Wutter's Dome

[peteski]

@Wutter, if you designed a master to fit inside the printed dome minus some material thickness (very nice BTW) the windows could be vacuum formed over it like this:

RC guys use this technique for molding their "glass' cockpits

I'm glad you agree with me, and even found a sample how-to video.

[Lemosteam]

Ha.  I did not notice that in your posts.  I tried making my own for car inserts and failed miserably, but I think my master was too large to get enough vacuum and the draw qas too deep too.

[Wutter]

Wouldn’t a Con-Cor dome observation be a better starting point?  The Kato has the correct CZ high rear roof after the dome and full truck skirts while the C-C has a low roof and no skirts.
Charlie Vlk

I just noticed that, do you know if the C-C car based off a different prototype? Or does it just have the wrong roof but is supposed to be based on the CZ prototype?  The reason I started prototyping with the Kato CZ car is only because the dome easily pops off....but if I have to lower it I might look at slashing up a C-C car.

[nickelplate759]

The Con-Cor car is a bit of a Frankenstein's monster.    It has the window arrangement of the CZ cars, but has full-length smooth letterboards (Santa Fe, CP and PRR  used this style on some of their Budd-built cars) and also the non-raised rear-roofline of the Twin Cities Zephyr or Wabash Blue Bird cars.  Skirts are like something Santa Fe would have used as well - but of course Santa Fe had no Budd dome-observation cars.    It's probably closest to the CP "Park" cars, but as noted lacks the raised roof behind the dome, the skirts are wrong for those cars and the light details are closer to the CZ car.

[ncbqguy]

Alvin
What George said!
I forgot about the smooth letter board...that might make the need to cut the roof out for the dome worthwhile.  At any rate it is easier than slicing and dicing the boat tail roof to lower it. 
BTW, there was another Con-Cor CZ dome that used the core, floor and ends of the GN -Mountain series car and it did have the raised end roof.   They’ve been gone for a long time and don’t lend themselves to the project at hand.
Charlie Vlk

[Nato]

                     Like Charlie has mentioned. The CZ dome obs car in my posting is the old Con Cor CZ car, not the current one.                  Nate Goodman (Nato).   

[Wutter]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, guess I'm looking for a Con Cor Dome Observation to chop up now, anyone have one for sale?

Hopefully not for the $35 that eBay wants 

[jjb62556]

send me your mailing address...I have one you can have....Jim in Minnesota

[Wutter]

Thanks to Jim, I now have a donor car I've started cutting up.

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I've cut the dome portion of the car off and started filling some of the windows. Contemplating filling all of the windows and then re-cutting everything after to match since every panel needs a modification except for the 7 in the observation area.

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Fitted a Kato dome-obs underframe for a test fit, and noticed one problem, one of the bolster locations is off compared to where Con-Cor has it, and its also apparent when comparing to a prototype picture, almost a full vestibule width too close. Not sure how I'm going to tackle this part yet.

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Next up is doing some CAD to make the mid-train conversion vestibule.

[squirrelhunter]

I have a suggestion on the underframe- the C&O domes were PS products- have you considered using the frame from a Kato Super Chief dome? It might have the right truck spacing, although you will have to round off one end.

[ncbqguy]

The dome obvs was a Budd car.  The mid-train conversion was a extended vestibule box grafted to where the emergency end exit door was to allow a full height door and regular striker diaphragm.   
Charlie Vlk

[squirrelhunter]

Doh! Ncbqguy is right. I was thinking of the B&O dome coaches!

[nickelplate759]

Doh! Ncbqguy is right. I was thinking of the B&O dome coaches!

And if you want to model one of those, the old Rowa fantasy dome coach with semi-corrugated sides has the right low-profile dome.

[MRLX1020]

C&O 1875/BIG BEN came out of hiding for some Sun this past weekend.

[MRLX1020]

Part of the DRGW mid train "doghouse" has been removed, and stainless applied over the doorway.  Sister car 1876 LINOMA is under restoration at Tennessee Valley Railway Museum in Chattanooga, TN