Lately I’ve been spending my time working on some Athearn Blue Box kits. These are older kits designed many years before highly detailed ready-to-run cars were available. For this Wednesdays Model Railroading post I thought I would offer up five short suggestions on how to improve these older kits. These are basic tips, like most of my modeling articles, and would also be applicable to other plastic rolling stock kits in addition to Atheran.
Couplers & Trucks
Athearn couplers hail from a different time and feature the “classic” hook-horn couplers. Today one of the first thing you will want to do is replace this with more prototypical knuckle couplers. Many people swear by Kadee couplers, including the classic #5. The #5 and its semi-scale relative the #158 can both be dropped as is into the Atheran coupler boxes.
couplers, including the classic #5. The #5 and its semi-scale relative the #158 can both be dropped as is into the Atheran coupler boxes.In addition to new couplers, replacing the plastic wheels with metal will improve the rolling characters as well as tracking less dirt around the track.
Added Weight
Blue Box kits are often known for their long steel weights running along the underframe of the car. However, often they are underweight compared to NMRA standards. A simple postal scale
can help you get your cars weighed to NMRA Recommended Practice 20.1. Anything from coins to washers and nuts can be glued inside the car to add weight. Just make sure the weights are well secured. Nothing is more annoying then dealing with loose weights bouncing around the inside of your car.
Painting
Most kits these days come factory painted in basic colors and roadnames. However, don’t underestimate the improvements that can be made with a little paint. Many railings and grab-irons will be molded onto the body. Taking a small brush or even a toothpick and painting these a different color will really help basic appearances. On my recent caboose project I painted the railings “Safety Yellow”. I also painted the red battery box near the undercarriage black.
Windows & Details
The caboose kit I was building did not include windows, instead it left empty frames in place of them. However, a kit containing window parts is available separately. You may want to consider adding additional detail parts to the basic kit.
Weathering
Atheran’s Blue Box kits offer the perfect canvas to practice weathering techniques. The cars are cheap so you can experiment without the worry of ruining a fifty dollar model. It doesn’t matter if your preferred method is paint, chalk, or something else entirely. Even if they don’t match your era these kits are a great opportunity to refine your techniques.
I’m sure I’m not the only one with a basement full of unbuilt Blue Box kits. I hope these tips, basic as they are, provide you with the encouragement to dig out some of those kits and give them new life. You may end up an adequate piece of rolling stock for your layout, or you may end up with a failure in the trash. Either way your skills will improve and all those kits under the layout may see some use after all.
If you have an Athearn model that you turned from trash to treasure, email me and I’ll post it on the site.
Back in the real world, I have a couple of news tidbits and articles to share. Bucyrus is currently hosting their annual Hobo Day Celebration at the restored T&OC depot. A Cincinnati area entrepreneur is seeking funding for hybrid trains. And lastly the city of Franklin is planning a new rail hub called Franklin Yards.
Lastly, if you like railroad history with a weekly modeling article on the side, be sure to subscribe!