Got yet another one for my Forum friends: Does anyone have a good diagram for the interiors for the following passenger car types (all lightweight): diner, vista-dome, observation and dome-observation. I’ve decided that I should make my passenger cars look like they are actually earning their keep. Given that most all the cars are Athearn I will have to bash them. The obs-dome is a Con-cor. As usual, thank you in advance for any assistance that can be provided.
Do an on-line search with “XYZ passenger car diagrams” with XYZ being the reporting marks. Works for PRR, NYC, GN, WP, CB&Q, ATSF, MILW, NP. B&O - every line I tried. Have fun !
I know I have seen diagram just like you need in some railroad books, so if you’ve got a good collection of books on your chosen prototype (or know someone/somewhere you can borrow books from) you may be able to find what you need there. The books may also have interior pictures which will be helpful I’m sure.
And yes, as previously mentioned the internet may have something! Railroad historical society websites may be helpful, they often have all sorts of random stuff!
This site has equipment diagrams of the California Zephyr cars
I just do a Google search “pullman passenger car floor plans”.
I have all Athearn passenger cars which of course are 72’ much shorter than the real thing. I just use the floor plans as a go-by.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I have looked at/studied many of the plans published in Model Railroader through the years.
Going from memory, and window placement on the models, I think I could piece together a believable floor plan.
No one is going to pop the roof off and inspect your work. I believe this is one place where “close enough” will be good enough.
-Kevin
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Whose seats are those that you used in the observation car? I was looking to get some Pikestuff LW seats for the interiors of my cars.
Those seats are “Mel seats”. Many years ago I bought a couple of IHC Interiors and chopped them up modified the pieces then made molds. All of the furniture in my structures and rolling stock are Mel castings with the exception of some Shapeways chairs.
Pictures are expandable by clicking on them.
Everything in my passenger cars are “Mel made” including the figures.
The floor and walls are .02” Styrene sheet, the furniture are resin casting as are the figures. The table lamps are 3mm warm white LEDs inverted with a gold bead for the base and Styrene tubing lamp shade.
It’s easy to customize both the figures and furniture using castings.
Making resin castings of the Shapeway chairs is too delicate of a task for me, even the Shapewasy chairs have missing legs.
[bow]
I have never even had enough gumption to finish a basic interior in one passenger car.
The SGRR may never see passenger train operations.
-Kevin
I’ve got one train of Rivarossi coaches that I’ve painted the interiors for and added a few figures, mostly crudely painted undecs. Then I’ve got a bunch of streamliners with cloudy windows that you can’t see into. I’m happy with both trains.
I learned early on with interior structure detailing that I could spend a lot of time doing interiors, but unless the structures were in the front of the layout and the windows were large enough, no one could see my work.
I really admire Mel’s work. I wish I had that patience. I wish I had eyes good enough to appreciate the work he does.
Palace Car Co. makes interior kits for most all Athearn HO cars, they include diagrams for how to assemble them.
Even after looking at those, I still think I will build my own. That way I can customize them as I see fit. The only interior plan I can’t find is for a diner car that was converted to grill car similar to what early Amtrak did.
[bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow][bow]
I am impressed.
I’d really like to know how you do this. I’d love to be able to make custom characters.
Those LED lamps were cool. I may not need lamps like that in the 1890’s, but I put it away for future reference.
[tup][tup]
There is a guy that does 3D interiors on Shayways, they are very nice but a bit pricy for me.
Besides I like building up my own interiors.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Check out Hobby Lobby for Resin Casting Kits.
I started out making molds of Preiser figures then chopping off and reposition heads, arms and legs. I then make molds of the repositioned figures. I wanted to have some nice looking ladies and there just isn’t many in HO scale so I bought a few bald female HO figures off Shapewasy (very pricy) and did the same with them. I have over 100 HO Figure molds, I generally have
I have a few of these posts bookmarked. Any time I get depressed by bad circumstances, all I have to do is look at a few ‘Mel’ scenes and I’m refreshed.
Yeah, Mel has changed the meaning of LPBs as “Little Plastic Beings” or even Little Plastic B*****ds, into one of Lusciously Perfect Babes.
I’m continuously impressed by his well-populated scenes, whether at a backyard get-together, a gathering on the station platform, or a coach full of passengers.
Outstanding work! [bow][bow][bow]
Wayne
Thanks guys! When my arthritis flare ups get really bad working at my workbench on little stuff is about all I can do. I will normally make and paint about 70 in a session. Once I get going it’s actually fun. The hard part is the painting and repainting sometime five or six times each.
I have close to a dozen vehicles to finish when the Bako heat goes away. Can’t get much done with fans running.
EDIT
They’re not all girls Wayne.
This guy swings a hammer by servo.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Unfortunately, that is the wrong era of car for what I need and I couldn’t find any other diner interiors that fit. However, I did find an idea or two that I can use for my other interiors.
Make your own. It sounds like you have something in mind, just do it to it. If you have a lot of interiors to make I would suggest making molds for seat castings, much easier than building them individually. One $20 casting kit ($16 with 40% coupon) from Hobby Lobby will make enough interior components to build up several dozen cars easily.
The convenient seating arraignment for Athearn cars is 7 chairs on each side of the walk way. I bought a couple of IHC interiors and chopped them up then glued the seats spaced to fit the car window spacing on your preferred car. Then make a master mold. Easy to paint and install.
The two seating molds in my pictures above fit both the Athearn streamline (light weight) and heavy weight Pullmans’.
I kinda followed the SP floorplan on the streamlined observation above. The heavy weight odservation below is a Mel floorplan.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.