March 2025 Updates

Well, I've wanted to give an update for about a month.

In early March 2025, I've been feeling much better health and energy wise.  Making good progress on CAD drawings for several projects.

Creeping Sierra Cement Crud?!

Two weeks ago, everything went sideways when the whole household came down sick.  Several members needed hospitalization, one is still in with pneumonia (please keep them in your prayers to recover quickly).

Having seen better days, SP 4248 & SP 6387 wrecked at Guadalupe, California on October 21, 1952 - Brian Moore Collection

So shipments have been curtailed, as I don't want to share any of our unwelcome health issues with our fine customers!  I want to specifically thank the customer's who have put in orders over the last three weeks for understanding and accepting the delays.  You are all great and understanding folks, many of you I am happy to call friends.  I'll be getting the orders that came in during March out during this week.

3d Printed Accurail Conversion Ends

OMM 4074 B-50-13/14 Original Wood Ends, original proof parts.

I'm wrapping up a couple of minor changes to the pre-production Accurail B-50-8/10/11 and B-50-13/14 ends to improve the printing quality and de-spruing steps.

More Decals?

Our March 2025 Custom Batch of decals has arrived, along with a couple new versions of some sets and I'll be getting into those this week.

OwlMtModels' decal line continues to grow and be replenished.

OwlMt's friend and master decal artist Todd has also been down for a few weeks following a shoulder surgery.  So I'm sure we're all wishing him a speedy recovery.  I know several of his projects are very nearly ready to release here soon!

Hopefully all of those sets from the new batch will be ready to mail out to those of you that have asked for the custom artwork soon.

2-8-0 Conversion Kits

Still one of the old photos of the early prototype.

I know many of you are still calling me now that it's 2025 and asking about "Where are the 2-8-0 kits!?"  I've started working on them again in the couple weeks before the derailment of illness hit.  I'll be back to working on them again very soon.  So I'll ask for another short extension on this Epic Delayed project.  I know it's been said, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything..." To which I'll just add, "It's really hard to make new model trains from a hospital room."  I really don't want to be a patient myself!

In Closing

I want to thank all of you out there, who have supported OwlMtModels and the Hill Family over the last 15 years as we make fun and new model trains to play with.  This all wouldn't have been possible without your continued support.  I always enjoy talking to personally at conventions, by phone, and by email.  Thank you all so much.

Jason Hill

OwlMtModels

2024 October News Update

How Is It October 2024 Already?!

It's been a crazy 5 months since the last update.  I know I told some of y'all out there that we'd be getting these new lumber loads going in Spring of 2024.  I should know better than to say stuff like that.  My hand injury took WAY longer to get resolved that it should have.  I finally had the surgery and now healed up well.  So it's back to work and working on getting caught up with the planned projects.

New OMM 3006 Split Lumber Loads are coming!

So it's been very busy the last two months.  I'm expecting to have some new products for the SPH&TS 2024 Convention at Sparks, Nevada.  Here's a quick peek at what's on the arrival chalk-board.

New "Split" Lumber Loads

This new OwlMtModels #3006 Lumber Load kit will be exploring a new option, a "Variety Pack" which will have three different lengths of lumber.  The usual format of building units

New OMM 3020 "Split" Lumber Load shot.

These new kits are proving to be tricky to write our usual comprehensive instructions, given all the versions that can be create.  The new new tooling, which has 9 pieces in three styles: 25ft, 20ft, and 18ft. 

Here's a closer look at half of the stake-version of the load with figure-8 steel straps tying the stakes together.

In addition to the classic options of flipped panels, etc, there are now options to "split" the units down the center with stakes, or do you want to keep the two halves together and not model split loads.  The modeled boards are about 2.5" x 6", which is smaller than our previous offering size.  This creates a busier look to the ends of the loads.

Dialing back the clock, the 1950s version of the Split Lumber Load, with stakes and steel cross-bands

This is rather a "classic" lumber load look with a layer of "long" units that are filling about 1/2 the length of the car, which means that they are about 25ft long.  Then mixed 18ft and 20ft panels over the trucks, creating open space in the middle of the car.  The units could also be assembled onto the car with the upper units gathered towards the middle of the car.

Modern Steel Banding?

I've covered in several articles how to use black Chartpak 1/64" Matte vinyl tape as the high-tension steel banding that was developed during WWII and became common on lumber loads during the 1950s, and eventually replacing the use of stakes and iron wire support for the loads.

A more asymmetric loading of split units with modern steel-banding replacing all stakes, and using linear wooden "rails" nailed to the deck to keep the loads on the top of the car.

The use of "modern" steel banding and "split" unit configurations allows modeling of the fork-lift loaded pre-banded units onto the cars.  This allows options to get really wild un-balanced loadings on the car.  The car above is only 7/8s of our planned smaller kit, which has allowed some of the units to be as high as 48".  

Kit Mixing

Two sets of new Split Lumber Loads, built up and steel banded for use on post-1960 "modern" cars.

Use of multiple kits can create even more interesting options with more of certain length units, and then swap the extra material to the second car's load.  The two kits worth of parts above have been built-up into 27" units, and 32" units.  The 27" units seem to be the thinner units used in more modern bulkhead flats and center-beam cars.

At the SPHTS Convention, I'll be meeting up with some friends and we'll play with arranging these pre-built units on the more modern cars that I don't have in our OwlMtModels reference library collection.  We'll probably come up with a larger kit for the 60+ Ft long Bulkhead and Centerbeam cars, with instructions for those cars.

Conversion Ends for Accurail Boxcars

New 3d printed conversion ends for Accurail 40ft Single Sheath boxcars to bring them closer to SP B-50-series cars.

I had the early prototypes of this project printed at least a year ago.  The revisions that were needed were done, and the first few pre-production prints are here.

Multiple versions are in the works at OwlMtModels:

* OMM 4072 B-50-8/10/11 wood ends (with option for either plain end or lumber-door end.)  -CAD for this version is completed, but not pre-produced as of 2024-10-13

* OMM 4073 B-50-13/14 rebuilt steel Dreadnought Ends, vertical staff hand brake. (Almost all B-50-14s and many B-50-13s fitted during the 1930s.

* OMM 4074 B-50-13 As-built wood ends (with option for either plain end or lumber-door end.)

* OMM 4075 B-50-13/14 rebuilt steel Dreadnought Ends, with lower platform for power-brake refit. -CAD for this version not completed yet, as of 2024-10-13

So I'll have a couple sets of 4073 and 4074 available at the SP Convention in Sparks, Nevada, and then we'll be putting them into production to fill reservations, and get extra to sell on the website "soon".

4074 - Original Wooden Ends for B-50-13/14

SP B-50-13 with original wood ends, with B-End vertical staff handbrake details.

The B-end has some wild details printed into it.  Between the under-cut ladder styles and the retaining pipe printed in place as well.  Grab iron holes are marked for wire ones to be installed, but they will have to be drilled out, as the resin tends to fill them in.

SP B-50-13 original wooden A-end with lumber door.

Most of the wooden ended cars had lumber ends in them on both the SP and T&NO it seems.  I have drawn both the Lumber Door version and the Plain end with no door.

4073 - Dreadnought Steel Ends for B-50-13/14 with Rebuilt Ends

Pacific Electric B-50-13 with rebuilt Dreadnought Steel ends, which has the vertical staff handbrake.

The Dreadnought Steel ends with vertical hand brake.  I'm planning to do the lowered brake platform for the refitted power-assisted hand brake.

I've not yet seen a photo of how the Dreadnought ends would have had the lumber doors in them.  They certainly could have had one, but I don't want to commit to building the CAD model to print until I see one.

I've covered a but more about this conversion and what's involved on my personal NightOwlModeler blog, here: OwlMtModels Mini-Kit Conversions for Accurail 40ft Boxcars ... I'll get more information on that post as the parts become available for sale.

"Common Standard" 2-8-0 Conversion... Yet?

Oh, and a quick word on the Common Standard 2-8-0 Conversions.  I need to make a couple changes to the tooling plan.  I wasn't up to dealing with it 2-3 months ago, and the need to get the new lumber loads tooled overtook my schedule.  Hopefully I'll be back to that project soon.

In Closing

An SP F-70-10 with the "modern" version of the "Split" Lumber Load.

I need to get this post wrapped up and get back to work on the "Split" Lumber Load instructions!

Jason Hill

OwlMtModels

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