Troop sleeper conversions

[jon-monon]

Simpler Than The Simplest Cobblers Knobernite Coulda Immagined!

Over the weekend, I visited this caboose:

Which you can see bears a blanked out window.

All you need to do is cut a piece of styrene slightly larger than the window and glue it over from the outside. This works if you're a Hoosier, cuz they just welded a plate over the opening. If ya want to get fancy, you could use a thicker adhesive, like powerpoxy, and let a little ooz out to make the "weld", or better yet, apply the "weld" with a syringe after the fact. That's how I did the patch on the battered gondo:

Monon's Troup Kitchen cars appear to have received the same treatment:

If you want to see more, go to The Monon Historical Society and click on "Photographs around the Monon" then "Monon Troop Kitchen Cars". BTW: If you want to learn about that caboose, you won't find it under "Monon Cabooses" because it's an imposter. You can find it under "Miscellaneous Sites Along The Monon Railroad" (caboose (ex-EJ&E 179?) painted up as Monon 81579).

 

[absnut]

Thanks for all the suggestions, friends. After much thought, I opted to plug the windows with 1 mm styrene. Each piece was cut almost to size and then (painstakingly I might add!) filed and "snadded" to the point where they could be pushed firmly and snugly into the opening. There appear to be no gaps between the plugs and the window frame (but probably at 2 feet distance, one couldn't see them anyway!). Cutting out the end doors and the four side openings to the vestibules turned out to be a challenge since my "nibbler" was too wide. But drill, cut, file, and sand (snad) did the job. Slow work, but I think I'm going to like it.

Dick

 

[jon-monon]

Lookin' good, friend. Can't wait to see a pic after you get it snaded and srapyed with pirmer so it's all one color!

 

[absnut]

Almost done. Needs paint, decals, and couplers.

Dick

 

[shaygetz]

That is sweet, I can hardly wait to see it painted (after a lil' more snading I 'spect.) Great job.

 

[sumpter250]

Dick,
That's looking really good, can't wait to see it in BAR paint.
Pete

 

[rich maiorano]

as always Dick great work there can't wait to see it finished Rich

 

[Blake]

Great deal, love converted troop sleepers.

 

[absnut]

I rushed and it shows in places but, nothing that can't be touched up. I need to get a decal set to finish the lettering....... of course, the appropriate decals are no available in N scale, so what is available will have to do. The most important result is the proof that the troop sleepers are "bashable". My guess is these differed somewhat from one another so mine is a reflection of that..... I used the left side of one and the right side of another as my "model". No prototype number would be accurate so I picked one out of the hat. My BAR trains will, now, have at least a representative caboose in tow!

Dick

 

[absnut]

And, another.

 

[Blake]

Looks absolutly great! Microscale makes a few BAR decal sets but no cabooses. Looks like you got some decals. I found this on the net, you have probably seen it before (link below). Maybe these guys have a set in HO. You can go to a color copier and copy it at 54% to a decal sheet.

BAR Buggies

 

[jon-monon]

Beautiful, Dick!

 

[absnut]

Oops! This is the other side.

Dick

 

[sumpter250]

Dick,
Found the color slides, projector lamp blew. I'll have to find a new lamp in order to transfer the slide to a digital image. I also found this:

 

[absnut]

Sumpter, I'd love to have that B&A 4-4-0 on my layout!

Dick

 

[jon-monon]

Originally posted by sumpter250
Dick,
Found the color slides, projector lamp blew. I'll have to find a new lamp in order to transfer the slide to a digital image. I also found this:

Pete, you might try setting a florescent shop lamp over the slide on a scanner and scan the slide in that way. You may have to adjust color balance some. Negatives are tricky, but slides usually come out pretty good.

ex.:

 

[sumpter250]

Jon,
If I can't find a new lamp, and that is looking like it isn't going to happen, the projector is only somewhere around 40 years old, I'll try your suggestion. It still would be nice to have the projector back on line so I could more easily view the slides.
The lamp I need is a Sylvania type CBA 120V 500W.
Pete

 

[jon-monon]

Supterthing like this?

http://donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/cba.html

I should also mention that the yellow-orange cast in the slide I scanned may be from the original slide, as I believe outddor film was used with indoor lighting. I was not the photographer.

 

[TrainClown]

looks GREAT!

Now your LPBs wont get any work done at all. They will all be in the bar car getting soused.

Now I would like to see it hooked to a train please, so I can appreciate the full efect.

Seems styreen was the way to go.

TrainClown Christopher

 

[absnut]

TC, styrene plugs fit the bill, for sure. No photo of it on a train but, here's a crew on their way out to pick up the Searsport consist and head for the coast.

Dick