Received my Intermountain Super Domes

[Nato]

     I received my Intermountain Super Domes. Finally after two years, part of it beyond IM's control, the China factory switch. These cars are really nicely done. The free standing grabs on the roof and end sides of the UP schemed car are natural metal (staiinless) color. Detailing is very nicely done and both the Amquack (trak) and Alaska Tour paint schemes are outstanding.Just two complaints. The Trucks on the UP /MLW car should have silver or at first gray color not bare black plastic. The dome interior with its large expanse of seating just calls out for passenger figures inside. I hope the inside of the car can be accessed with out too much trouble. Nate Goodman (Nato). 

[nickelplate759]

I got mine too. Alas, I'm less pleased.   On the one hand, the body is indeed nicely done, with more detail than the Kato version.    On the other...

it rides too high, and look funny with the rest of my fleet.  The trucks are unusual, and have detail so close to the bottom of the car that I can't figure out a good way to lower the ride height without removing the detail.  In this respect the Kato (with its simplified trucks) is better.

[OldEastRR]

Where did you get the domes from?

[nickelplate759]

Where did you get the domes from?

Mine came from my local hobby shop - Hobbysmith, in Portland, Oregon.  I had pre-ordered.  It arrived last week.

[Nato]

               Mine came from Hogtranz, they were re ordered after BLW made us switch over our orders. I hadn't coupled any of mine to other cars so did not notice the ride height problems.Nate Goodman (Nato).

[Bart1701]

I also got mine yesterday. Pre-ordered them in December 2015. Waited patiently for almost 4 years for these!

Here are some photos. As Nate pointed out, the seating area in the dome calls for some extra detail - painting and people. When someone figures out how to safely get to the seating area, be sure to post the instructions for all of us!

The detailing on them looks good. Yes, they do ride a little higher, but I've got other passenger cars that vary slightly in ride height, so I think it won't annoy me too much.

Bart

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view&id=13179]

[nkalanaga]

I also have the Amtrak car, for the North Coast Hiawatha.  Coupled between a Kato UP dome and a CCS/IM BN baggage car, I didn't notice any problems.  The eaves and rooftop line up fine, the diaphragms match the baggage car perfectly, and the dome top doesn't seem to be any higher than the Kato dome.

I did notice the "boxes" (vents?) on the ends of the roof.  That may be why it looks like it sits higher.  Also, if anything, the top of the dome seemed, from some angles, to be a little lower than the top of the Kato dome.  Not having prototype plans for either one, that could be correct, for all I know.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Lets take a moment and recognize what an accomplishment that dome really is. Wow.

[C855B]

Lets take a moment and recognize what an accomplishment that dome really is. Wow.

Yes. And thank you for the great pictures, @Bart1701 ! Mine (MILW/UP) should be here by week's end. I have a token MILW train on the layout and the dome will be a welcome and fun addition.

Does Amtrak still run theirs? IIRC it was going to be down for a rebuild or even retired. When it was on tour a couple of years ago, our intrastate trains had it for a week . We made it a point to do an afternoon round trip to a favorite eatery an hour south of here. We were the only folks in the car both ways other than the conductor, who agreed with our assessment it was arguably the smoothest ride they had.

[MK]

Do/will MBK have them (eventually)?

[central.vermont]

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view&id=13179]

Still looks like will need to amputate your passengers to seat them properly.   

Jon

[wazzou]

RE: passengers, looks like 3D printed project to me.

[Nato]

          The Full Length Dome that Amtrak has is a former GN Great Dome built by Budd. IM however is offering their Milwaukee dome in the scheme Amtrak has applied to their former GN car for Leaf Viewing Specials. I rode in that car with my dad when it was used on the San Deiegan. I have been fortunate to ride in two of the Super Domes, in  the early 1960's when MLW had surplus cars when the Olympian Hi was discontinued before they went to CN they ran on the Challenger. My parents, two sisters and I rode this train to Los Angeles (coach was cheaper than sleepers) then rented a car to drive to San Diego to meet my Aunt and Uncle and their three kids who had already gone out there from Utah by UP Train. In the late 80's my Dad and I attended a National Railway Society convention in Cincanatti (spell check name) and we road on a convention round trip to Columbus, Ohio and back. We also road a 611 trip. It's first restoration,but that is another story. Our Columbus trip was in an Amtrak Super Dome,the interior had been modified much like the SP home built domes which I have ridden in. I will say the the model dome interior is just like the car I rode in on UP right down the the railings and steps going down to the lower level at both ends and that area visible in the photos where there are no seats near the railings. The dome height is slightly lower on these cars, look at a Budd dome car even the Bachman  crude model and you will see the front and rear windshields are more straight up and down giving a better forward view. The Southern Pacific Domes used a dome roof purchased from Budd with the straight windshields, but SP mounted them lower so cars would go through snow sheds and tunnels. Inside your forward view was blocked some by the center air conditioning duct which hung down lower than in say a GN Dome or a Super Dome where the windshield slant reduced the forward view. Every thing you always did not want to know. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[nkalanaga]

"The dome height is slightly lower on these cars"

So my suspicion that the dome was lower than on the Kato car might be right?  I wonder if the MILW did that for more clearance in the electrified regions?  The GN also ran their domes under wires, but only for about a year.

[Mark5]

Looks like the (lower) side windows do not have flush glass. I gotta say that the dome itself looks really good!

Mark