This week we have swelled the ranks of the Great Northern Big Sky Blue "Stampeder" consist by an important car; the dome coach....
I started with the Con Cor dome car which was designed from the GN prototype. It does, however, need some work. The ends of the cars were skirted; thus I added small curved skirts from a Bachmann Superdome to each end. Grabs and ladders were added after the molded on ones were removed.
The car was painted and decaled; the interior was painted; I used a tan/gold colour similar to that seen in some GN photo's for the seats. 22 passengers were added, both in the dome and the car itself.
The dome was tinted blue green using glass paints. A very light weather was added at the end of painting and diaphrams and body monted couplers completed the transformation. I installed temorary window shades as the file to print GN blinds is on my computer which "cacked" and is thus in for repair.....
Here she is in service with the Stampeder.............(Yes; the Stampeder is a "foobie" GN train running from Seattle to Calgary for the Calgary Stampede... via the Puddington Valley.)
The "Stampeder" is coming along; to date here is her consist:
50' express baggage boxcar
HW mail - storage car
Ex LW RPO, conveted to baggage
2 x 48 seat leg rest LW coaches
1 x 60 seat LW coach
1 x dome coach
1 x full dome "Great Dome Lakeview"
1 x Lounge - Sleeper "Winnipeg Club"
1 x Lounge - Club "Ranch series - Crossley lake"
1 x Lounge - Sleeper - Observation "Port of Vancouver"
I also run a "leased" Canadian Pacific Horse express boxcar" with it (hey; cowboy's and their horses ya know...."
I have brass sides left to build for the following:
2 x 16-4 Glacier Duplex sleepers
1 x 6-5-2 "Pass" series sleeper
1 x Baggage-Dormatory car
When all is said and done that will yield me a 15 + 1 leased car car "Stampder" consist and a very good start on an Empire Builder which could, and did almost always have a mix of BSB and classic EB cars in it.
Power is another matter; I currently run it with either original EB coloured F7's or a BSB F45 and a classic livery SD 45... really I'd like to have BSB F units or somehow find a way to bash SDP 45's but that's for another day.....
I also took a picture of "old and older".... a CPR Mountain observation car and a dome car, the replacement for the "hayracks" on the trans cons..... This "meet" is realistic... the "Canadian" would have been trailed by the dome while a "Dominion" might well have had a Mountain observation car trailing it in the summer months....kinda neat
