I looked through my railroad books and realized most Porters and similar locomotives worked on quarries, sandpits, industrial tramways, and even small logging operations. That led me inexorably into the cabinets of my garage where sat a passel of small LGB 4045 four wheel side stake cars I had acquired when a local hobby dealer broke up some sets and sold them at a big discount. My first act was to paint the cars' barrel loads and use them for gondola loads.

THE SIDES AND STAKES

The first difference between the LGB cars and the small rolling stock I saw in my railroad books was the size of the wheels and couplers. It virtually smacked me in the face. The wheels and couplers on the models were more than the wrong shape; they were much too large. LGB may have had to build them that way so they would be consistent with the rest of the line, but I was under no such constraint.

My good friend, Dean Lowe, had shown me cars he had built. They used Ozark link and pin couplers and looked very real. They inspired me to add stakes and side boards to the LGB 4045s to turn them into variable height ore or gravel cars. I could add or remove sideboards depending on the density of the material my railroad had to transport. The sideboards would rest in U-shaped channels similar to those in a sluice gate.

When I examined the car sides it became clear I needed only one side of the channel. The stakes would act as the other side. So I cut some boards to about 3x12 scale inches, stained them to the approximate color of the plastic, and glued them behind the corner posts. Then I cut the sideboards to fit between the corner posts.

I severely distressed the sideboards, then stained them with Floquil #110720 Driftwood stain. I happened to use old redwood so the color was dark enough to begin with and the stain alone made it look just right. If you use a lighter wood you may want to add a second wash of Floquil Rosewood.

MODIFYING THE FRAME

When you remove four screws from the bottom of the frame the body will come off. You should also remove the wheels and couplers. Before going further, paint all the black plastic with Floquil Roof Brown, Antique Bronze, or a combination. That will provide a believable rust effect.

Next the cars need small wheels. What? I forgot to mention Dean Lowe also had turned some small wheels for his little cars? I bought several sets for my own project. [The wheels are available from Lowe Loco Works, 4752 Catalina, La Verne, CA 91750.-Ed.] Pick up some wheels for your own cars and, while you're at it, add link-and-pin couplers. Go ahead, dive in! You have already painted the cars. Even if you find link-and-pin couplers to be a royal dolor in the you-know-what you may still replace the LGB couplers and the big wheels. But you can't use the little wheels with hook/loop couplers. They lower the car so much the tail of the coupler drops below the railhead and when you hit a turnout, kawhoom!

Paint and install the small wheels just as you would any metal wheel. The couplers go in just as easily. After you remove the LGB hook/loops you will see a cylindrical protrusion on the frame. You must cut it off and file it flush with the remaining shank. That is where you will place the new coupler.

I attached Ozark OM-6 link-and-pins by drilling a hole about 1 centimeter from the old screw hole. I secured each coupler with a Number 2 roundhead wood screw. Be sure to leave a little play so the coupler will swivel. Then turn over your car and see how much nicer it looks closer to the ground. A bracket under the coupler would add another realistic touch.

NOW FOR THE LOCOMOTIVE

When you have completed a string of cars you will discover the Porter has no coupler to fit the link-and-pins (unless you count scale baling wire). The easy way to solve that problem is to leave an LGB loop, minus the hook, on one car.

But a more elegant solution exists. Remove the LGB coupler and install an Ozark OM-106 link-and-pin casting on the Porter's end beam. That will provide a prototypical and much better looking connection. If you have only a single Porter and want to run it with more than the one string of cars, put the link-and-pin apparatus on the front and leave the LGB hook/loop coupler on the back.

I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the little ore train run on my layout and have even modified a string of LGB's red "tippers" to augment it. Of course, the tippers are now rusty and weathered and were even easier to build than the 4045s.

I hope I have whetted your appetite. After all, the project is certainly within the skill range of any ten-fingered H. Sapiens (thumbs help, naturally) and the results are most gratifying.