The trucks are now getting upgraded.
Tail coach car on the El Cap Train
The kit is installed and the lights are on!
The picture below was taken with the defusers on the light bar to correct the brightness of the smt leds in the lounge car.
This picture compares the way they are without the defuser.
Close up of the defuser in place on one smt led.
http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Finish%20Comparison/?albumview=slideshow
CZ
This is the kit laid out with the left row for the lower portion, the middle row for the upper lounge and the instructions on the right hand row.
Painting guide
Assembly guide below
Wow, that is impressive!Where do you get hat, & what type of media is it, styrene, resin, brass, cardstock, etc?Are you lighting it to show all that detail & effort off? Thanks for Sharing!
Trak Works makes the product and can be purchased at the LHS. This being the first one out for the El Cap train probably makes it hard to come by, but they will be available soon at many stores.
The material is paper and almost like thin cardstock. There are hints on dulling the carpet to make it look like carpet. If you watch the following video of the product, it shows an installation and you can see how the product should look. The cutting and folding of the individual items will take some time. I don't plan on using the lighting kit since the lounge car is fairly open and the detail should be show up nicely at least in the top section. I might set up some lighting in the bottom section since there is a lot of detail there than might need some lighting. The painting guide lists the colors and companies making the paint. That helps a lot since colors are hard to determine from old pictures that are faded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSNz5a9tKwc
This is the backside of the carpet marked for cutting. It is reverse to the interior below in the picture.
This is some of the detail for the lower Coffee shop.
That's pretty cool stuff. I hope they find success. I could see a market in them doing the same thing for BLI's California Zephyr cars. I doubt I'd do many whole cars, but the domes would all be candidates for such a nice makeover.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mlehman That's pretty cool stuff. I hope they find success. I could see a market in them doing the same thing for BLI's California Zephyr cars. I doubt I'd do many whole cars, but the domes would all be candidates for such a nice makeover.
Mike
That is a good idea for the California Zephyr cars. I have that train set also and would like some correct interior information on color and design.
This set is just coming out the and the lounge car is the first of the series. It is the most visable for sure but the High level coach and Diner should be a great challenge also.
I will email the company and make that suggestion so they know some are interested in those kits. The dome portion of the CZ is much shorter but would really show off well.
Thanks
CZ,
With three BLI runs already, and more possible in the future, plus brass in the past, there's a fairly large consumer base for CZ interiors. Makes sense to me.
This is a picture of the work in progress of the lower level in the El Cap lounge car. .
Looks great! Are those ashtrays on the tables or ?
Yes, it is the 1956 train and the ashtrays are built into the table. The small ones have the trays up front and the larger tables has the ash trays at the rear. It was a different era for sure.
OK, then -- next challenge! A few packs of different brand cigarettes laying on the tables, next to drinks, along with burning cigarettes here and there (fiber-optics?) and a few stubbed-out butts in those ashtrays, then it'll really be 1956...
Just kidding.
Sounds like a lot of work (but likely no worse the the Durango Press Water Tank I'm building right now), but the results are impressive. My water tank? It's probably a good thing the tank hides most of the underframing...
mlehman OK, then -- next challenge! A few packs of different brand cigarettes laying on the tables, next to drinks, along with burning cigarettes here and there (fiber-optics?) and a few stubbed-out butts in those ashtrays, then it'll really be 1956... Just kidding. Sounds like a lot of work (but likely no worse the the Durango Press Water Tank I'm building right now), but the results are impressive. My water tank? It's probably a good thing the tank hides most of the underframing...
The pictures are less than great since all of the close ups are in Macro, but here are a few.
Yes, the tables have cards, cig packs and newpapers and many other items. I can't wait for the diner kit to come out!
CZ Thanks for posting about the product and your pictures in progress. Of course I ordered one right away, and it turns out that I had purchased all of the right paint colors, too!!!
I am also curious to know how the car interior was decorated in Amtrak days, as I have a set of those coming as well.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!
ho modern modeler CZ Thanks for posting about the product and your pictures in progress. Of course I ordered one right away, and it turns out that I had purchased all of the right paint colors, too!!! I am also curious to know how the car interior was decorated in Amtrak days, as I have a set of those coming as well.
My guess they were upgraded and changed at some point, but the first days of Amtrak would have used the car as it was in Santa Fe days.
Wow, yes, you have to really see these pics in hi-res to get an appreciation for all the detail that's visible!
Outstanding stuff. I don't relish doing all my CZ cars with something like this, should it become available, for the simple reason it'd mean I'll have to add passengers to all my Blackstone narrowgauge passenger cars. Their interior is already pretty nice, so no need for much more than lighting and passengers, but the SG CZ cars have big windows, which will attract attention to details like these and the people you've added, then people will look in the NG cars for those folks, too.
Ah, the perils of a dual-gauge operation.
This stuff is kind of inspiring to look at. Thanks for the pics.
CAZEPHYR Mike The pictures are less than great since all of the close ups are in Macro, but here are a few. Yes, the tables have cards, cig packs and newpapers and many other items. I can't wait for the diner kit to come out! CZ http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Finish%20Comparison/?albumview=slideshow
mlehman CZ, Wow, yes, you have to really see these pics in hi-res to get an appreciation for all the detail that's visible! Outstanding stuff. I don't relish doing all my CZ cars with something like this, should it become available, for the simple reason it'd mean I'll have to add passengers to all my Blackstone narrowgauge passenger cars. Their interior is already pretty nice, so no need for much more than lighting and passengers, but the SG CZ cars have big windows, which will attract attention to details like these and the people you've added, then people will look in the NG cars for those folks, too. Ah, the perils of a dual-gauge operation. This stuff is kind of inspiring to look at. Thanks for the pics. CAZEPHYR Mike The pictures are less than great since all of the close ups are in Macro, but here are a few. Yes, the tables have cards, cig packs and newpapers and many other items. I can't wait for the diner kit to come out! CZ http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Finish%20Comparison/?albumview=slideshow
If they offer kits for the Zephyr cars, I will do the domes for sure!
CZ, that looks like fine work! I love the look you managed to get with your handiwork. I think the results show that this was a fun project and most worthwhile.
Crandell
selector CZ, that looks like fine work! I love the look you managed to get with your handiwork. I think the results show that this was a fun project and most worthwhile. Crandell
Thanks for the comment. It was fun and I look forward to the diner and maybe two or three coach cars.
New pictures up on the web site with the lighting installed in the upper and lower level.
ChadLRyan Wow, that is impressive!Where do you get hat, & what type of media is it, styrene, resin, brass, cardstock, etc?Are you lighting it to show all that detail & effort off? Thanks for Sharing!
Chad,
I was not planning on lighting the car but ended up installing the Walthers light kit and adding an addtional led downstairs for the coffee shop.
Excellent work!
Now, the next step is to shoot a video of that gorgeously detailed train running on a mainline!
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
Nice Intrior in El Cap Lounge Car. You did a very nice job!!! I wonder if you could spice up one of My Z scale cars like that. I might need a Magnifying Glass to see all the detail you have but, It would be nice. Just Kidding!! great Job!
southernnscale Nice Intrior in El Cap Lounge Car. You did a very nice job!!! I wonder if you could spice up one of My Z scale cars like that. I might need a Magnifying Glass to see all the detail you have but, It would be nice. Just Kidding!! great Job!
Thanks. It could be done in N scale, but I would need some really great magnifying glass and more time for sure. Do any of the N scale cars offer the interior detailed??
AntonioFP45 CZ, Excellent work! Now, the next step is to shoot a video of that gorgeously detailed train running on a mainline!
The train would not be finished until the diner and several coach cars are done and those kits are not out yet, but I will consider that video. In the meantime, there are several good videos out on the El Cap delux version of the train already there to be seen on youtube. I believe you can search for El Cap on youtube and see a very nice train on video.
CAZEPHYR southernnscale Nice Intrior in El Cap Lounge Car. You did a very nice job!!! I wonder if you could spice up one of My Z scale cars like that. I might need a Magnifying Glass to see all the detail you have but, It would be nice. Just Kidding!! great Job! Thanks. It could be done in N scale, but I would need some really great magnifying glass and more time for sure. Do any of the N scale cars offer the interior detailed?? CZ
Bump I added some new pictures to show the defusers on the smt led light bar in the lounge car.
The drumhead for the rear coach car has been activated.
The red light is very bright with the smt in the fixture. The camera does not pick up the red very well but is is red and really shows up well.
Nice job on the tail light and drumhead.
Know all you need are marker lights
Yeah I didn't think they had them either but live and learn:
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Southwest Chief Nice job on the tail light and drumhead. Know all you need are marker lights Yeah I didn't think they had them either but live and learn:
Matt
I never noticed those. Do you know what era they were used?
I looked in several of my SF passenger books and most trains did not use the markers, but as you have illustrated, some did. I would be interested to know if the markers were used for some special trains for some reason. All of the SF passenger trains that I could find pictures of used the red light to the rear with or without markers.
My best guess for markers (on the Hi-Levels) is from the mid to late 50s to early 60s. But by mid 60s I don't see them anymore.
I would not have known about markers on Hi-Levels if I hadn't first seen this YouTube video:
qsllGIKfPn0
The Hi-Level El Capitan passes by starting at 2:13. They cut away, but then cut back and you'll notice the markers fly by at 2:19.