Modeling Sou/NYC/L&N Royal series observation cars

[squirrelhunter]

I'm looking into trying to kitbash a SOU/NYC/L&N 5 bedroom observation lounge, specifically the West Point Route car Charles A. Wickersham, which served as a fill in observation on the Texas Special in the late 1950's.

See pictures of Royal series cars here:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rspicture.aspx?id=97739
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/awp_charles_wickersham0.jpg

The key features of the cars are they are PS built with the tall "Lookout Lounge" windows and have fluted sides. After looking at existing cars and kits, I'm looking at 2 main options:
1. Take a Kato ATSF "Vista" series observation and fill in unneeded windows and open up holes for new ones, including removing some fluting around the tall rear windows. I'd buy a Kato 20th Century Observation kit to get the necessary window glass for the tail windows and some of the side windows.

2. Buy a Kato 20th Century observation kit and get a spare window glass for a Kato ATSF "Vista" and fill/open windows as needed and add Union Station Products fluting.

Right now I'm leaning towards modifying the ATSF "Vista" car as a base since it already has fluting and I would have to do less painting since the car is already painted silver. However I'm open to criticism from the Railwire brain trust regarding my plan...

[Point353]

Maybe consider using a Budd observation car from one of the Kato corrugated car sets:
http://www.katousa.com/N/oop/BuddCorr.html

The Southern looks like this:

[nickelplate759]

Union Stations Products makes the sides - apply them to a Kato  or a Rivarossi PS observation perhaps?

https://unionstationproducts.com/-4162-ps-fluted-side-5-bedroom-buffet-lounge-observation.html?category_id=46

[Mark5]

Wow, Southern sure did opt for many observation designs! I was familiar with the flat end PS osbv on the Tennessean, and the round end (but different than the Royal series above) obsv used on the Southerner:

https://ctr.trains.com/~/media/images/railroad-reference/great-limiteds-online/2013/131015/gl131015-3.jpg?mw=750

Mark

[thomasjmdavis]

In my own kitbashes, I find that if I am going to need paint anything, I may as well paint everything.  Try as I might, I can never get a "good enough" paint job on something as large as a plugged window.  That being the case, if I were doing it, I think I would opt for squirrelhunter's option 2, which is to start with the 20thC obs. and add fluting.  still a bit of window work to do, but the focus is likely to be on the big ones on the obs end, and those could be "factory" or pretty close.  Plus, with the NYC obs, the configuration of the interior will be much closer (IIRC?  or do they have the aisle on opposite sides?) to the "Royal" cars,

[squirrelhunter]

Union Stations Products makes the sides - apply them to a Kato  or a Rivarossi PS observation perhaps?

https://unionstationproducts.com/-4162-ps-fluted-side-5-bedroom-buffet-lounge-observation.html?category_id=46

Do you know if the windows on their kits are flush fitting? I'm just worried the tall windows at the end won't quite look right if the glass is inset.

[squirrelhunter]

In my own kitbashes, I find that if I am going to need paint anything, I may as well paint everything.  Try as I might, I can never get a "good enough" paint job on something as large as a plugged window.

That's a good thought. Part of my thinking on using the ATSF "Vista" car would be to only repaint the window strip with Tamiya Gloss Aluminum, which I've used to touch up Kato stainless cars in the past. But I haven't actually tried it.

My worry on the NYC car is it will come painted and I have had a hard time getting Kato paint off on other models and the NYC darke grey would probably have to be totally off to get good coverage with the Tamiya paint.

I kind of figure I will end up combining the interior of both cars to get the right arrangement of bedrooms.

[nickelplate759]

Do you know if the windows on their kits are flush fitting? I'm just worried the tall windows at the end won't quite look right if the glass is inset.

They are not flush.  They are recessed about .010".  Still pretty good.