# Doc Watson I am Not!



## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

I have had this Bachmann Box Car Kit for about two years now. When I took a temporary job down in Kayenta Arizona, I brought this kit along with me planning to get it built during the 13 weeks I would be there.








So I thought I would document the process. It is a rather easy kit to build, even for someone with limited skills like myself. The main body of the car is a single plastic casting. The underframe is also a one piece casting which simplifies the assembly. However, as I unpacked the kit, I got the crazy idea of modifying it to a certain extent.









I wish I could find more of these kits, but apparently Bachmann does not produce them any more and I have not found any hobby shop which has any of them. 

I have assembled a few kits in HO scale, but tackling large scale items has been a little intimidating. I have plans for a station which I drew up almost 10 years ago but I have not had the courage to attempt to build it yet. So When I noticed this kit in the garage, I thought it would be an easy starting point. If you follow this build, do not expect it to turn into a highly detailed model like some people are capable of. It will be a very simple modification of the basic kit.








Here are the tools I used in building this kit. They included various paint brushes, several types of paint, an Xacto Knife, a small miter box and saw, several files and this Acrylic glue which seemed to work very well.The Rustoleum Primer was used to paint the body of the car. It gave me a color which looked very much like a generic box car color. The satin paint was used to paint the trucks and the underframe.

More to follow.


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Neither am I Doc Watson, but when I read the line about your crazy idea I had to laugh. 
It seems I also am incapable of taking something out of the box and using it, no matter what it is. 
Looking forward to seeing your progress. 
Cheers


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

You forgot to pack the claw hammer and a chainsaw, what would a good bash be without those most basic of tools.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

JB,
Maybe you know already, but in case you don't, and want more of these, this boxcar kit is very frequently on Ebay. 
Looking forward to seeing what you do,
===>Cliffy


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't really know how to do Ebay. I have looked for items there but usually cannot find what I am looking for. Besides, I have seen what people pay and I think it is outrageous then add shipping on top of that. I will check it out.

Years ago I did sell a Fine Scale Miniatures kit on Ebay. I think I paid 75 dollars for it. I was hoping to get about twice that. To my suprise I think it ended up selling for about 500 dollars!










I spray painted the body of the kit and also spray painted the underbody and trucks. The roof was brush painted with some old 79 cent acrylic paints that I have had for more than 10 years.

The floor is scribed to resemble individual boards so I hand painted the floor with a combination of several acrylic paints.

After the body was painted, I went back and drybrushed it with several different shades of brown to add a little weathering. I will do the same with the other parts.

The Grab Irons were sprayed with the rust color and then brushed with several coats of browns to make them look rusty.

That is where I am right now. The next step will be my big foray into kit bashing.

Stick around and enjoy -- I have no idea how this is going to turn out.


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

When I noticed that the floor was scribed to resemble wood planks, I got the crazy thought, "Why not do the same to the sides and ends of the car? I happened to be in Walmart and noticed these "Skinny Sticks" in the hobby area. They sell for about 2.50 a package so I bought several packages of them. If I did not use all of them on this project, I figured they would make a nice load on a flat car.









These are really nice since they have straight ends, not like the popcicle sticks that have rounded ends. They appeared to be almost the same width as the planks scribed on the floor of the box car.


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

I am leaving in about an hour for Utah. We have a granddaughter graduating from high school and another grandson being baptized so we will be gone for about 12 days.

I will try to continue this description when I get back, that is if I can find this post.

Seems like posts get buried in a forum and sometimes it is next to impossible for me to find them again.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

John, it is relatively easy to find your own posts, or anyone else's. Click on your user name in the left column. This will bring up your MLS space. Click in the file tab that says posts. This will bring up a dozen or so of your recent posts. At the bottom of the page is a line "view all of jbwilcox's posts". Click on that and all of your posts come up. It is much harder to find a specific topic. 

Chuck 

PS once I have all of my posts up, the search function seems to work (most of the time) as long as I have one or more words in the subject.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Except for people with "hidden" user names! 

Greg


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

You can also use Google with a search value of -

* doc watson i am not! :mylargescale.com*


- or some such. It usually finds it.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg:


That is a problem with looking for other members posts, but he asked about finding his own past posts. 

Chuck


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By chuck n on 27 Jun 2013 01:41 PM 
Greg:


That is a problem with looking for other members posts, but he asked about finding his own past posts. 

Chuck


Real simple, just click "My Topics".


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Gary:


I forgot about that. 

Chuck


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

Continuing with my Box Car Build,

After painting the exterior and the interior of the car, I decided to add a little detail to the interior of the car. I bought several packages of Skinny Sticks from the local Walmart. They were stained with various shades of grey and brown paint and allowed to dry.

I measured the inside height of the box car. Next I took some Duct tape and taped a large assortment of sticks together. It turned out that the sticks were just long enough that I could get three cuts out of each stick.

I placed them in my miter box and started cutting with a razor saw. Soon I had a pile of sticks the height of the interior of the box car. The sticks were randomly mixed up to vary the color. 

You can probably guess what my next step will be: 










Will it work? Will it look realistic? When I started out I had no idea what the outcome would be.

Stay tuned and feel free to give your comments and critiques as the project continues.

John


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

John,

I assume by the reference made in your title that you are referring to the fact that you're not a very good guitar player. Great looking build so far. Looking forward to your progress.

Doc


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

I like your bundled sticks and cut in the miter box pic.
Gonna have to file that one away in the memory.

Tommy








Rio Gracie


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## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, something funny is happening. I was going to continue my write up on my box car modification by including another picture of the progress. However, today when I went to reply to the topic, There is no icon for adding a picture. The only thing I get is B, I, U and some centering options plus a happy face.

Has something changed or am I just doing something different all of a sudden?

John


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By jbwilcox on 21 Jul 2013 07:14 PM 
Well, something funny is happening. I was going to continue my write up on my box car modification by including another picture of the progress. However, today when I went to reply to the topic, There is no icon for adding a picture. The only thing I get is B, I, U and some centering options plus a happy face.

Has something changed or am I just doing something different all of a sudden?

John

I think you got the 'basic' editor instead of the full version used by first class members. Did your membership expire?

There's a tutorial thread on how to embed photos if you don't have 1st class privileges somewhere around. Ah - here's one:
http://www.mylargescale.com/Communi...fault.aspx 
[ www dot mylargescale dot com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/26/aft/127680/afv/topic/Default.aspx if the link doesn't work. ]


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