I’ve always liked the Budd “Metros” as they were America’s fastest regularly scheduled passenger trains from 1969 thru the early 80s before the self-propelled MU units were bumped off in place of AEM-7 hauled Metroliner Service trains. The first units delivered in 1967-68 wore the Pennsy Keystones but Penn Central got the credit for getting them into service. Inspite of some glitches, the service was very popular.
These are “long-out-of-production” Bachmann Amtrak Metroliners that I bought new in a set back in the early 1990s. I won 3 more in ebay within the past 2 years. They were used but in very good shape. To be blunt, the drive in the powered car is junk. But the body shells and underframe detailing look decent when compared to the prototype photos.
So far I’ve metalized 4 shells.
First, I removed the shells off the underframes and removed the pantographs.
I cut out the one-piece blue plastic window on each car (man, that was a chore![:O]).
The 91% alcohol bath! , Bachmann’s paint floated off within minutes. I followed up with a toothbrush scrub and then a wash with soapy warm water.
Next day I sprayed the shells in Scale Coat II Gloss Black that I picked up at my LHS, Happy Hobo Trains (thanks Kevin).
Happy to report that the Alcald II went on very smoothly with no problems. I used a Badger dua
I could be wrong, but it still looks black in the lighting. Is there a reason to revert to black? I could dig up the “My passenger cars mettalized” thread, but this is a litlle clearer in directions.
Hmm, smooth black undercoat - what was the pressure you sprayed the Scalecoat II black at (also, did you thin or not).
Just asking, as I brought some scalecoat gloss black & some Alclad, gonna paint a few things, and I’d like to get it right the first time, so let us learn from your mistake. [:D]
(Don’t fee bad, I’ve spazzed out plenty of times in the paint & finish section of a project - that’s why I’d like to learn)
Good job there Antonio , we discussed Alclad a while back , surprised you used scalecoat black instead of the Alclad black , reason ? I assume you used the chrome again ? Back in the seventies I had the pleasure (har har) of rebuilding the Metroliners here at GE , we strip them out completely and updated all the electronics and sent them on their way ( I was a testman on them in those days). We had them up over 100mph on our test track till , the safety people found out , our track at that time was only rated for 70mph. They were smooth as glass.
Thank you for your encouraging comments. The photos look dark because I’m still an incompetent “Yutz” [D)] with digital cameras and taking shots indoors. I will photograph the shells in the sunlight and post them here.
Hello Flashwave,
The black base is what the Alclad Metalizer reflects. I noticed that some of the early 1940s Budd and ACF cars had a “whiter” appearance to them. For that effect, a dark grey base would be better to use.
Gappleg…
I visited several scale model forums on the web. I read more than once that some modelers, ironically, had trouble with Alclad’s gloss black. I didn’t want to take the chance. I remembered that in the 2003 MRR issue where a modeler metalized his N-scale RDCs, he stated that he used the Scale Coat II gloss black as his base, so that’s the route I took. I actually prefer acrylics, however on one of the websites I visited a skilled modeler who had experimented with various basecoats stated that for metalizing, solvent base on top of solvent base seemed to yield the best results.
BTW: David is on the mark with the 50/50 thinning ratio. However, for clear coating Alclad, Polly Scale Gloss Clear works just fine, which is what I used on the Rivorossi cars that I metalized a while back.
The key to clearcoating the Alclad is that the gloss Clear be “thined” an addtional 15% to 20%. Too thick and the metalzing effect will be lost.
Gappleg, you worked on the prototype Metros??? Man! I wish I knew you then. Did you take any photos? If so, please post them.
originally I thinned the Scale Coat at the recommended 1/3 thinner to 2/3 paint. I didn’t like the results as two of the shells looked rough. The Scale Coat was stubborn to strip off, so instead I wet sanded the shells with 3M 600 grit. I discovered, as David mentions above, that the 50/50 ration mix works very well. The paint lays on smoothly at 20 to 25 psi with a fine or medium needle/aircap combo. Just before I paint models, I always perform a test on scrap plastic or masking paper. I won’t spray the models until I like what I see on the test.
Very nice! It looks like it’s actually made from a high grade stainless steel.[:D] A lot better than chrome plating. Almost makes me want to go and buy a bunch of Budd stuff so I can do that.[:D]
I’m guessing you’ve got the later single powered truck drive in yours. How do you plan on repowering it so it will run as good as it looks?
Darth, you’re correct. The 1990s set powered car had the cheesy truck motor. I’ve been planning on using the “Bull Ant” truck motor suggested by Mark Newton. However, one of the other units that I won recently on ebay has a can motor and gear drive. I don’t know if it’s factory or if the previous owner installed it. The gears are not “splining” properly and there’s a lot of slippage. I’m going to ask a friend look at it and see if he thinks it can be spruced up with Mashima and NWSL components. I certainly would like smooth, quiet running.
I want to install DCC sound and would like to take a few liberties with the horn sound. Instead of the Leslie S2-L horn that the prototypes used, I’d like to have the more pleasant sounding Leslie S3K instead. The high pitched S2L is too annoying for my ears!
Here’s a couple of shots I was able to take outdoors.
Have you ever tried Tamiya Gloss Black spray paint? I thought that was what Alclad recommended. Anyway I have painted a few 1/24 scale cars with it and it is a pretty fool proof way to get a smooth gloss black finish. Those paints are great.
After seeing those pics, now I really want to get going on my Santa Fe F-units.
A question, though…how easy/difficult is it to mask Alclad? I’m going to need to do a bit of masking on mine, and I’m slightly worried about how fragile the paint is. Does the clearcoat strengthen it enough to mask?
I can’t wait to see those Metroliners finished! [:)]
I’m not sure what you meant by the prototypes. We re-built the Metros in Erie in the mid-seventies and upgraded almost everything in them. Hence we had to tear them apart and add new components. Like I said we had fun re-testing them before shipping them back out.
At that time in Erie we were building transit cars , built hundreds of Septa cars for New Jersey.
Alclad produces their own brand of gloss black that they recommend using.
I have heard some very good things about Tamiya as a good, tough paint that works well under Alclad. I would consider using it, however, I now have 4 bottles of Scale Coat II gloss black so it may be a while before I experiment with other black bases. I do hope that some of you guys that want to metalize will consider experimenting with different brands of base colors and post your results.
Arjay,
Thank you. The gloss clear coat is a big plus for protection. Once the clear is has thoroughly cured, you can mask it off as you would Polyscale, Floquil, or Testors painted surfaces that are cured. To play it safe, I now prefer to wait at least 3 days before I mask off for other colors.
Note: I recently received an email from Alclad rep, Mr. Tony Hipp. He recommends waiting 2-3 weeks to allow the metalizer to “toughen up” before applying solvent based clear coats. So far, I’ve had good results with the acrylic clears, though based on Mr. Hipp’s comments via a recent email, I’ll now wait at least a week instead of 2 or 3 days before applying the Polly Scale or Modelflex gloss clear. Again, the key to applying clear is to spray it on “Thin” so as to not greatly dull down the metalized appearance. Instead of increasing air pressure, I increase my stroke speed slightly to put it on wet and not get runs. I keep an old Bachmann boxcar shell handy to test my clears on first.
Future Floor Finish works well and leaves a tough finish. It doesn’t have to be thinned. However, it can gum up your airbrush quickly if you wait to long between coats. Once a modeler finishes airbrushing with Future, it’s important that the airbrush be flushed out and cleaned up right away.
Prototypes, You know…the real things! 1 to 1 scale! [;)] You got to see the ones that still had the Penn Central markings on them that Amtrak had not yet repainted. That’s why I was hoping that you took some photos then. You participated in some cool history. [4:-)][tup]
Ok , yep , worked on the 1-1 , We were the goof balls that repainted alot of them to the new Amtrak scheme at that time. We used to love working on them , because during our goof off time , the seats were very comfortable, laid back , great for naps. At that time we were working 16 hr. days to complete the contract , but we had to rest sometime.
I went ahead and ordered the black base coat from Alclad…I’ll give that a try on something scrap-worthy first. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try something else and see what happens.
Ultra cool! I know you worked hard but found time to have fun too! You remind me of my time at the transit authority shop I worked in for 15 years.
Do you remember what color the seats on the PC schemed Metros were before you removed them? I know that the Metro Club/Lounges had orange seats ( I have a photo), but what about the coaches?
Yes, I remember that wild Amtrak scheme with the color fades on the front of the cabs. That was pretty creative and a nice variety from the first Amtrak scheme.
