I 'm trying to kitbash a particular heavyweight Pullman sleeper (1920s era), based on some small, grainy photographs.
Can anyone suggest a good reference book for information about Pullman sleepers, particularly in the way of floorplans, good photographs of the exterior configurations, and perhaps lettering information?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Pete-
Thanks for the link!
-Gary
Hi Gary,
Tom Madden’s Pullman Project Web site, which you’ve already seen, is a great source of information. All of us who use it owe Tom a debt of thanks for what he’s made available.
As for books, there are two good references that will answer many of your questions, but unfortunately both are out of print and the first is pretty rare. For floor plans, car names, car construction lots, original car assignments, and construction and appliance details, I recommend the Passenger Car Catalog, Pullman Operated Equipment, 1912-1949, compiled by William Kratville, 1968 (Kratville Publications). As I said, this is something of a rare book and you can expect to pay a premium for it if you can find a copy, but it’s a most useful reference that gives a visual counterpart to a lot of the data on Tom’s Web site.
For painting and lettering, try to find the Pullman Paint and Lettering Notebook, by Arthur Dubin, 1997 (Kalmbach Books). Since it is out of print, you can’t get this from Kalmbach, but copies may show up through used book dealers, including Amazon. It’s based on sketches done by a Pullman paint shop foreman, and is very good resource on color schemes other than the standard Pullman Green with gold lettering (although that’s in it too).
Both of these books, along with Tom’s Web site and a lot of other resources, are listed in the back of my own book, the Model Railroader’s Guide to Passenger Equipment & Operation, 2006 (Kalmbach Books). Happily, you can still get that one from us on this Web site.
Good luck,
Andy
Andy: Thank you! -Gary