I am on the hunt for pass car ends. namely ones with owl windows like the MP54's. figured I would ask before I buy an entire kit just for ends I would have to put holes in. Any sources that sell parts?
SHane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
I suggest that you invest in one model with the desired ends -- MP54s have been made, as I believe Pacific Electric cars have been -- and in the necessary paraphernalia and supplies to make epoxy or 'resin' castings in RTV molds taken from those ends.
With the right expansion of rubber and resin you can get reasonably close to zero net shrinkage, which means you can tinker with castings to customize them and then use those as masters to shell out correct-for-you car ends like peas. Then sell the original car if you don't have a use for it...
I agree with Overmod. I would suggest this kit from Hobby Lobby.https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Clay-Molding-Sculpting/Casting/Mini-Casting-Kit/p/22251I make castings of all kinds of goodies using resin. The mold rubber is great for itty bitty details. You might have to do it twice, modify the first for your needs then make a master for what you want to end up with.I cast all my HO people for my layout, some take several molds.This is my mold frame.It’s made to mold small parts, the white angle pieces are adjustable for mold size.I’ve made castings of detail parts and hundreds of 1:87 figures.Lots of trimming after coming out of the mold.Aluminite has a bunch of how to videos.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEL94r6U8mL6Oo5Ph6NEtw
Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.
I dunno, it can't be all that difficult to drill a couple of holes. If you need a "frame" around the window, a slice of brass tubing oughta do the trick.
Wayne
I cannt see spending 400 dollars on concor's MP54 just for the ends. I was hopeing for an idea where to find parts of the older kits or or similar passenger cars ends that holes could be drilled in. I do believe that was a relatively common design for PRR and reading. I have all the casting materials. But I only want on set of ends.
Shane
The point is that you can sell the Con-Cor car on after you're done taking the reference molds... and it can be one of the $125obo dummies instead of a powered unit with decoder, for the purpose.
There is a discussion about making a McKeen car model that goes into great detail about making the 'portholes' from thin brass tubing. It would follow that the tube plus a thin sheet-styrene ring punched with rivet detail might give you owl-eyes in your bulkhead of choice. Aren't the ends in the Eastern Car Works P-70s awful similar?
... modify or scratchbuild one end and cast a bunch of duplicates.
Weren't there other sources of owl-eye carbodies?
Shane,
Have you tried Funaro and Camerlengo at www.fandckits.com? They make resin casting kits for the Pennsy MP-54 that sell for $64.99. They might have an imperfect body they can't sell in a kit.
Back in the stone-age days, either Walthers or Howell Day had owl eye ends as part of their line of passenger car kits but, Walthers passenger car kits are long gone and as of 2020, Model Railroad Warehouse which had purchased and included, Howell Day's Red Ball line of kits and parts was up for sale.
Good luck in your search.
I forgot about F nd C. That is perfect. they have mp54 kits and p54 kits.
NVSRRI forgot about F and C. That is perfect. They have MP54 kits and P54 kits.
I'm pretty sure that 'way back when' Walthers made separate metal ends for MP54s in HO. I know for sure they made them in O scale. Searching around the internet might turn some up?
I believe there is one such Walthers car on eBay now.