to the truck bolsters.) This was done by dragging a razor saw blade across them with a twisting motion and accentuating here and there with a #11 X-acto blade.

Of course, log cars need to be loaded with logs, so that was the next step.

Please don't ask me what kind of wood this is, I got them from my friend Noel Crawford *. They aren't supposed to represent any particular tree species, I just like the looks of them. They have a good tight end grain and "scale" bark texture.

They're secured with Ozark chain, chain hooks and binders (not to mention also being glued down with Titebond II.)

If you don't want to (or feel you can't) build up a craftman's kit, you can still have some pretty decent-looking models with just a little extra effort. I'm living proof of that.

* Noel Crawford say's, "I wish I knew the name of the species of tree limbs I whack down in the woods close to me. I have been told that it is everything from Mock Orange to Hackberry, to "I dunno". Anyhow, what I do is go out into the brush in the fall or late winter (no snow) and select what looks good to me. Cut a bunch of 4 to 6 foot lengths, let it dry out for a couple of months then selectively chop it into approximately 1:20 scale lengths on my miter saw."