We have a sub here in Cleveland, the USS Cod, but I’d be too afraid to go inside being a confirmed claustrophobe. But I love sub movies 
my favorite being Crimson Tide.
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Um, yeah. Y’gotta be a little crazy to begin with, going on a ship that’s designed to sink, right? We used to get grief from some skimmers (surface Fleet people) until we’d remind them every ship in the Navy can sink. Only a certain few can come back up.
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All of the above.
While I haven’t done much paint work, I’m slowly working on converting everything to a remote control system I designed.
I have a couple of faves. Das Boot because it is so terribly realistic. It’s also amazing, how much of the equipment on a WWII u-boat looks familiar. Then there’s always The Hunt For Red October. Connery was just amazing, the kind of skipper most of the people I know from submarining would reenlist just to have a chance to serve under. Again, all the bubbleheads I know, and I, think it was quite realistic. People have no idea what really goes on down under.
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Having heard the stories of what the Soviet submariners went through during the 13 days of the Cuban missile crisis (having to stay submerged on radio silence breathing diesel fumes in incredible heat while being pinged and depth charged and not knowing if WW3 was underway) gives me nothing but absolute respect for all those who have served.
To put it in railroad terms it would be like being in the cab of a coal fired big boy hauling a slow drag freight through the Moffat tunnel at 3 miles an hour.
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I love your sub/railroad analogy. I was on a boomer, the nickname for a fleet ballistic missile sub, the kind that leaves port, dives, stays under for a couple of months and doesn’t ever go anywhere interesting. We called it boring holes in the ocean, with a particular emphasis on the word 'boring. 
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Thank the good Lord that your duty never got interesting, navyman636.
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When I was a teenager the only tank cars offered by Lionel were Sunoco. I purchased a few really beat up Sunoco tank cars and one very sorry Gulf single dome, stripped off the old paint, sanded down the small scratches, filled some of the deeper scratches with Bondo and sanded them down, purchased decals from one of the big suppliers and made my own fleet of non-Sunoco tank cars.
Ambrose Wine
Deep Rock
and Firestone
The nice thing about the decal sets was the manufacture provided information concerning the paint scheme of the cars so I knew my cars were “true to prototype.”
So, to answer the question I would have to say “it depends.” With cars that were really beat up, as these were, I don’t see any reason to not take advantage of the “raw material” and do some custom work.
I should mention I had planned to do the same thing with a hopper car. The ad said the car was in very poor condition so I bought it. This is what came in the mail. I still can’t figure out how anyone would state this car was in poor condition. As you can see I left it alone.
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Goodness–that’s one of the nicest-condition hoppers that I’ve ever seen!
I see steps on the corners and coil couplers. That looks awesome
Right, definitely one I’d have left alone as well, considering how many Lehigh Valley hoppers are out there that are really in poor condition.
I am not big on custom jobs, I prefer original even if not great condition. But I had to buy this off ebay for a great price… I guess nobody else wanted it. The colors are a bit different (not bad looking to me), but 6 wheels made it a novelty! It reminded me of 3 axle European passenger cars, only shorter. It is creative and kinda cute… Hey, it’s a toy train!
There is so much stuff out there that no one is buying now, I figure this kind of creativity is fun and does not hurt as long as you are not damaging great condition originals that someone may want. I also realize that some may find this ugly or an abomination and I understand that.
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It’s one of a kind and it is yours. There is nothing wrong with that. I did my first custom job a few years ago on an old beaten up SP style caboose. The coupling was missing so I machined a new one out of 1/2" keystock. My next project will have better decals.
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Not bad, I like it. Looks like an easy way to improve an old car!
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I’m rather fond of “rehabbing” beat up and broken cars that I find on eBay, just to make them pretty again. If they are Marx, they are added to the wife’s set. If they are Lionel, they get turned into US Army rail cars with apropos markings. After the resurrection, I love them more! It’s really not unlike adopting a shelter dog off of death row. On the other hand, I don’t dabble in scarce or collectable pieces.
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The only thing I don’t like on that custom job is the purple paint. Aside from that it’s a pretty slick conversion!
Would look good at the end of an Easter themed train 
You probably didn’t like early Amtrak interiors, or the Auto-Train, or classic Atlantic Coast Line?
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To say I wasn’t too keen of the decorating fashions of the “Purple Paisley Seventies” is putting it mildly! I WILL say I liked the shade of purple the ACL used, that was classic!
