That looks great! 

@Dougklink posted:

That looks great!

well its coming along ,  just 4 more to do after this one , plus a baggage , an 2 more coaches to complete the train. this will be pulled by my Overland A1. after tis I hope to detail the 1936 cars and with a lot of luck convert my  Weaver A3 to 2 rail. The rest of my 3 Rail  including my 1938 cats and weaver A1 (already listed) will be listed  for sale soon

@Dave Koehler posted:

What are you guys using for lighting?  Remember I'm dealing with a 1930s prototype,, the transition from the old heavy weight cars, to the first Lt. weight modern  cars ever designed. so no florescent or in your face blue white LED's . How are you doing period lighting?

I was going to answer Warm White LED strips but they are still too white. Here is one of my K-Line Super Chief coach with Warm White LEDs.

For 1930s I would use Yellow or Amber LEDs.

GRJ compared Yellow and Warm White LEDs Here:

Warm White:

Yellow:

For a less intense yellow color you can paint Warm White LEDs with Tamiya Clear Orange Acrylic paint as shown here by forum user S-Runner.

Whatever color choice you make, remember to adjust the light intensity way down for 1930s cars.

Bob

@RRDOC posted:

I was going to answer Warm White LED strips but they are still too white. Here is one of my K-Line Super Chief coach with Warm White LEDs.

For 1930s I would use Yellow or Amber LEDs.

GRJ compared Yellow and Warm White LEDs Here:

Warm White:

Yellow:

For a less intense yellow color you can paint Warm White LEDs with Tamiya Clear Orange Acrylic paint as shown here by forum user S-Runner.

Whatever color choice you make, remember to adjust the light intensity way down for 1930s cars.

Bob

Ah that's what I am talking about.  getting close to the lighting for the period!     In the coach I am trying to detail here the  interior lights were mounted , were the vertical columns between the windows and  under the luggage racks using the  brass wire for part of the electrical system.  Since I run on dead rail,   I will be installing  a battery in the bar /cafe car  and mu the cars together with a micro plug and harness to power  the lighting eliminating any flicker, or extra electronics for each car.      I'm not the greatest at LED's , but have ordered  a plethora of Bulbs and LED's to see  what works best.

I also noticed we use the same figures , did you have  any thing special ? I see they line up great with the windows

@Dave Koehler posted:

I'm not the greatest at LED's , but have ordered  a plethora of Bulbs and LED's to see  what works best.

Have you looked at the products from Evans Designs?

The figures are the unpainted less-detailed Chinese knockoffs of the Preiser figures as well as the rubbery Beep People that K-line provided. There are some other plastic figures from a box of junk I bought (Lady in pink and man with bent elbow).  I have never figured out where they came from but I'd like to get more.  Many of those figures had hats which is nice for my 1950s time frame. I primed all the figures and painted them with craft paints.  I actually enjoy painting the figures.  I've done about 300 so far and have another 1200 to go to reasonably populate my passenger cars.

The Chinese figures are in the package.
Does anyone know the source of the figures in the bag?

I did improve the crappy K-line coach seats by adding headrests made from styrene rods and adding headrest covers I printed and of course painting the seats.  

Bob

@mwb posted:

Have you looked at the products form Evans Designs?

well thank you. they seem to have everything, I will need

wow those cars have a lot of room. I raised my seats about 2mm and cut open  the front and back of my coach seats to give me leg room.  those are some of the same figures.

The legroom was pretty good, but I did have to cut off the feet of a lot of the figures due to the seats being too low. See the lady in tan and the lady in blue.  The dilemma is that if you put in seats with proper height, then the figures sit too high to look out the windows.  

Bob

@RRDOC posted:

The legroom was pretty good, but I did have to cut off the feet of a lot of the figures due to the seats being too low. See the lady in tan and the lady in blue.  The dilemma is that if you put in seats with proper height, then the figures sit too high to look out the windows.  

Bob

There I was lucky.  To get the correct contour of the sides  and end ,  Removed the under carriage details and trucks and reinserted the floor . This gave me an extra 2.25mm  even with a new floor insert made of bass wood

@Dave Koehler posted:

well thank you. they seem to have everything, I will need

I've started using their products to light structures.  Easy enough for this dinosaur to use, too. 

As I wait for  Electrical components , and fabricate what I need to detail the under bodies I have included  photo's of roof vents placed over the Men's and women's WC's , as well as the gutters for over the doors on the vestibule's. the vent were fabricated in bass wood and the gutters styrene square stock.    The only other roof detail will be  a rib or vent that ran along the length to the cars above the Center line of the roof, as well as a wireless antenna for the intercom system .   If any one has a good photo of the roof of one of the brass models please post it

@mwb posted:I've started using their products to light structures.  Easy enough for this dinosaur to use, to

@mwb posted:

I've started using their products to light structures.  Easy enough for this dinosaur to use, too. 

I do know how to do a lot  thing s  ,  when it comes to model railroading , but when it come to passenger car roof and lighting, I still get that DEAR IN  THE HEAD LIGHTS LOOK! 

Well its been a week and a half  and have installed my lighting  . After going back and forth between grain of wheat and LEDs the LEDs won out , giving me the best intensity per car , The color is a little off and will be adjusting that with a coat of transparent orange paint.  I have mounted KD couplers and started detailing the under carriage  " Weaver missed the boat on details below the body lines, Including , what they call 2 rail scale  trucks  t( that are actually from the 1938 style train)but for now they will have to do.  Sorry for the quality of these pics , I ran over my phone/ camera, and until I can find a 10 year old to show me how  download my new phone to the PC , this will be it for a while

@Dave Koehler posted:

....I ran over my phone/ camera, and until I can find a 10 year old to show me how  download my new phone to the PC , this will be it for a while

For Windows 11 and I think 10 also, there is a Phone Link app.  It connects to the phone over wifi and you can text, call and transfer pictures with it from the PC.   Videos still need a USB cable from the phone to the PC for my android.  Now that I have a phone that will take good close up shots it saves me a lot of time transfering pictures.   

@Dave Koehler do you have a drawing of what the underbody detail should look like?  I know they are missing a number of items on the morning train.  The most obvious difference in the trucks is the lack of generator on the end of the truck frame which I plan to add to mine.  What color are you using to match the underbody color?

@Dave Koehler posted:

Weaver missed the boat on details below the body lines,

Dave, I second the statement. That strip of something on the underside is OK for hiding the lighting, but needs to go when the LEDs get installed.

Any ideas to upgrade these cars would be helpful. I have the morning train (square windows on the tail) and the Art Deco style passenger sets. Both would be helped by a little detail. Any suggestions on alternate couplers for these cars? They are much longer than any others I have seen. I have the 3 rail sets and intend on keeping the high flanges.

If anyone knows how to remove the button uncouplers without damaging the uncoupler, please let me know. They look to be a soldered assembly. I do not see a reason to need the magnetic uncoupler and prefer to remove it. Kadees are an option. 

At some point I have a couple of Walther's kits I'll try to tackle.

@Dougklink posted:

@Dave Koehler do you have a drawing of what the underbody detail should look like?  I know they are missing a number of items on the morning train.  The most obvious difference in the trucks is the lack of generator on the end of the truck frame which I plan to add to mine.  What color are you using to match the underbody color?

Since the Milwaukee Road ,and the archive ,was given to , the Milwaukee library.  I was on the hunt  for the mechanical drawings, and no one could find them.  So I used the drawings from Model rail roader from 1984? there was a 3/16th scale set of drawings  , side  and end elevations   In color. as well as floor plans for the Beaver tail , Caffe and Coach/parlor cars in TT scale of all things     I got a copy on " the Bay"    and scaled the drawings up to  0 . so far I Have used bass wood  and styrene for the detail parts . I still have to make  the steam vents?  and correct stairs at the vestibule's, as far as the brown  I just used Crafters closet acrylic craft pain   Brown .  from dollar general.  Its close enough for the underside.

Thanks Dave.  Frustrating that they aren't in the archives.  Scribbins Hiawatha book has some great photos of the ribbed side cars but not any really good ones of the earlier cars that a guy can scale.

ings

@Dougklink posted:

Thanks Dave.  Frustrating that they aren't in the archives.  Scribbins Hiawatha book has some great photos of the ribbed side cars but not any really good ones of the earlier cars that a guy can scale.

ings

Very frustrating! I have a book here by the Milwaukee shops Inc   " Hiawatha nothing faster on rails"  The definitive book on everything in Hiawatha  Cars from  1936 -1942 , great drawings coped and printed from the archive as well as photo's and descriptions , but there is very little on the first series of cars 19935/1935.     I have plans from Cleaveland models ( the First model company to produce a kit of the Hiawatha in 1935 ( but they are a little off) , I have a few early Walthers cars  that were made to go with Lionels 250E , but they are a little off.  Yet the Brass importers have produced  Models in brass that are  perfect. 

@ScoutingDad posted:

Dave, I second the statement. That strip of something on the underside is OK for hiding the lighting, but needs to go when the LEDs get installed.

Any ideas to upgrade these cars would be helpful. I have the morning train (square windows on the tail) and the Art Deco style passenger sets. Both would be helped by a little detail. Any suggestions on alternate couplers for these cars? They are much longer than any others I have seen. I have the 3 rail sets and intend on keeping the high flanges.

If anyone knows how to remove the button uncouplers without damaging the uncoupler, please let me know. They look to be a soldered assembly. I do not see a reason to need the magnetic uncoupler and prefer to remove it. Kadees are an option.

At some point I have a couple of Walther's kits I'll try to tackle.

The 1936/37 train  that weaver made ( the After noon Hiawatha ) I have, came with Their version of  KD's and scale  flanges, ran it  on a loop of 072 fast track with no issues  plus it brought the cars closer together ( much better looking) I will never understand why every one uses working couplers on passenger cars, no one ever switches them in a yard , they always run them together!   PS In the next day or so  I will open my 19938 set and check out those couplers for you and let you know!

Good point about the couplers.  My tightest curves are 072 so I'm planning to install Kadees and get them closer together.  The KLines are pretty good in that regard but could be a little better.  Most of the E units I've seen are way too far apart and again, who uncouples an ABA set of F's or E's?

@Dave Koehler. Dave the Weaver versions I have are the 3R ones. From what I've seen, the 2R versions went with the Kadee versions. Can't imagine a 2R'er being happy with lobster claws.  BTW I have not had much luck running scale wheel sets on my Ross track with 072 diameter curves.

@Dougklink posted:

Good point about the couplers.  My tightest curves are 072 so I'm planning to install Kadees and get them closer together.  The KLines are pretty good in that regard but could be a little better.  Most of the E units I've seen are way too far apart and again, who uncouples an ABA set of F's or E's?

Thats just it, you don't.  Even when EMD delivered their FT units they were presently coupled in an ABA configuration with a draw bar between units

@ScoutingDad posted:

@Dave Koehler. Dave the Weaver versions I have are the 3R ones. From what I've seen, the 2R versions went with the Kadee versions. Can't imagine a 2R'er being happy with lobster claws.  BTW I have not had much luck running scale wheel sets on my Ross track with 072 diameter curves.

Is it the gauge or the rail  head?  I never held a piece . 

Dave - Ross rail has a somewhat flattened top, but not flat like Atlas track. I am told by others scale wheels will run on Ross track. It may be my track laying skill or lack thereof that caused the issues. Or it may be that the European cars are slightly different with the 1:43 scale -proportions

I have since moved and began a rebuild of my 3R Scale layout - with an eye toward improved track laying. So I went ahead and checked the MTH European cars I have (as I was responding to your question).  A short box car with fixed single axles on either end will run on an 072dia curve - MTH shows 031R/062D min, but not the curved Ross Turnouts, the frogs look to have too much gap for the scale wheels.  Car #20-90942G  However an LMS Passenger car will run on the 072 diameter curves and curved switches, although MTH calls for 042R/084D.  Car #22-60052A

So in hindsight, I have to say my previous experience was more a result of my poor track laying. Getting the track right is making the difference.

@ScoutingDad posted:

Dave - Ross rail has a somewhat flattened top, but not flat like Atlas track. I am told by others scale wheels will run on Ross track. It may be my track laying skill or lack thereof that caused the issues. Or it may be that the European cars are slightly different with the 1:43 scale -proportions

I have since moved and began a rebuild of my 3R Scale layout - with an eye toward improved track laying. So I went ahead and checked the MTH European cars I have (as I was responding to your question).  A short box car with fixed single axles on either end will run on an 072dia curve - MTH shows 031R/062D min, but not the curved Ross Turnouts, the frogs look to have too much gap for the scale wheels.  Car #20-90942G  However an LMS Passenger car will run on the 072 diameter curves and curved switches, although MTH calls for 042R/084D.  Car #22-60052A

So in hindsight, I have to say my previous experience was more a result of my poor track laying. Getting the track right is making the difference.

Yup the age old problem, of the switch frogs, I am getting around that with closed frog switches,  they used this system in the early days of 0 scale by moving the inside 3rd rail  to the out side of the track and picking up power  with a wiper.  I have taken it one step further , by going to dead rail.   Thats why my cars will be MU  ed together  ( wired  one car to the next)  to a battery in the head end car.  No flickering , no overpriced ,add on electronics, and when the train is stopped at the station the lights stay on.  Using  KD.s or dummy scale couplers  bring the cars close together and the plugs go through and are hidden by the  diaphragms .

I will be back at this thread this week with some better pics and more details   I am hopping this link by  WITZ 41  will help with mounting trucks.

Help: 2 Rail lightweight passenger trucks.