# AMS Drop-Bottom Gons



## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

As you may know, I am a great fan of the 1:20.3 scale narrow gauge rolling stock that AMS has produced over the last several years. With certain reservations, I think they are beautiful models - almost museum quality, in fact - complete with full brake rigging, first-rate trucks (now that the "pigeon-toe" problem has been fixed) and excellent couplers with working breaker bars. All at a reasonable price, I might add.

Their latest offering, the drop-bottom gondola, pretty much completes the line of revenue-producing freight cars used by the Denver & Rio Grande Western (and others.) This time, IMHO (again with certain reservations) they've actually outdone themselves.









To give you a little history first, when I acquired a couple of their high-side gondolas a few years back, I was impressed overall, but also somewhat disappointed in some of the detail (or lack thereof.) The bolsters for the trucks (which had the afore-mentioned problem) made the car body ride too high, so they had to be lowered, and there was practically no detail in the interior, which is okay if you are going to run them filled all the time, but I wanted the option of not doing so if I wanted.









So I took the trouble of adding missing features such as corner braces, carriage bolt heads, NBWs on the floor and carving wood grain into the siding boards. (Whew, my fingers are still sore from all that.) But when I was done, I had some models to be proud of.










Fortunately, there wasn't near as much to do when I got a string of three of these beautiful drop-bottom gons from my friends, _Jonathan __Bliese_ and_ Clem O'Jevich_ (two from one, one from the other.) But, being true to my (bashing) nature, I had to do something to 'em. If nothing else, at least weather and letter them for my Dulles & Reston Garden Weeds RR (you know... the other[/i] D&RGW.)









Interior detail on the model is pretty much complete but AMS has it painted the same tuscan red on the inside as on the outside.









Judging from this example of one sitting on a siding in Silverton CO, the insides of these gons never saw a lick of paint in their entire existence, as far as I can tell.









So the first thing I determined to do was repaint to interior to make it look like the wood and metal parts weren't painted.










Before painting and weathering, I distressed the floorboards and the tops of the sides with an X-acto knife and a sanding drum in my Dremel tool. After painting, I strew some gravel around and secured it with diluted wood glue.









Turning my attention to the exterior, about the only thing I needed to do was install air hoses with gladhands that actually couple with small disc magnets. Oh yeah, one other thing...









You can see here on this original at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, that the retaining pins that held the ratchet levers in place were secured with safety chain, so they wouldn't get lost.









... so I added a bit to each one on my models, too. BTW, speaking of chain, another thing that impressed me with these models is that AMS finally got the type for the brake rod, which attaches to the brake wheel staff, right. Before this, they used a kind of necklace chain which I always had to replace.









One of the most interesting features of these drop-bottom gons is the ratchet and pawl mechanism on the ends of the cars, used to raise the doors on the bottom after the load has been dumped. (This shot is from that same gon in Silverton.)









On the AMS model, that detail is curiously absent.

I'll admit, at this point I may be "picking the flyspecks out of the pepper" and that's just all it is. The overall impression these models make is spectacular and I, by no means, mean to disparage them. I guess it's the "rivet counter" in me trying to get out. Theses are really great models!

Please let me, and the rest of the readers of these pages, know what you think. As usual, your comments and questions are welcome. Thanks for looking.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

As usual Jack, absolutely beautiful work! Thank you for posting these shots. I picked up one of these from Jonathan at the BTS last month. I'll see if I can do a little "distressing" to my #752.


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, Gary. 

Be sure to post some pix when you do. 

Good luck with yor project.


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## PapaPerk (Nov 7, 2009)

Jack, Beautiful work! They look real. I always check your website to if you've added any new equipment/pics. 

I consider your models the best I've seen. The weathering and detail is fantastic. 

Thank you for sharing!


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## PapaPerk (Nov 7, 2009)

BTW Jack.... how is your garden railroad coming? I remember you said in a post a few months ago that you were grabbing the shovel and starting on it.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Well _dang!! _It's been staring me right in the face this whole time! I wondered why these beautiful models didn't _quite_ feel right as I was looking at them! _The insides were never painted!!_ (Duh!) Okay, now that_ that"_s out of my system, what paint did you use to simulate bare wood? By the way, excellent work....as usual!


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

[No message]


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By PapaPerk on 13 Jul 2010 10:16 PM 
BTW Jack.... how is your garden railroad coming? I remember you said in a post a few months ago that you were grabbing the shovel and starting on it. 
Actually, I'm in the final stages of landscaping (ie: laying a fieldstone patio) and, whenever it stops raining, I should be ready to start grading and laying track as soon as the end of the month. I plan to document the entire process and post progress pix on MLS periodically. Stay tuned.


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## Richard Schmitt (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Jack, 
Nice work on the drop bottom gons. I did noticed that there is no wood grain on the inside vertical boards. Is this another short-cut from Accucraft like the high side gons? 
I like the added detail of the safety chains. 
See you at the 30th NNGC in St. Louis this August/September. The Sundance Central has gone thru some major changes since you saw it in Portland, OR. 
Richard


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Steve Stockham on 13 Jul 2010 10:45 PM 
... what paint did you use to simulate bare wood? 
Steve,

What I did with these cars was spray (with my airbrush) the interior with a base coat of medium gray acrylic hobby paint ("Reefer Gray".) Next, a lighter, mottled coat of medium tan ("Earth" is a good one for this) that allowed the gray undercoat to show through, more or less. Next step is a wash of diluted Woodland Scenics black dye that, once dry, I tried to scrub off with a damp sponge. Of course, I couldn't get it all off and what was left was actually what I wanted in the first place. Final step was a lighter tan ("Dust" or "Mud" for example) dry-brushed over everything to highlight the wood grain and tone down the black wash a bit.

Eventually, I sprayed an overcoat of UV-resistant matte finish on the whole thing to give the model a flat finish and to seal the water-based dye wash to make it waterproof. That's pretty much the basic technique I use on all my models.


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Richard Schmitt on 14 Jul 2010 10:08 AM 
Hi Jack, 
Nice work on the drop bottom gons. I did noticed that there is no wood grain on the inside vertical boards.
See you at the 30th NNGC in St. Louis this August/September. 
Richard 
Thanks, Richard,

Yes, I noticed that, too, but I learned my lesson with my two high-side gons. I wasn't about to scribe the insides of _three_ drop-bottoms! Besides, there's enough additional detail there to draw the eye and the lack of wood grain on the side goes generally unnoticed except by experts like you.

I'll bring them with me to St. Louis. Can't wait!


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Jack, 

Thank you for the painting tips on the drop-bottoms. I have SO MANY projects and so little time!


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Gary Armitstead on 14 Jul 2010 11:58 AM 
Jack, 

Thank you for the painting tips on the drop-bottoms. I have SO MANY projects and so little time! Well, Gary, I think it was Groucho Marx that said: "Time flies like the wind... and fruit flies like bananas."


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Fine work, Mr. Thompson. And your tree photo background looks nice too.


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By joe rusz on 16 Jul 2010 04:46 PM 
Fine work, Mr. Thompson. And your tree photo background looks nice too. 
Thanks, Joe... and please call me "Jack". 

"Mr. Thompson" is my father.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Your eye for the detail and accury is to be commended. Big thumbs up from me.


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks, Jonesy


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