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40: Also in reviewing the photo of Erie 75893, you
will notice that there are 2 minor ribs in between
each of the major ribs. I could see two options
for creating these. One was to use .010-diameter
brass wire from Detail Associates, or the other
was to use .010-diameter styrene rod from
Plastruct. I chose the latter. After all, it seemed
easier since it was styrene to styrene and I could
use solvent.
STEP 8B: The Minor Ribs and Rivet Detail
The Erie Railroad Boxcars Part 2 - 8
The major ribs are completed
with the running board risers
in place
STEP 8B: The Minor Ribs and Rivet Detail Continued ...
I cut the stock a little long so I could trim the
pieces after they were cemented in place. It also
provided me an area to grab onto with the tweezers
to pull the rod down over the side, ensuring that it
was snug the entire length of the roof.
I set my calipers to 8-3/4”, which gave me 3 equal
spaces. I used the same procedure as on the major
ribs, getting one end cemented in place and set
first, then pulling the rod over to cement the other
end. I checked each piece with the calipers as I
placed them, doing a little nudging to get them into
final position before the solvent had set.
Again, back to the photo as the guide, the roof
on these cars sets up a bit from the body. There
is also a line of rivets along this step up, as well
as along the major ribs of the roof. Yes, there are
rivets on the roof, too.
To raise the roof above the car body I cemented 4”
x 6” stock under each roof side and then filled in
the ends with 4” x 6” stock. I made sure that the
cuts are clean and that everything fits snugly.
Finally, it’s time to decal on the roof rivets. The
rivets are alongside the base of each of the major
ribs, and on the 4” riser for the roof. I began by
cutting sections of the rivet decals a little long for
the roof. I could get 2 pieces out of each strip with
the left-over being used on the 1” x 4”.
index contents
MRH-May 2013