CB&Q Twin Cities Zephyr

[wcfn100]

So of course I click through, then eBay knows me and suggests this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134355148292

A CGW Bag-RPO in Shreveport LA, on a slide mount processed in Toronto.  Whodathunk.

I think #6 went to the KCS at some point.


Jason

[keeper]

Meanwhile the assortment of Kato Amtrak cars incl. the diner arrived.
And I'm in luck!



The Amtrak colours can easily be removed with Q-tips dipped in 96% alcohol and the silver doesn't care about the treatment.
So this diner will be the Silver Feast.


Yeah! 

Thomas

[Sokramiketes]

Meanwhile the assortment of Kato Amtrak cars incl. the diner arrived.
And I'm in luck!



The Amtrak colours can easily be removed with Q-tips dipped in 96% alcohol and the silver doesn't care about the treatment.
So this diner will be the Silver Feast.


Yeah! 

Thomas

Great to know!  I still need to reletter mine from California Zephyr to Burlington, so maybe this will work on the black lettering too. 

[nkalanaga]

It worked on a MoPac Slumbercoach that I relettered for BN.

Kato once sold a 4-pack of Slumbercoaches, two NP, one each MP and B&O.  Oddly, the MP and B&O prototypes were both sold to the NP!  So, for my BN/Amtrak era, I couldn't use those two.

[Sokramiketes]

It worked on a MoPac Slumbercoach that I relettered for BN.

Kato once sold a 4-pack of Slumbercoaches, two NP, one each MP and B&O.  Oddly, the MP and B&O prototypes were both sold to the NP!  So, for my BN/Amtrak era, I couldn't use those two.

Awesome.  Way back in the day my first article in N Scale Railroading was about removing the skirting on NP slumbercoaches.  And yet I still haven't carved them off my MP and B&O cars.  Might go back after the MP car with the other passenger project on going. 

[oakcreekco]

All this Slumber Coach talk got me thinking. I knew that I had one somewhere, but haven't run it.

A little digging and sure enough, my old mind isn't totally shot! 😂

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[nkalanaga]

Yep, that's the one.  Mine came in a 4-pack, I didn't know they sold them individually.  Each of the four were individually boxed, though, so it wouldn't be hard.

[oakcreekco]

Yes, this was in a 4 pack too. Can't remember what they all were, but it's been quite a few years.

[Sokramiketes]

Yes, this was in a 4 pack too. Can't remember what they all were, but it's been quite a few years.

Two Northern Pacific
One Missouri Pacific
One Baltimore & Ohio

My understanding is that Kato wasn't willing to sell outside of the four car sets, but the retail intent was to allow that to happen with the separate jewel cases and cardboard wrap.  Don't know that I saw them for sale separately anywhere back in the day, as retailers were probably afraid of getting stuck with one or the other roadname?

[nickelplate759]

Apropos only of Slumbercoaches, here's a Con-Cor Slumbercoach that was de-skirted and lettered for Loch Awe.   Not as nice as the Kato car, but still makes into a passable model.


There's a little cheating going on with respect the the letterboards for the car number, CB&Q initials, and Pullman name.

[nkalanaga]

The ConCor car is actually closer to the NP prototype than the Kato, as the NP's cars were deskirted fairly early.

The Kato car is basically the CB&Q version, with the full skirts.

Interestingly, some of the NP cars were used in pool service with the CB&Q, including on (I believe) the Denver Zephyr.  You'd see the full-skirted CB&Q cars in NP trains, and the skirtless NP cars on the CB&Q.

After Amtrak took over, several of the NP cars were assigned to East Coast trains.

[keeper]

Just a couple of questions....

Does someone know if these CB&Q Diners had small lamps on the tables?

Am I right in thinking that only the large windows on the diner were tinted?

 

[keeper]

Apropos only of Slumbercoaches, here's a Con-Cor Slumbercoach that was de-skirted and lettered for Loch Awe.   Not as nice as the Kato car, but still makes into a passable model.


There's a little cheating going on with respect the the letterboards for the car number, CB&Q initials, and Pullman name.

Loch Awe, nice Scottish loch (lake).
As a side note, I have noticed that quite a lot of car names - no matter which railroad - are from places of the other side of the Atlantic.

[Sokramiketes]

Getting a little off topic here but I’ll join in. Just removed skirts on this Kato Slumbercoach. A strip of 0.030” quarter round dresses up the bottom edge.

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[Sokramiketes]

About 30 sec after posting I realized the underframe was probably black. Oops. Fixed.

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