Modern,
Thanks for the ideas. Those interiors look really nice. Did you light them too?
This is a very 'noobish' question, but what is a 'normal' consist of a California? Would there be any lounges or sleepers? Or is it usually just coaches and baggage (or a step down)?
Thanks,
John
irishgreek Modern, Thanks for the ideas. Those interiors look really nice. Did you light them too? This is a very 'noobish' question, but what is a 'normal' consist of a California? Would there be any lounges or sleepers? Or is it usually just coaches and baggage (or a step down)? Thanks, John
Lighting is kind of where I'm stuck with the project right now, the LED's I bought are too bright and the Walther's strips don't fit when I close the roofs. I may try Rapido or Kato or just use several incandescent mini bulbs.
From what I've been able to deduce from photo's, a typical Surfliner set would be Engine, 2 Coach Trailers, Business Class, Coach Café and Cab Baggage at the rear. The Cafe's can be any position and occasionally there is a Superliner rebuild in Surfliner Paint (Walther's put them out a few years ago). I'm sure someone from out west can verify/correct this info.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!
John-
I did a Union Station Products Amtrak California Coach/Baggage sides only kit bash with an old run Walthers Superliner II Diner. While the sides are under $50 I put many, many hours into the project.
Check out my results here
http://acmodels.boards.net/index.cgi?board=midwest&action=display&thread=104&page=1
Paul Z.
Wow Paul that looks fantastic. Super job.
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Great work!!
http://www.haworthengineering.com/
~Excellency in the Details ~
Paul,
Thanks for the photo and the Link! Nice work. So I have ordered one Cali car from USP and looking forward to getting it. I am trying to get good photos of the prototypes 'ends' to see how off they are. I saw the 'gaps' in yours and curious what I will have to do to remedy that!
Thanks again,
I don't think you'll have those unsightly gaps. Remember mine was just the USP sides added to an old Walthers Superliner with a separate TSP Budd roof. The full kit includes the TSP Budd core and the ends, while not quite prototypical, do fit better. On my next unit (a cab car) I'm getting the full kit as well. The sides only kitbash was a real learning experience. (This was my third project after a 25 year hiatus.)
Here's the best pic I have for the ends. Have fun!
Paul
Sorry to bud in here so late but you can use green or blue Tamyra paint to tone those lights down. I use the Tamyra paint with LED light strips that are this and don't take up much room at all. The are 12 volt so a resistor is not needed.
Kev
Can't stop working on the railroad!
It's hard to see but I glued a .030x.030" strip at the ends to lengthen the USP sides, cover the gaps and frame out the ends. It's a little oversized, but held Frogtape when I painted the blue.
The Cali car/Walthers kitbash turned out fantastic.
The question is when will we see accurate Blue/Grey Surfliner cars in HO Scale?
Amtrak is a strong seller, so I don't understand why Walthers is dragging thier feet, I'm sure many modelers would love to have something to go with the Blue/Grey Athearn F59PHI.