I just finished the Leadville Designs CB&Q SM-18 stock car, and decided to share some photos of the car. The kit consists of brass and nickel silver etched sides, ends, roof, and
running board and 3D printed underframe. My underframe was badly warped, and neither oven treatment or hot water treatment would remove the warp. The underframe would flatten, then bow to its original warp when cooled. After several attempts to flatten the
underframe, I cut the side sills and stringers at several places, then glued them back together on a flat surface, Some irregularity remained, as can be seen in the underframe photo. There were several other issues with the kit but I have described them in
detail on another group, so I won’t repeat them here.
There are a few deviations from prototype that bear mention. The end fascia extends beyond the sides, and the roof overhang is to far on both the ends and sides. The handbrake detail
is inadequate, so I used Precision Scale handbrake parts on the B end. The AB valve air reservoir are part of the underframe, and they should be closer to the side sill and not aligned one behind the other.
This is not an easy kit to build, as it requires different tools and techniques from plastic or resin kits. Parts fit could be improved, as the Z-bars don’t align properly with
the bolsters and cross bearers . I split the differences.
Overall, the model is a convincing rendition of the SM-18 double deck stock car. I haven’t seen any other photos of the completed model other than the one on the LD web page, so
if anyone has built this kit, I would like to see photos and hear of building experiences.
Nelson Moyer