Speaking of Models
by Steve Hile

In the Model categories, the winner were as follows:
Locomotives
First         Les Brandt        RS-3  #496
Second    Ken Jenkins      4-6-2  #978

Rolling Stock
First         Ed Nellis        War Emergency Gon.
Second    Steve Suhs     Baggage Car #4120

Structures
First         Russ Kokotan Warehouse and Store (O Scale)

Maintenance
First         David Koziol     Blue Island Wreck Train
Second    Mark Wilson     Ballast Hopper  #101000

Best of Show (awarded by host committee)
went to David Koziol.

All of these models were outstanding, but I want to highlight a couple of them.  Les Brandt�s RS-3 had a high level of added detail.  Starting with an Atlas RS-3, he
milled the frame with a Unimat to clear new Tiger Valley air and fuel tanks.  Tiger Valley also provided the steam generator fittings and marker lights.  Les reports that they are a good source for ALCO parts.  Working from photographs in Rock Island Recollections and those he took as a teenager in Tinley Park, he removed certain louvers to match the photographs and to clear the head end power boxes (from Custom Finishing) on the long hood walkways.  All of the cast on lift rings and hand grabs were replaced with wire parts.  Even the plastic handrail stanchions were drilled out to accept wire railings.  Additional detail items from Details West and Detail Associates were used to match the prototype.

He painted his unit with Floquil paint and decorated it with Microscale decals.  Floquil flat finish protected the decals.  Modest weathering gave the model an in service appearance.  His truck detail including fine chains was also very effective.  All in all, this was a worthy winner.

Ed Nellis� war emergency gondola was voted best in the rolling stock category.  It was assembled from the stock Funaro and Carmelengo flat molded resin kit.  Ed�s background in fine arts stood him well on painting and weathering.  The base color was Floquil freight car red from the spray can.  The kits decals were used.  The weathering was done with oil washes, acrylics and powdered chalk.  The very realistic scrap metal load was created by gluing layers of scrap metal cut from a piece of metal filter material that Ed found in the street over a basic form of balsa wood.  The balsa was hollowed out to accommodate some lead weights to give the otherwise light car sufficient weight for good tracking.  The entire load assembly is removable.  With no space currently for a layout.  Ed is concentrating on model building.  Congratulations.
David Koziol�s Blue Island wreck train was very popular.  Here�s Dave to describe how it was done.

�Crane tender #95058: This car started with a Red Caboose 42-foot flat car kit. The basic car was assembled as per the kit instructions leaving off some stake pockets to match photos. The boom rest was built from various styrene strips, channels, and I beams. The tanks on either end were made from sheet styrene and plumbed with Precision Scale pipe fittings. Measurements for the boom rest and tanks were scaled from photos from the Rock Island Color Guide To Freight And Passenger Equipment.  This car along with all the support cars are painted with Model-Flex maroon tuscan oxide red. All cars were lightly weathered as the prototypes were normally kept clean.�

�120-ton derrick #95017: The Industrial Brownhoist crane was built from a Tichy Train kit. The kit comes with an open cab. After assembling the cab, the sides were added with sheet styrene sized to fit with windows and doors to match photos. The rear of the cab has added piping, a steam whistle, and a light added.  The boom was lengthened using parts from a second kit and boom tie-down cables were installed. These cables were draped back over the boom as I could find no photos of the Blue Island crane with them attached to their proper location at the frame. This model was painted engine black with light weathering. The hooks are reefer yellow.�

�Boom tender #95101: This is also a Red Caboose kit with one end of a Tichy USRA boxcar rebuilt with steel sides added at one end of the flat for tool storage. This car also has a scratch-built boom rest.  Although the flat and box are not perfect matches for this car they capture the feel quite well.�

�Crew cars #95173 & #95049:  The combine (95049) is an Eastern Car Works 78-foot PB-70 combine with the arch roof taken from one of their arch roof coaches. This car was assembled pretty much as per the instructions. 95173 is a Bachmann Spectrum coach with the end doors blocked off and some windows painted over. The roofs on these cars are weathered black.�

�Rail and tie car #95068: Here is yet another Red Caboose flat car. It has tie cribs made from styrene strips, the measurements are guesstimated from photos. On both ends are boxes made from sheet styrene for the storage of tie plates, spikes, angle bars and bolts. The cribs were filled with Kappler ties and code 70 weathered rail was cut to 39-foot lengths and stacked on either sides of the cribs.�

�All cars were lettered with Micro-Scale Rock Island freight block lettering decals. I would like to thank Paul Hunnell for providing the numbers of the two passenger cars.�

And thanks to Dave for providing this report.  It serves to show us what can be done with readily available kits.  Although the Rock Island was through with 42 foot flat cars in revenue service by the era I model, Dave has shown a good use for the nice Red Caboose model.  I still want to do the flat with the crane and ramps.

Short Hauls