I wanted to try my hand at building a model from scratch and found some excellent instructions on the web: Scratch build a flatcar

I'm using styrene instead of wood. I wanted something that would hold up outside no matter what.

The styrene isn't the exact size as specified, but it's close. Or close enough for me. Plus, I made it a bit shorter than specified so it would be about the size of my other cars (it's right at 15", mainly because I have a 15" steel ruler.)

Of course, can't cut a bunch of planks at once, unless you like melted plastic. Also, scored all the pieces for some grain using a razor saw.

I decided to first put a black wash on to highlight the grain. The top will be wood color, but the rest will be painted red.

The finished model, lettered and lightly weathered.