Combine 'rider car' for ATSF Fast Mail

[arbomambo]

Hello all....
 trying to tackle the builds one by one...the next car in line is the 'definitive' rider car for the ATSF Fast Mail. These cars were converted, specifically, for this service, although the Santa Fe, according to the head-end car reference, used anything from a 3000 series chair car to a deadheading lightweight Pullmann on the Fast Mail.
Apparently, the first seven of these were converted from Buffet-Library cars.
 I've 'built' one of these before, about a year or so ago, to see if I could accurize it...I've had a little more practice modifying the old Rivarossi-Atlas=Concor cars now...this is an easy conversion, as the rivarossi car is the actual prototype of this car-the Diner and baggage are also actual ATSF cars (a happy coincidence for once), and although pretty accurate in size and general rivet-type detail (the window locations of the car's former identity), it suffers from  Rivarossi's use of a generic underframe for every heavyweight car, plus the lack of steps for all passenger doors on the vestibule ends. Also, by my era-1957- the three windows were plated over the top 25-30% per ATSF's practice on passenger cars. Handrails are molded in place and I want this car to match the level of detail I'm building into all my locomotives and rolling stock, so I needed to shave these off carefully, and add seperate ones.
 I'm using a lot of these Rivarossi cars as cores for prototype ATSF builds, so I've been getting some practice in the quickest and most painless way to remove the molded underbody detail in anticipation of modelling each individual car to prototype spec.It's still a problematic process because the carbodies are molded as one piece-necessitating a removal of the entire floor between the car sidewalls and the center truss beams. A razor saw and sharp hobby knife seems to be doing the trick pretty well and gives me more control; I can see the Dremel butchering things pretty rapidly.



I've used GMM steps from their heavyweight car detail set, and a water tank from an American Ltd core kit...the battery boxes were salvaged when removing them form the underside...they're backed with styrene and placed in their correct position for this particular car. Window plating is styrene strip cut to fit; American Ltd heavyweight diaphragm is on the baggage end, and a spare modified Kato diaphragm is mounted on the rider/marker end.
I want to give this car a little animation; I had a couple of spare brass doors, trimmed from a 3000 series rider car fret being used for that build; I cut the top window portion and mounted it slightly open (the doors were constructed in two parts, the top portion could open separately).
  I still have the handrails, baggage door steps, baggage door window bars, drop steps for both ends, brakewheel and chain, and roof detail to add before paint and lettering...
Thanks for looking,
Bruce

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Might the car be painted in Mineral Red, like some of the rider cars were painted???

http://rr-fallenflags.org/atsf/atsf-cb2640jpa.jpg
http://rr-fallenflags.org/atsf/atsf-cb2642jpa.jpg

[arbomambo]

interesting!
..but, no...these were painted ATSF green......7 with 3 windows...and 3  with a 2 window arrangement...apparently they were completely rebuilt in 1966, and painted dark gray with black roof...but were retired pretty quickly after the loos of the mail contracts
~Bruce

[randgust]

What astounded me when I did historical research on the cars was that they were never upgraded with air conditioning.  No ducts, no ice lockers, nothing.   So putting 'climate control' in them today without screwing up the cars historically is a real challenge.  It also reminds you that while it was a train that wasn't on the public timetable, you 'could' buy a coach ticket in theory, but holy smokes, it was 'hard class'.

This is an older shot, but here's one of cars:  http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-5/1-texas-state-railroad-ruth-housley.jpg

But that role with the Fast Mail is what saved them.  They were relatively well maintained right up to the bitter end in '67 with the loss of the mail contracts - very suddenly - so the cars outlived a lot of other heavyweights.

When I was out at Orange Empire a couple weeks ago they had one of these - and also one of the 'mixed train' combines that had been painted in mineral red on the property.  I'd never seen one of those firsthand before.

[arbomambo]

Thanks,
~Bruce

[arbomambo]

Hello all...
the car is at this stage now...decaled (after a minor correction -Thanks, Otto!)...I need to clean up the decal glue residue, repair one of the baggage door ladder center supports, flat coat, detail the roof (a few clestory windows, vent pipe/stack(?), roof ladder stay supports) then paint...then done!
MT 1015 on the baggage end-Z scale 905(?) on the marker end....tracks real well on the tail end of the Fast Mail...33" FVM wheelsets (.553) fit in the Atlas/Rivarossi trucks...the 36" rub the brake hangers.
I'm pleased with this; especially the appearance of the plated windows...this is an improvement over my previous effort.
 This isn't a real intensive project, simply because the car actually exists in N scale, but correcting the underframe details, plating the windows, shaving the molded-in grabs and installing separate ones, repainting, and lettering, make it somewhat akin to starting from scratch...however, the Rivarossi car is accurate in length and rivet detail...it would be hard to imagine a brass car side  being as accurate (Roberto's would be that exception-his treatment of ATSF 3000 series chair cars with plated windows proves that)
 I've heard different things about the underframes/steps /below the channel sill  ATSF paint guides...I'm using the Head end car reference as my bible on this...coach green for body, stairs, steps ends, battery boxes, etc...trucks and water tanks-truck brown, ..which weathered to a matt dark brown-gray...and center underbody sill-black-weathered dark gray...so..it looks as if the water tank and the center underframe sill, will be the only thing painted other than coach green.
Thanks for looking,
~Bruce