Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving! I've been a MRR subscriber since the mid 1960s so I know a little about model railroading. However, this is my first post on the forum (and my grandkids had to help me get here at that!) so please be gentle.
I'm in the process of putting together a pre-war SP Daylight consist but just discovered that the pre-war Parlor-Observation is sold out , no longer available, and impossible to find on obscure hobby shop shelves, Ebay, or anywhere else. However, I may have a solution but I need some help...
As near as I can tell, the difference between the pre-war and (still available) post-war BLI carbodies is that the skirting has been left off the post-war cars. Therefore, is it possible to pre-date a post-war observation by installing the skirting/underframe from another pre-war car such as a baggage-chair, chair, parlor, or tavern car, all of which are still available in pre-war? If so, which car's underframe would be the most appropriate?
Note that purchasing a post-war "underframe donor car" to make the swap wouldn't be a waste of money since I'm considering a post-war consist also.
If my idea isn't feasible, do you have any suggestions?
Thanks!
Harvey
Tap, tap, tap...
This thing on?
Not just the skirting, the tail light is different as well.
Compare
Postwar:
Prewar:
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Thanks, guys, for your responses.
Rambo, I did take a good look at Athearn, concor, and other readily-available observations but the SP had unique roof contours, tail end shape, etc. While kitbashing isn't out of the question, I was hoping to discover that the right skirting (or one very close) was already available on another BLI car.
SW Chief, you're right. I didn't notice the other subtle differences in the body itself.
Two notes:
The pre-war tail light, I was informed, was a a fixed single white light for backing up into stub-end platforms, so I have a decoder to turn it on when in reverse. The later light set had a red Gyralite or some such in the center.
The pre-war signboards say "Southern Pacific Lines", which later changed to just "Southern Pacific". I changed my MTH signs with no great trouble.
Hal