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It's time now to present this new project!

I have choosen to reproduce the sleeper deluxe you have in your auto train, the one with only bedrooms on the upper level and roomettes + family and handicap bedrooms on the lower level:

amtrak-diagram-superliner-deluxesleeper

The shell is quite the same as the coach car; there is just one more window on each side for the handicap bedroom.

So many parts are similar and it avoids me not to re-draw the plans!

But there is one important and different thing: the way to build!

The coach car is for me a prototype and it means that for this new one, I have to remove all the defaults and mistakes I have made! most of them have been corrected by modifying 2 and 3D drawings bt also by changing the way to build this car.

The coach car had 2 main parts:

1 - the chassis: one piece with the lower and upper floor, the end faces, the partitions on both levels,

2 - the shell: the two sides and the roof

This second part fitted by sliding inside the end pieces and stopped by 8 locking tabs (4 by side) fixed on the sides of the upper level floor.

The assembly of the sleeper will be different:

1 - the chassis is now cut in the middle and the ends are fitted with bolts and nuts (in orange on the drawing) to give an access to the batteries installed on the low floor ends. You can notice that I have kept the locking tabs on the upper floor.

châssis et extrémités

2 - the interior design is one and only piece and it will fit into the chassis (without gluing it)

aménagement intérieur

3 - the internal faces, strips for rigidity and external faces will be glued together

faces internes

renforts entre faces

faces externes

and after fixed in place thanks to the locking tabs I spoke about earlier.

4 - the roof will be inserted on the sides before fixing the ends which have also locking tabs that you can see on the top of the left end (little cilynder in purple on each side); so the roof will be fitted in place.

toit

Obviously, before gluing the external face on the rigidity strips, I will install the entrance and equipment cabinets doors!

I think this new way of building will bring me more accuracy and will make this car better than the first one.

I have begun to prepare some pieces but I will show you in another post; now it's time to go to bed!!!

See you soon

jpv in France

Attachments

Images (7)
  • amtrak-diagram-superliner-deluxesleeper
  • châssis et extrémités
  • aménagement intérieur
  • faces internes
  • renforts entre faces
  • faces externes
  • toit
Original Post

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Oh, I can't wait to see this project progress!

I spent a few days on sleepers on the Capitol Limited and Empire Builder trains on the cross-country trip with my wife and some friends in 2015, the only time I ever took a long-haul Amtrak train before. It was such a great trip (didn't get delayed anywhere along the way or have service issues).

The one on the left in this shot is one we rode. Right now, I can't recall if this was the Capitol Limited or Empire Builder car. I only recall this shot was taken in Chicago so it could have been either:

There are times when I've thought of getting my hands on a good HO scale version to number for 'our' car and put under glass...

Thanks to you all for your kind comments! 

Continuation....

As I said yesterday, I began to do some pieces for this car: first, the hallway partition and the bedroom doors of the upper level; I planned to do this partition in one 0,5 mm styrene sheet but, looking at photos carefully, I noticed that the doors were sliding inside her. So I changed my way, doing this in two 0,25 mm sheets and rigidity strips inside allowing the doors to be inserted in between.

Here are the steps: cutting of the sheets and then gluing 1,5 x 2 mm strips and assembly of each partition

27_02_2017b

The assembly is done; next, I drew in SKETCHUP the "wood" wall cover (!) and print it on self adhesive paper and cut it to dimensions.

19_3_2017

21_3_2017

Now the doors: they are made of five layers:

from the hallway side to the bedroom side:

1 - self adhesive paper with blue color

2 - 0,25 mm styrene

3 - 0,25 mm transparent sheet for window

4 - 0,25 mm styrene

5 - self adhesive paper with beige color

01_3_2017

02_3_2017

05_3_2017

They are after inserted into the partition; I thought to glue the internal strips in a precise place avoiding me to let some doors half open!

To be continued....

Now, it's time for the luggage racks of the coach car! I'm a very busy retired person!!! 

jpv in France

 

Attachments

Images (6)
  • 27_02_2017b
  • 19_3_2017
  • 21_3_2017
  • 01_3_2017
  • 02_3_2017
  • 05_3_2017

Some other pieces I've done at this day, mainly floors (not too hard but I begin slowly ):

29_3_2017a

29_3_2017b

29_3_2017c

These are made with 3D printer for more accuracy; it's a main piece in the car chassis: place for coupler, electrical swich, bolt for shell ends and truck pivot.

13_4_2017

The two other pieces are the end partitions of the lower level; you can find all these pieces on the 3D drawings I posted 2 days ago.

And now, some 3D drawings of the interior design; I think I posted some of them on the other thread....but here, they are at the right place!

First, the bedrooms:

3 bedrooms

Then the roomettes:

3 roomettes

And just for fun with sun and shadow...

inside roomette

See you soon

jpv in France

Attachments

Images (7)
  • 29_3_2017a
  • 29_3_2017b
  • 29_3_2017c
  • 13_4_2017
  • 3 bedrooms
  • 3 roomettes
  • inside roomette

I discovered yesterday that the Deluxe Sleeper was part of Superliner II series; then it can't have the MD 76 truck like the coach car but a GSI-G70! So I have began the design of this truck on SKETCHUP with only some photo, a drawing and one dimension, lenght between axles! I know that one can find also these trucks under Horizon cars that Atlas made but they are certainly hard to find....So, I have chosen to build them!

Here is the real one:

coaststarlight10

and the only drawing I found:

gsi

I began first to do a 2D drawing to work on:

gsi_0001

And when I was satisfied, beginning of the 3D drawings:

bogie gsi

bogie gsi_1

Not yet finished; lacks the upper bolster part to do (big one!); I worked on all day long and now I stop! my two remaining neurons are out of order 

jpv in France

Attachments

Images (5)
  • coaststarlight10
  • bogie gsi
  • bogie gsi_1
  • gsi
  • gsi_0001

Thanks, Chris!

Two years ago, I began to learn SKETCHUP. It has been easier than I thought! now I can make some hard work with, but I have tried to use other softwares: I didn't understand anything, too complex for me! so I kept on learning on the same I had begun and it's very funny to discover another trick every day you work on! and the free version is enough to do what I show on the forum!

jpv

Thanks to you all, gentlemen! I'm  !

Some other important details: the floor coverings; I have them drawn with SKETCHUP textures and fitted to the right dimensions of the floors, then printed on self adhesive paper. On these drawings, some parts remains in white color: it's the exact place for the partitions; by this way I avoid me to take measurements on a blue color to put them in place! easier for me and less tiring for my eyes!!!

Upper level:

10_01_1163 revêtement de sol N1

Lower level:

10_01_1164 revêtements de sol N0

It's not very large, but I hope you can enlarge these drawings.

It remains to stick them on the floors and add some partitions: the work for tomorrow!

jpv in France

Attachments

Images (2)
  • 10_01_1163 revêtement de sol N1
  • 10_01_1164 revêtements de sol N0

Progress on the interior design:

Lack some partitions and roomettes doors for the lower level but they will be fitted tomorrow.

26_4_2017c

26_4_2017d

I take my time to have a result as good as possible and I noticed that the fitting accuracy is better than for the first one; so don't be afraid of my slowness.....

Thank you!

jpv in France

 

Attachments

Images (2)
  • 26_4_2017c
  • 26_4_2017d

The axle boxes are now inserted into the trucks:

bogie gsi

I also modified some details on the bolster to have an easier rotation of the truck.

And I also received the figurines: a friend of mine ordered them for me on ebay 50 seated and 100 standing up:

001  002

003

25€ for 150 figurines! it's fine! now, they have to invade the coach car!

jpv in France

Attachments

Images (4)
  • bogie gsi
  • 001
  • 002
  • 003

Hello all,

To much stuff inside the apartment and outside on the terrace for to work on this car! more, I was waiting for some 3D parts and they arrive today!

Here are all the components for the bedrooms and roomettes:

27_5_2017

Now it remains to paint all these things and install inside the sleeper!

Once done, I will have to stop the building of this car for a while; the reason: I made several attempts in cutting off the window places on the faces and the result is not what I expected and I don't want to do the same errors I made on the coach car; so, I will certainly buy a cutting plotter (Silhouette CAMEO 3). But this thing is not free!!! around 320/350€ here in France.

cameo 3

No need to say that I will have to save money month after month to have it!

But there is other things to do! my well cars for exemple; they are waiting that I take care of them!

I will take photos of each part and show you in another post how they will be fitted inside the rooms.

jpv in France

 

Attachments

Images (2)
  • 27_5_2017
  • cameo 3

Here are the components inside the rooms (not yet painted: too much wind on the terrace today!)

For the roomette:

28_5_2017a

and for the bedroom:

28_5_2017b

Same elements for family and handicap bedrooms. Some rooms will be fitted in night configuration by cutting the seats and replacing them correctly for a good night!

The upper beds will be done after.

jpv in France

Attachments

Images (2)
  • 28_5_2017a
  • 28_5_2017b

amazing the ammount of details you are bringing in this car

any reason you are going for the cameo?

i have the curio, must say it does the job but it is not so accurate as i was hoping for.

the curio has a poor way off putting down the cutting mat, i have made some adjustment

i can cut styreen 0,5mm with it but sometimes it's getting stuck and i have to start all over.

looking forward how your experience are about the cameo 3 

 

Cor

 

 

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