Leadville Shops Build

[Keith Hayes]

I purchased a Leadville Shops kit for a D&RGW 4000-series boxcar. I had been looking for a model of this car and wanted to try one of the wood kits being distributed by Leadville Shops.

One feature of the kits is a brass etching for brake jewelry and metal fittings.


The frame and floor.


Underframe  details.


The box is constructed. I tried a new technique and painted the sub assembly with Vallejo flat brown.


The roof structure and carlines really caught my attention.


And the model so far.

[South Park]

  Your little people seem to do nice work, but I gotta
wonder, ....  did the D&RG and SOuth Park really flip
them on their roof to work on the underside ?  

[Keith Hayes]

Progress.

[Keith Hayes]

And this one is close to done too.

(Sorry for the D&RGW content)
I had long wanted a 4000-series car, just for comparison. Bob Grandt published a photo of 4359 in Eureka, and since my Grandfather worked top side at the Sunnyside, I went with that car. The decals provided appear to be for the 1903-era Lettering, and I would have preferred the slightly larger to model the larger font post-1913 scheme. An allure of the Eureka car is the added "W" reflecting the 1923 reincorporation of the D&RGW. Oh, well. This car will get some heavy weathering to reflect a well used revenue car that has not been repainted in 20+ years. Watch for it to show up in smelter service, hauling ore between the Silverton-Ouray area and Leadville.