Railsmith GN/NP Budd domes update

[nickelplate759]

Lowell Smith just announced more dome-coaches:

GN pre-BN hockey stick
https://lowellsmith.net/product/railsmith-great-northern-dome-1320/

BN
https://lowellsmith.net/product/railsmith-b-n-dome-coach-555/

MoPac (slight foobie, as the prototype had corrugated lower sides, and the skirting is different)
https://lowellsmith.net/product/railsmith-mp-eagle-dome-coach/

Amtrak
https://lowellsmith.net/product/railsmith-amtrak-dome-coach/

I'm in for an Amtrak.

[Mark5]

He's doing Amtrak 9479, which was NP/BN 552.

[Englewood]

Why is the Great Northern dome painted in BN green? Anticipating the merger or maybe GN was changing their paint scheme? I don't know very much about the Great Northern.

[CBQ Fan]

Why is the Great Northern dome painted in BN green? Anticipating the merger or maybe GN was changing their paint scheme? I don't know very much about the Great Northern.

It was in anticipation of the merger. Testing out the scheme. There was a full length dome also painted in green. The Q also did the same thing with SD-45s before the merger.

[High Hood]

I’m in for GN Hockey Stick, and maybe Amtrak. I assume the Amtrak would be appropriate for the North Coast Hiawatha?

[nkalanaga]

All three are appropriate for the North Coast Hiawatha.  Amtrak didn't try to keep the NP and GN domes separate.  I saw all of these in Pasco on the Empire Builder, and here's GN 1320 in Billings in 1973:


Incidentally, these are the only two dome-coaches painted Cascade Green, so, since Lowell doesn't plan on rerunning car numbers, they won't be run again.

The BN dome is ex-NP 555.

[nkalanaga]

Here's a photo, from his latest email, of the Big Sky Blue car with proper trucks.


The NP cars are sold out, but apparently he still has a few Empire Builder, Big Sky Blue, and Alaska RR cars available.

The NP and EB cars are due in late March, the BSB and ARR cars late April.  If you want any, order now!

[spookshow]

I suppose I'll need to add these trucks to my encyclopedia. Do we know the specific prototype?

Thanks,
-Mark

[nkalanaga]

Probably GSC, but beyond that, no, I don't know what they are.  They seem to be common on Budd-built passenger cars, though.

So far he hasn't made any parts available separately, so I wouldn't count on being able to buy these.  If enough people ask he might, though, so it's worth a try.

[MRLX1020]

I was able to assist Lowell in this venture 2 years ago - by providing the arrangement drawing for the GSI 31225 truck as used by GN and NP on their Budd domes.

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[nkalanaga]

Thank you!

ConCor used the same trucks under their smoothside cars, but I don't know if they were models of a specific GSC truck, or generic.  Oddly, of the four cars they originally made, RPO, Coach, Dome, Observation, as far as I know only the GN domes used this truck!

[spookshow]

I've been told that the Con-Cor trucks are based on the GSC 41-CUDO-11 prototype.

-Mark

[spookshow]

I was able to assist Lowell in this venture 2 years ago - by providing the arrangement drawing for the GSI 31225 truck as used by GN and NP on their Budd domes.

Thanks, that answers my question! I also asked Lowell directly and says they are 41-BDO-11.

Cheers,
-Mark

[wmcbride]

Couldn't be worse than trying to paint a Con-Cor dome.  The dome, and roof, and windows, were a single clear casting!

I've had good luck masking the windows on his cars by putting the tape on, burnishing it down like dry transfers, then carefully cutting around the outside of the window frames.  That might work for the dome, or one could try Micro-Scales "Micro Masker".  I have a 40(?) year old bottle I've never used...

Ha! I think you would be much better served with the tape.

[nkalanaga]

Probably, but it looks like I won't have to.  With NP, GN Empire Builder, and GN Big Sky Blue in the next few months, then GN Green/White, BN, and Amtrak late in the year, I won't have to repaint any of them.  Those are the only colors I saw in the early Amtrak Empire Builder.

Since he's also doing the NP/SP&S dome-sleepers, which were rare in the Amtrak EB, I should have all the regular domes I need.