Removing skirting from MTH Amtrak ribbed passenger cars

I did it to an atlas CZ car. Mass removal with a zona saw and straighten it out/get the length right with sanding sticks.
Could possibly need a strip of plastic inside the shell to support the floor in place, particularly in the middle of the car.

I've done it to a lionel car with an exacto blade. Just take your time.

Nothing like taking a razor saw and a Dremel to a brand new car!  I even forgot to test it before I cut it up and removed the clasp brakes from the trucks.

thanks!

-Mario

Before and after.

Time to add Kadees!

Thanks!

- Mario

Nicely done.  I have several 21" Amtrak cars from K-Line and GGD and some much older manufacturers that I would like to remove the skirting from.  I have a Micromark mini table saw that I figured would do a nice job using the fence.  For aluminum I will just use a metal blade.

Makes the cars much more prototypical for the period.

@GG1 4877, that would look nice!  I've always liked the 21" cars!  But the MTH stainless is so nice on the Amfleets...

Good luck and keep us up to date on your progress!

Aluminum looks the best, obviously!  Especially since I cannot cut the skirts too close to the ends, as there's no cross-body support.  Add that to the completely inaccurate window arrangements and I'm not going crazy...  Just enough to make my late-90s Lake Shore credible.

Check on Jay Winn's great series on Amtrak 48 at Utica though the years.

Thanks!

- Mario

Nice video!  I rode the Broadway Limited extensively during the late 80's and early 90's prior to its demise in 1996.  It was a fun collection of Heritage and Amfleet cars.  I often got Slumbercoach berth which was really fun.  I was on consists made up of entire Heritage fleet cars or some mixed with the Amfleet cafe to replace the Heritage lounge and Amfleet coaches substituting for one to all of the Heritage coaches.  I'm down to a needing a baggage car to repaint to Phase III, waiting on my GGD Phase III Slumbercoach so I don't have to repaint my Phase I version, and finally the baggage dorm, which GGD made as part of the Sunset Limited set that I would need to repaint. My GGD Amfleets arrive sometime early next year. I'll have my full Broadway limited one day ... one day...

I agree if you are running MTH Amfleet cars, then the MTH 18" cars make a lot of sense and make for a really nice train.

I'd grab an undecorated Atlas CZ bagage car (I'm looking), or if you are willing, the Amtrak painted CZ baggage is correct.  I know one ran on the Lake Shore at least through winter 1991.

Thanks!

- Mario

PS - what's upsetting about the MTH cars is between the sets and MHC cars I have, there are three different blues.

The Atlas baggage is a very nice car.  Not easy to find these days though.  The MTH 18" one is a nice car as well, again just not easy to find without buying a set of cars.  My GGD Amtrak EL-Cap baggage is very accurate, but not one I'm willing to repaint as it goes with the set.  The K-Line baggage is also 18" which is the right size for a Phase I-III Amtrak sleeper.  I have the full K-Line Phase I set too though so I'm hesitant to repaint it also.  I have not seen the Lionel version in person, but I did pickup the dome car and was very surprised at how nice it is.  They actually have the closest colors to the Phase I-III colors I have seen and match the official Amtrak color guide fairly closely.  The red is not so bright with a hint of orange and the blue is much lighter than the other manufacturers.

I agree on the colors on the MHC cars.  MTH has had color matching issues for Amtrak since the beginning.  However, that doesn't bother me as much as it does some.

Do you pull your set with MTH F40's?  I have a protosounds one, a proto-2 Phase III, and a proto-3 Phase II, but have 4 Phase III versions from K-Line.  The K-line version is more accurate for the later built F40s, but the horn is a Leslie A-200.  Oh-well.  Can't win them all!

It would be fun to see a video of your set running.

This is my first foray into Amtrak, for as my name suggests, I’ve been all NYC since day one. Mostly pre-Cigar Band. I’ve focused on trains I can only run at the CNY NRHS club; fixed pilots and scale couplers.  To make a long story short (too late), I’ve spent most of this COVID summer taking my daughter around central New York watching trains and ended up buying her an MTH Premier Genesis and 6 matching Phase V Amfleet cars so she can run them at the club and got hooked. You know, the old race on Sunday, sell on Monday trick. This was also my first MTH engine that I hadn’t converted to TMCC.

Well, I’m just starting my Lake Shore and plan on F40PHs from MTH. I like the K-Line F40s but they’re rare nowadays. Swapping sounds is a piece of cake. In fact, the SD40 sounds I used in my Atlas GP35 would probably be the sound set I’d use in a K-Line F40, if I find one.

So far, I have two MHCs, smooth side baggage, smooth side coach, an Amfleet coach 2-pack, and a “ribbed” diner and sleeper, shown in this thread.

I just made another modification...

I just cut the ends down and plan on using some steps to be a little closer to the modified Budd cars. I already emailed MTH to get more steps. In black, of course, to be accurate.

photo from rrpicturearchives.
Check out my YouTube channel for some recent videos of CSX and Amtrak around CNY.

https://www.youtube.com/channe...Mc_R5ThzDeCxD2-azvKw

thanks!

- Mario

I’m really surprised at how much the appearance changed with the removal of the skirts, giving them a more modern appearance.

Someday, when I can get back to the clubhouse and get them on the layout, I’ll get you a video. Maybe next weekend.

Here’s a preview, when I picked up the Amfleet cars from @JR Junction Train & Hobby

thanks!

-Mario

@CentralFan1976 posted:

Here’s a preview, when I picked up the Amfleet cars from @JR Junction Train & Hobby

thanks!

-Mario

Looks great Mario!  Your awesome work never ceases to amaze.  I believe the special ordered parts from MTH Electric Trains you requested shipped in yesterday.  

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

Looks great Mario!  Your awesome work never ceases to amaze.  I believe the special ordered parts from MTH Electric Trains you requested shipped in yesterday.  

How exciting!

These are the correct trucks for the MHC cars!

Only the 1400-series cars had the express trucks, and the 1500-series cars, like the MTH numbered cars I have, have the same trucks as the Viewliner, Superliner II and Horizon cars.

1400-series:

MTH MHC:

MTH Superliner trucks:

MHC Mail car at Utica.

notice the original steps and handrails, compared to the above later version.

thanks!

-Mario

PS - The MHC trucks were platinum mist.

Update... got the black ladders today and painted the others from the smooth side cars to match.

...black ladders just look right.

thanks!

-Mario