Box Car Detailing

My first H0 freight car investment was three cars from ExactRail - a 60 ft CSX Waffle box car, a CNW covered hopper and a SP Hi-Cube. The two former in the Platinum series and the latter in the Evolution series, meaning it lacked air hoses and cut levers. It also had Kadee #5 couplers, while the other two had #58 couplers. So I sat out to bring the hi-cube up to the same standard as the others.

The couplers was any easy replacement - unscrew the coupler box lid, replace the coupler and screw the lid back.

I fabricated the cut levers from brass rod, which I bent to the correct form using pliers. I mounted the levers on the car using a bracket (a "white metal" casting I bought) and by gluing the end to the underside of the draft box.

I then glued the air hoses to the other side of the draft box, and extended the air piping with a piece of styrene.

Next was painting. The cut levers, brackets and air piping got the same box car red as the car itself, while I painted the air hoses black. Last I gave the nozzle a metal (silver) coating.

And here is the finished car.