I am building a consist for a Twin City Zephyr. I am using Broadway Limited’s Budd dome-coach cars for the California Zephyr. Which similar to the TCZ dome cars. Also, I am using the BLI CZ diner. The BLI cars are lettered “Burlington”.
Two remaining cars are needed: the baggage-lounge and the dome-parlor-observation. I have completed the baggage lounge, and I will be building the dome-parlor-observation car following similar methods at a later date.
Photo 1: The "raw material’ is the Walthers Budd baggage dormitory car. It is now on sale in the Walthers monthly flyer for under $20.00 lettered for Penn Central.
I compared the PC car with drawings and photos. Work needed: Change the window arrangement; add roof details; add skirts; add car name plate under windows… I chose to ignore other differences: The baggage door is too wide and not spaced correctly measuring from car end. The road name plate is not spaced correctly.
Photo 2: Disassemble the car.
Photo 3: Protect fluting on car sides with masking tape. Cut out window section with nibbler from Micro-mark. File edges.
Photo 4: Cut clear plastic strip to correct size and glue in place. Fill as needed with plastic model filler and smooth surface after drying with very fine sand paper. Skirts are made from corrugated plastic sheets, and glued into place. Cut labels to correct size to mask windows. I used common labels from office supply store and cut each label into four pieces. Then, I placed the pieces in the correct location. I protected contacts on the bottom piece with masking tape. I sprayed painted with a mixture of metallic automotive paint to match the BLI car surfaces. I used Micro Scale decals. I also installed Plano blinds. The lo
beautiful. I may just borrow this for the Fairtrain’s Silver Salon.
if I might make the note though, it looks like there;'s some flaking on the car that stuck when the sides got cut when you repainted it. Is it just the lighting?
Nice work on the the TCZ baggage-buffet cars. The dome-parlor-observation is similar, but has lots of differences from the CZ cars. This TCZ dome-coaches have widows closer together as well(not overnight service like the CZ/DZ cars). I worked as a relief fireman once on the TCZ - At the time it was down to a single ‘motor’, the bagg-buffet, and a pair of domes.
Thanks Morgan and Jim. Silver Buffet is a twin to Silver Salon. This is my first time at using this method for windows in a kit bash. I saw this method in MR some time back. It was not as neat as I would like it to be. However, I could do better if I used this method again on another car.
Yes, the CZ domes differ, but the BLI’s look better than Con Cor cars even though Con Cor’s have the correct window arangement for TCZ. Interesting, Jim, about your being relief fireman for the TCZ even if it was in the 3 car / one loco unit era. My rides on the train were in the 1955-1962 period and it typically had the full consist. I’ve riden on the two original, flat glass dome cars and also behind the E5’s. Those were the days!
Gary, that’s a nice looking model. In regards to Silver Salon, are you modeling the TC Zypher early to middle of it’s career or late in it’s career. If modeling late in it’s career then you will need to substitue Silver Tower or Silver Terrace for Silver Salon. Personally you would be better off getting Shorham Shops model of Silver Salon. Shorham Shops models blend in perfectly with BLI’s CZ cars. I have a model of Shorham Shops TCZ Silver Chair/Silver Parlor and BLI’s Silver Ranch.
With that car and your eariler dome-buffet observation, you are quite the kit-basher, my friend. I really like what you’ve done, and I really appreciate the photos as you progressed. Who knows, I may STILL get inspired to turn my Rio Grande dome into that kinda/sorta mid-train-dome-observation that ran on the Royal Gorge.
But that’s really NICE work. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Here are two kitbashed observations I am using now. One is the DZ observation car (Silver Chateau) I made from a Con Cor dome/coach and a Model Power Budd observation car. I use it on my abreviated Denver Zephyr.
The other is my Silver Fountain which is diner/parlor/ obeservation car I made from the Walthers tavern observation car. I use it on my short KCZ.
I am studying the original TCZ observations. I think I can make one from the Walthers tavern observation car and the Con Cor dome/coach. So far, it looks like a challenging project.
Just found your post on your TCZ Baggage Bar Lounge car kitbash. I’m the Editor of the Burlington Route Historical Society newsletter, the Zephyr and was wondering if you would be willing to allow me to publish this as one of our modeling articles in a future issue?
Wow, Dave! … i’m honored by your request. I’m in BRHS and my modeling talents are no where close to those in the article in the Zephyr by Mr. Bill Glick with his Waycar, doodlebug, and 4-6-2. As i said when I posted the article, I was not pleased with my windows in this car. I’ll email to you.
Garry, great! I’ll look out for your byline in a future Zephyr!
This also proves that the search function of the new forum is way better, I don’t think that there is any way that Dave would have dredged this thread up on the old search engine?
