Actually, what I've got is a gas car (doodlebug), kitbashed from a Rivarossi combine. I almost put it in with the headend cars, but this one is the entire train. I cut a couple of new windows in the passenger section, then sectioned the body around the baggage door, reversed that section, and put everything back together. Then the baggage doors were replaced with scratchbuilt ones and openings were cut for the cab and mail compartment doors and these were also fitted with homemade doors. The mail room window frame was swiped from an Athearn coach, while all of the cab windows were first cut into the body, then framed-out with strip styrene. The headlight and class lights are from Cal Scale, the dual Mars light, air horns, spark arrestors, and roof-top air tanks are Detail Associates parts, and the number boards and bell are Details West. The radiator/cooling coils on the front of the roof are a combination of parts from an Athearn geep, a Tichy coaling tower, air conditioning parts from New England Rail Service, MDC things from the scrap box, and some scratchbuilt stuff. The pilot is from a Bachmann Santa Fe Northern.
The passenger part of the car has a very basic interior featuring Pikestuff seating for 32 passengers.
The floor from the rear of the car up to the fuel tanks (under the mail compartment window) is the stock Rivarossi floor with a heavier scratchbuilt centresill applied. A UC brake set by PSC was added, along with sill steps built-up from brass strip. The frame from the fuel tank forward is from an Athearn F-7, the front truck is also Athearn, from a geep. The side frames are from Detail Associates and are meant for a C-Liner. There is a Mashima flat can motor, mounted on the flat, in the postal compartment. It drives the front truck through a drive train of various Athearn parts. The rear truck is the stock Rivarossi part with Athearn metal passenger car wheels: these are fitted with wipers and mounted to pick up current from both tracks in a right-left-right pattern. This whole arrangement makes for a fairly dependable and smooth running model. It will also outpull an Athearn Mikado, weighing in as it does at 17.5 ounces. I usually run it alone, although it looks good pulling a coach or a couple reefers too.
It's painted for my Grand River & Northern Lake Erie, known locally as the Erie Northshore. This road owns no freight or passenger cars (other than this one) and the paint scheme is based on the one applied to their Mikados: basic black with yellow lettering, running board edges and a similar-style three part stripe on the tenders. Although I generally run a '30's era layout, I do have a few Alco diesels in this scheme also. After a coat of Floquil grey primer, the entire car sides and ends were painted with SMP Accupaint CPR Action Yellow. When that dried, I used strips cut from masking tape to mask the area to remain yellow (ends and side stripes), then used C-D-S Gothic alphabets (white, I think, or red: didn't really matter since it was only used as a paint mask) for the roadname and number. The whole unit was painted with a black custom mixed from Floquil paints, then lightly weathered. Shortly after it was put into service, the locals nicknamed this black-and-yellow train that came buzzing into town the "Bee". I hope you enjoyed learning about it.
Wayne
The passenger part of the car has a very basic interior featuring Pikestuff seating for 32 passengers.
The floor from the rear of the car up to the fuel tanks (under the mail compartment window) is the stock Rivarossi floor with a heavier scratchbuilt centresill applied. A UC brake set by PSC was added, along with sill steps built-up from brass strip. The frame from the fuel tank forward is from an Athearn F-7, the front truck is also Athearn, from a geep. The side frames are from Detail Associates and are meant for a C-Liner. There is a Mashima flat can motor, mounted on the flat, in the postal compartment. It drives the front truck through a drive train of various Athearn parts. The rear truck is the stock Rivarossi part with Athearn metal passenger car wheels: these are fitted with wipers and mounted to pick up current from both tracks in a right-left-right pattern. This whole arrangement makes for a fairly dependable and smooth running model. It will also outpull an Athearn Mikado, weighing in as it does at 17.5 ounces. I usually run it alone, although it looks good pulling a coach or a couple reefers too.
It's painted for my Grand River & Northern Lake Erie, known locally as the Erie Northshore. This road owns no freight or passenger cars (other than this one) and the paint scheme is based on the one applied to their Mikados: basic black with yellow lettering, running board edges and a similar-style three part stripe on the tenders. Although I generally run a '30's era layout, I do have a few Alco diesels in this scheme also. After a coat of Floquil grey primer, the entire car sides and ends were painted with SMP Accupaint CPR Action Yellow. When that dried, I used strips cut from masking tape to mask the area to remain yellow (ends and side stripes), then used C-D-S Gothic alphabets (white, I think, or red: didn't really matter since it was only used as a paint mask) for the roadname and number. The whole unit was painted with a black custom mixed from Floquil paints, then lightly weathered. Shortly after it was put into service, the locals nicknamed this black-and-yellow train that came buzzing into town the "Bee". I hope you enjoyed learning about it.
Wayne