Weekend Update 7/31/16

[Angus Shops]

Awesome caboose Craig! I've been following your progress and it looks like you've finished it up beautifully. Also, the windows in the tractor factory are great. They really capture the look of older industrial structure.

Geoff

[craigolio1]

Thanks guys. It's not quite done. Needs safety markings and grab irons applied. Then a clear coat but it's almost there!

Geoff I was looking at the Central Hobbies web page and noticed that someone has made resin kits of CPR's open observation cars. Finally, the last car I need to complete my Royal Hudson consist. Well, the last thing other than a Royal Hudson that is.

Anyway I'm pretty excited about that so it'll likely show up on here soon. What comes in the kit?

Craig

[Van Horne]

I am green with envy about that caboose . . .

Dave

[Angus Shops]

Craig, the open obs is pretty much ready for paint; I've done the assembly.  You'll need trucks, couplers, paint, decals, and some window material for the enclosed portion of the car. There are two versions; the CPR era version with two handrails, and West Coast Railway Assoc. version (current as of 2013 when I measured the car) with 3 handrails. I don't know when WCRA added the third handrail, so I can't really advise as to which is accurate for the Royal Hudson era. I'm sure you can find appropriate photos of the car to assist... I hope you like it.

Geoff

[craigolio1]

Any recommendation for trucks?

It would be the CPR version (2 handrails) that works for me.  Can't wait to get it!  Thanks for stepping up and making that. 

Craig

[Angus Shops]

The model was built to fit the Microtrains "passenger, 6 wheel trucks", (part 003 02 180). I cut the little loopy things of the ends of the side frames. I think a TRW thread in the past decided these were springs to ensure that the brakes shows didn't hang up on the wheel treads. These are pretty close to being correct for the car.

Geoff

[PGE_Modeller]

Since the discussion has morphed to include Geoff Gooderham's CPR mountain observation cars 597 - 599, I will add the following that I originally posted to the BCRailwayModeller Yahoo! group in response to Craig's questions there regarding the configuration of 598 while in Royal Hudson excursion train service.  The information might be helpful to others:

 The two kits (CP version and WCRA version) are identical except for the number of railings at the open ends of the car.  All come with a complete set of seats, cast in three sections on thin floors - one section for the enclosed centre of the car and one each for the two open end areas - which are to be installed by the modeller before gluing on the roof.  I didn't measure the thickness of the floor on these castings but a thin piece of styrene cut to fit will take care of things if seats at the ends of the car are not wanted.  So, basically, you only need to decide if you need two or three railings at the open end areas.  Incidentally, the railings on the car side appear to be phosphor bronze wire while the railings across each side of the end are cast as part of the car end.

Stop the presses!!!  I just dug into my filing cabinets and found some pages saved from an old Spring 1975 copy of Beautiful British Columbia magazine and one of those pages (page 35) has a photograph showing the interior of the open end of the car - 2 handrails and seats arranged as facing pairs!  I don't recall whether the floor/seat castings have the seats in facing pairs or not - if not some surgery may be required if the facing arrangement is desired!  Interior paint scheme: inner edges of vertical posts painted tuscan red, seats painted light-medium grey, ceiling painted light green!!  The interior of the enclosed section does not show - it may have been the same light green as the ceiling in the open areas.  The floor doesn't show in the photo but I suspect either black rubber tile or painted wood was probably used.  To make the Spring 1975 issue of the magazine, the photograph must have been taken in the Summer of 1974.  I was obviously on that trip as a VERY MUCH YOUNGER me appears in the photo.

Cheers,

[Angus Shops]

Wow Greg, good data. The interior colours were a mystery to me. I wonder if the seats were turnable? The photos I was able to find all had the seats facing in one direction, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the seats could be turned to suit the direction of travel, rather than having to turn the car. The seats were wood, so 'walkover' type seats would have been quite likely...

The castings have the seats facing in one direction. As of the last time I saw the car (2013 or so) all seats had been removed and additional vertical polls added for passengers to grasp, so the car is "standing room only", which probably accounts for the added third railing. I don't know when this change was made. Interior colours were grey plywood floor, cream ceiling, and walls tuscan.

Geoff

[craigolio1]

I read somewhere in the last couple of days something  documenting what was done then the cars were rebuilt and it mentioned wooden walkover seating.  What is that? Do the seat back change sides?

Craig

[PGE_Modeller]

Yes,  walkover seats were quite common in some coaches and certainly in interurban trolleys.  They could be set up so they all faced the direction of travel or could be set up to create facing pairs of seats.  A conductor or trainman could walk down the length of a coach and change the orientation of two seats at once, one with each hand.  Hence, the term "walkover".  All of the Pacific Great Eastern's open observation cars were so equipped.

Cheers,

[craigolio1]

Awesome. The first time I saw that was on an RDC on Vancouver Isl. I thought it was pretty cool.

Craig