Rutland Milk Reefer No. 392
Model, Image and Text by Jay Conant
Image: Jay Conant
I started with a Walthers 40 foot wood reefer kit. I couldn't find the undecorated version because the kit was out of production by the time I built the model, so I removed the paint and lettering using brake fluid. Then I modified the car in accordance with the January '97 article by John Nehrich in Model Railroader entitled Quick Milk Cars. The door hinges are Grandt Line; the grab irons, which I replaced from the kit's molded plastic ones, are Detail Associates, as are the stirrup steps; the steps under the doors are made from .006" x 2 scale inch brass strap stock ... mine is from Simpson Models and may no longer be available, but Detail Associates has a similar product; the trucks are Kadee Andrews with Kemtron leaf springs (the last of my very old supply... but Chris Martin says these are listed in the Precision Scale catalog, although not carried by Walthers).
I painted the car using Testor's Model Masters #FS 34087 Olive Drab which Chris says is very close to the color the Rutland used for its passenger equipment. Decals are the new ones offered by Ray Muntz.
I've also used this kit as the basis for a couple of Rutland reefers. I'll send you a photo the next time I get the camera fired up.
-Jay Conant