Passenger Cars 2021

[bob turner]

Very nice. I agree; the K-Lines were truly an advance for streamline O Scale. But note that the Lionel trucks are way more prototypical.

Of course, all of mine are 2-Rail, with either sand cast brass or Wasatch trucks. I have six UP, four each of GN and B&O, a pair of PRR coaches, and a pair of CNW bi-level. As a Navy recruit I rode those CNW cars, so could not resist.

The rest of my aluminum cars are Kasiner, MAC Shops, and Speer. GGD came in after I stocked up, so I missed out on the better detail and higher price.

Jury is out on the window casings. The real thing usually had them showing, but Lionel may have slightly over done it. I can live without, I think.

[up148]

I had a set of those back in the early 2000's and you're correct, they are nice models. I don't remember the skirts, but I'm sure all K-lines came that way. Interestingly I sold the entire set with 2R trucks to C.O. Gibson, who responded to an add I placed OSN.

The silver trucks were something the UP went to in the early to mid 50's on diesels and passenger trucks so any cracks would show up better. The silver window trim has always been on the UP Streamliner cars to my knowledge.

[bob turner]

This is a 2021 thread, but the photos are still here - sure hope folks can contribute a few more.

I did some work for Carey and he sent me those ugly Kasiner cars he was selling on eBay a couple weeks ago (he wanted to send me a set of six far more valuable Walthers Hiawatha cars, but I figured that would be over-doing it. I am not quite ready to add photos to my Shutterfly account, but I can report that the trucks were indeed 2-rail insulated (at first I thought they were older un-insulated trucks).

These things - three of them, all smooth sided, one diner, one baggage mail, and one duplex sleeper) were covered with tape and some sort of hand-brushed lacquer of dubious accuracy for B&O. First attempt at bead blasting revealed that if you let too much flaked off paint get in a bead blast cabinet you get a bead blockage. So today I cleaned the beads and finished cleaning the extrusions.

One will be orange and maroon, to match two cars I now have behind my fleet of 2-railed Bi-Polars, and the other two will become Louisville & Nashville. I have always had a soft spot for the blue and grey, with the orange stripes and cursive road names, so that is what will happen.

I make my own ends out of aluminum, so that part may take some time, but paint goes on tomorrow!

This is a re-run from previous pages on this thread, but herewith one of two of my L&N cars:



It started out in Daylight colors, done by some other modeler. Roof is removable - not that I am ever going to put an interior in.

[bob turner]

Got them all with a first coat of paint today. The Rustoleum Orange clogged at the very last minute, but I was able to clear the nozzle with a #65 drill. Really unusual for that to work.

Time to order some color pens to get the stripes on - paint needs a week to dry before even trying the pens.

[De Bruin]

A Chester Coach for that T&NO Sunbeam in the later "Sunset" scheme. Should have a PA for these soon too.

Thought some of you might enjoy seeing the primitevo build shots aka "how the sausage gets stuffed."

Note using cut basswood sheet for the restrooms and bulkheads to brace the soft aluminum rolled sides against and support the roof frame.
Had a lot of help with these cars; Maroon scored a virgin coach kit (and two used "beaters") and did the entire battery powered light harness running the length of the train, commissioned and later machined and assembled with bearings, the prewar truck castings by Dennis Mashburn , scored the resin underbody detail parts (Care of Bill Badsen's Delta Models) all which really pop on the finished models and look a lot better than anything I would have fabricated myself not to mention saving a lot of hours.. Many thanks guys.

[R.K. Maroon]

Pete mentions that a PA will soon be assigned to his Sunbeam. This is a project I have been working on, and at times frustrated by, for several years now. I am close, and will post photos when I get a little closer.

In the meantime, here is a photo of the Napolean Hat trucks for the consist:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vowr5siyv0h91dzjzm7t5/Napolean-Hat-Trucks-for-Sunbeam.jpg?rlkey=7tzg9nxp0p0q6b65vo6egtnxe

These started life as castings from Dennis Mashburn, one of the last runs he poured before selling the foundry to Bob Stevenson. I modified these for ball bearings. It is debatable as to whether the effort to install ball bearings was worth the effort, but it was a fun challenge to build a jig for the mill to hold and locate the sideframes, and, boy, do the finished cars roll easy!

Jim

[Carey Williams]

Beautiful trucks !
Wow making Chester cars look beautiful...
Lots of work and time .
Look forward to seeing a video of the set polishing the rails .
Cheers Carey

[R.K. Maroon]

Look forward to seeing a video of the set polishing the rails

Such a video exists, but with a John Fisher GS-1 in the lead instead of a PA:

https://youtu.be/JMwOUbhpU6c?si=o4JnCOjE_HJnIqDk

That video was shot in October of 2019, almost five years ago. That gives you an idea of just how long I have had the PA for this train on the project list. Note also that the video was shot before we had HD on our phone cameras. We used to think that any video on a camera was amazing, but now it just looks low-res. Hard to believe how fast things change these days. At any rate, I will look forward to shooting new, HD video when the PA is ready for revenue service.

Next up for me to post are some photos of the cars in the C&O consist shown below, which, taking great liberties, I am calling the Fast Flying Virginian, a.k.a the FFV:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5esswxivc1qobdnwqg2u0/C-O-Fast-Flying-Virginian.jpg?rlkey=job8z31yftbz2lrendktd8zor

Jim

[Rufus T. Firefly]

So, it's been a while since we had any passenger cars.....

Grabbed this one at Strasburg to go with the stack of kits (Robico) for these cars that are on the one shelf.....along with 2 boxes of matching parts cars that need to be salvaged. This car bumped that stack up in the queue,

[R.K. Maroon]

Martin -- When discussing modeling interests, my brother Pete likes to say, "Go where others aren't". It seems to me that you are in that same camp. It's great to see such unusual and interesting models (and to see them so well built). I don't swim in the same waters as you, but I definitely get the vibe. Thanks for posting.

Jim

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Thanks, Jim! As you know my modeling interests tend to be decades earlier from most as well as then straying into traction....it's lesser populated territory but with a decreased selection of parts and other bits one needs. At times stuff sells for silly money making it hard to be a responsible adult.

I've got several projects on the bench right now that will need finishing before I can begin to think about the stack of Robico kits.

[Jay Criswell]

Rufus,

Did you get two or three of these kits from me quite some time ago?

Jay

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus,

Did you get two or three of these kits from quite some time ago?

Jay

4 of them actually, and it was quite a while ago if the amount of dust on top of the stack is indication,

[Jay Criswell]

Rufus,

I've noticed, things located in the lower strata don't get as dusty.

Jay

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus,

I've noticed, things located in the lower strata don't get as dusty.

Jay

Indeed. I've found the best solution though is to either build the kit or just sell it off and be done with it. Been doing a lot of the latter this year. Got to get back into the building option. Things got slowed down here for some reason....