Last year I bought dozens of used and cheap LGB-wagons on online auctions in Norway. They were starting to pile up in my hobby room, so I decided to start converting them so they eventually would look like something that could belong to and be hauled behind my large scale Heeresfeldbahn and War Department Light Railway (WDLR) locomotives.
I decided to start with an already grey low board wagon with nice German markings and lettering on it (which I wanted to keep). It would probably just need a blackwash to be ready for service:
I immediately noticed that this car had several unsightly holes in it's floor:
Off course I could just cover them by making another false floor like I've done on similar wagons, but then they would still be visible if the loads or floor was removed. -So I decided to fill them with Miliput:
When turning this wagon around it was just like turning to the dark side of the moon. I've only seen one side of it on the online auction, but when I turned it and saw the backside, it was literally a 'backside' (!) I dont know what the previous owner had done to this wagon, but along the 'backside' both the buffer beams were cut off, and so was the bars on the side holding the planks together and the shunter's steps were missing. I got it really cheap though and I guess you get what you pay for:
This was not going to be the very simple conversion as I thought as this was going to need a little more than a simple blackwash. Firstly I needed to make new buffer beams for both ends. I found a free STL-file for a similar chassis on Thingiverse which I converted and 3D-printed 2 new buffer beams:
-And 2 more steps:
Then I decided to trim off the bars on the intact side, to match the cut-offs on the 'backside'. I have so many identical wagons of this type so it will simply just add some slight variation among them:
Then I painted the floor, weathered the chassis, reassembled the whole ting and finally gave it that coat of blackwash:
I think it's ready for service now:
I guess the next pull from the 'pile of project wagons' will need less remodelling than this one.
Roger, very nicely done, and I know how you feel concerning eye glaring distractions. My problem is, I only notice them after I have painted and varnished them, and then put a photo up on my wide screen computer......... how did I miss that, lol.
ReplyDeleteMichael
Thank you very much for your kind words Michael. Some of these 'distractions' were of the major type, but I couldn't see them on the photos from the add, as it was just the 'good side' that was showing. Wagons looks the same both sides so I didn't notice until I actually got the model. But it is OK now.
DeleteI can second that finding 'new minor' distractions on photos taken after painting.
The truck certainly looks a lot better after all of your work Roger 👍
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind feedback Maudlin Jack Tar. This is the kind of LGB wagon you collects several of over time, so I think it's nice that it looks slightly different than the others. I still have a couple of them for coming projects.
DeleteRoger,
ReplyDeleteYou’ve done a very nice job of turning a rather mundane-looking low-sided wagon into something that really looks like a weathered and much-used piece of rolling stock.
All the best,
Bob
Thank you very much Bob.
DeleteThis is also some of the most 'common' LGB wagons you're most likely to add to any collection over time as they come in start sets and are very cheap and are often included in other lots. I've 'collected' more of them over time that I actually intended, but in my military use they're quite useful. I'm trying to make them look slightly different. I'll have another project with similar wagons coming up later on.
That is a great piece of restoration. Like you I have found the ability to 3d print replacement parts for vehicles, buildings, etc a game changer. No more fiddling with tiny bits of plastic are.
ReplyDeleteI have even designed and printed replacement weapons for figures that are broken.
Thank you Mike.
Delete3D-printing is a game-changer indeed. I don't only print replacement parts and loads for my military garden trains, but like you I've also 3D-printet (replacement) weapons for figures to give them 'new' weapons.
Thanks for reading and commenting.