Hi, I have a set of un-built HO Athearn / Bev-Bel passenger cars, 5510 Baggage, 5512 Diner, 5513 Pullman, 5515 Observation, and 5516 C/R Coach. I am wondering if anyone makes or made interiors and lighting sets for these kits. They represent cars approx. 70-ft 8 ¼ inches long with raised centre roof sections (I hesitate to call them clerestories as they have no windows, just vents), and run on 6-wheel trucks. Each axle has one wheel metal and the other plastic, so they appear to be designed to pick up power for lighting, though there are no pickups provided, but it is enough to suggest Athearn produced separate lighting kits. And once you light a coach you can see the interior, so…..
Also, I am wondering if there was a 5511 and a 5514? The set is painted by Bev-Bel for the Orange Blossom Special, dark green with gold lettering. The boxes are labelled Seaboard Coast Line, but as the Orange Blossom Special last ran in 1953 and the SCL was not born until 1967 they are really for the SAL, and in this livery for the 1920s – 30s.
TIA for any info,
Regards,
Bill.
The original IHC used to make passenger car interiors; but I do not know of anyone that makes interior sets like this anymore. They have been out of production so lone they are becomming rare; try an EBay search.
Palace Car Co makes seats and other interior details; some of their line is carried by Walthers. You may have to do a kitbash of a floor, interor walls, bathrooms, etchttp://www.palacecarco.com/
To do an interior, you will have to get rid of the metal weight that Athearn provides. I got some sheet lead flashing from the hardware store. Cut into small pieces, I glued the lead into the recess in the underfloor. That brought the car almost up to the NMRA recommened weight. One of the Palace Car sets includes a metal weight. This is an Athearn car with the stock weight next to one with lead weight
First for lighting, get rid of those metal/plastic wheelsets and replace them with good quality 36" metal wheelsets - I have used Kadee, Intermountain, Bachmann; do not get Proto 2000, they have metal wheels, but plastic axles which make them not so good for power pickup.
For lighting sets, I have used the Miniatronics sets. They make 2 kinds - the one with blue-white LEDs represent fluroescent lights used on post WWII lightweight cars. Your description sounds like heavyweight cars that would have had incandescent lights, so the yelowglow set would be the correct onehttp://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/475-100YCL01
This is a comparison of the 2 types of lighing sets; the yelloglow LEDs are on the right
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I'm not sure if they correspond to those part numbers, but Athearn also made an RPO and a second version of the coach - it was otherwise identical to the one with the clerestory roof, but instead had an arched roof - similar to, but not quite as severe as that on the MDC/Roundhouse Harriman cars.
As for interiors, I make my own, but don't light the cars.
Wayne
IN my last post, I forgot to mention that the Miniatronics lighting is in sections that can be removed to fit shorter cars. They also have a capacitor that will keep the lights on when the power is off, like at station stops on a DC layout. Not an issue on DCC. They are out of stock at Walthers, but you could contact Minartonics directly to see if they have themhttp://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=100-YCL-01&Category_Code=&Product_Count=4
http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CONTACT
An alternative is the Rapido "Easy Peasy" lighting kits. I have not used them, but they have had good reviews. They are battery operated, so wiring is not a problem. Their "shorty" set is for a 72' car, so I am not sure if it is too long for an Athearn car of not. They are in stock at Walthershttp://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/606-102013
http://www.rapidotrains.com/light_ho.html
I am not aware of either interior detail kits or lighting kits for the Athearn heavyweight passenger cars. The original stone age Athearn lighting plan was to screw a 12 volt bulb into the threaded hole in the weight, where the center tip would contact the bottom weight. Athearn was into elegant design where the weights served both as weights and lighting conductors.
Was I trying to light Athearn cars, I would first decide whether I want LEDs, or incandencant lamps. LED's are polarity sensitive, requiring a rectifier in the car and a current limiter, either a plain resistor, or a current limiter circuit. LED's mostly are too blue, looking like fluorescent lamps. Incandescent lamps are the right color for heavyweight cars, and they don't need rectifiers or current limiters. Paint the interior of the car a light color to maximize the light showing in the windows.
Interiors are largely the seat backs showing thru the windows, perhaps with white anti maccassars. Paint the floor a dark neutral color, the seats a sky blue, and the interior walls a pale pastel, and the ceiling bright white. Seats can be purchased or milled from pine with a table saw.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
G.Paine writes: >>"Palace Car Co makes seats and other interior details; some of their line is carried by Walthers. You may have to do a kitbash of a floor, interior walls, bathrooms, etchttp://www.palacecarco.com/
Palace car sells specific interiors for the Athearn BB cars, by car type. The weights included in the BB kit are discarded, and replaced by the Palace Car Co interior. They also make interiors for the Athearn BB LW cars, Rivarossi cars and others.
Joe
Yup, Palace Car Company....
http://www.palacecarco.com/products.php?cat=3
The Athearn HW RPO/Baggage car, Baggage car, and Coach are all the correct length; many HW coaches were around 70', with baggage or RPO cars being shorter than that. The other cars (diner, sleeper, observation) are shortened versions of 80' cars. They're at least some-what based on ATSF cars.
I have a number of the Athearn BB heavyweight cars. I haven't done anything with the interiors beyond installing a light bulb. I use a partial sheet of common copy paper as a diffuser for the light. It works fairly well.
I have used some of the Palace Car Company products with my Athearn BB lightweight Santa Fe consist. Primarily on the dome cars. As the kits are fairly generic, a little fiddling is in order, but I have been pleased with the results.
There is a short "How To" on my website if anyone is interested. Here's the link:
http://www.intergate.com/~acoates149/Window%20Tinting.html
Remember its your railroad
Allan
Track to the BRVRR Website: http://www.brvrr.com/