Rowa 10-6 as Amtrak 2802 Halifax County
A while back I asked about the SCL's ex-C&O sleepers and whether they had been sold to Amtrak. I received several good responses, and chose Amtrak 2802 "Halifax County" to model. The main consideration was that it was already repainted in mid-1974, my era, and the name was all upper case, unusual for Amtrak. Not wanting to piece together a name from individual letters, this allowed me to use dry transfers. Yes, I'm lazy, and don't have the best vision.
So, here is the result. The only major changes were to remove the center skirts; add Kato trucks; and repaint (Tamiya) and reletter (MicroScale). It doesn't look bad with newer cars. That's a ConCor Budd 10-6 to the left, and a Walthers (now Railsmith) 10-6 to the right.
The new trucks were the hardest part, and they didn't need any advanced skills. The previous owner had tried to add lighting, and only succeeded in damaging the trucks. They originally clipped on, and in drilling holes for wires in the truck bolsters, the clips were broken. The only thing holding the trucks on were the wires, so they HAD to be replaced. Fortunately, Kato trucks not only went on fairly easily, the spacing was perfect for using the Kato truck-mounted coupler.
For anyone wanting to do this, disassemble the car. The roof pulls off, and the window glass comes out much like a Kato car. The hardest part is that the windows hold the interior in, and the interior hold the windows, so it takes a lot of very careful prying to get the glass out! That has to come out before the interior will, and the interior almost has to be removed. One could change the trucks without removing it, but it would be almost impossible to remove the interior later.
With the interior out, one can see the actual floor, with a steel weight in the middle, and open space over the bolster holes. Note the four cross ribs, two holding the weight, and two outside the holes. A piece of 0.030 inch (0.75 mm) styrene will fit fine under the interior. The size isn't critical, but make sure they will clear the ribs, after drilling 1/8 inch (0.125 inch) holes in two of them. Glue a piece of Evergreen 1/8 inch tube in each hole, and let it dry thoroughly. File or sand the top smooth, so it will clear interior.
The bolster holes are about 5/32 inch diameter, so the tubing will be a very loose fit. That won't matter mechanically, as long as everything is glued well, but a tighter fit will make it easier to center the tubing. I cut a short piece of K&S 5/32 inch aluminum tube to fit in each hole, with the plastic tube through that, to keep it centered. Glue the styrene sheet in place inside the car, and add some ACC to the aluminum tube from the outside. The Kato trucks will now fit over the tubing, and you can trim it so the Kato screw is as snug as you like.
The only other modifications needed are, first, to trim the body bolster, which is square, so that the Kato truck can turn. It fits neatly into a depression in the top of the truck, preventing the truck from turning. I used a narrow chisel blade and basically pried the corners off, into an octagon shape.
Second, the pickup contacts on the Kato truck need to be removed. I just cut them off, then filed the top of the truck smooth. One could cut slots in the floor of the car if one wanted to light the car.
I also added a 0.010 styrene washer (homemade) to each truck, so it could turn a little easier. Make sure it will fit in the depression in the top of the truck.
The corners of the trucks need to be trimmed to clear the skirts. The brakeshoes can stay, but the truck frame outside them must be clipped off. You'll see what parts need to go when you try to turn the trucks. If your curves are wide enough this might not be needed.
Finally, a little filing, with a round needle file, might be needed on the inside ends of the skirts, if the trucks can't be trimmed enough. I did all four skirts, but only one really needed it.
The only other change was to the end of the underbody detail casting, where the couplers rub on it. One end needed to be removed to allow the trucks to sit flat. Not hard, except that the previous owner had glued the piece in, including the ends. It took a lot of prying to get the offending section out.
The car now rolls and tracks as well as my Kato and Railsmith cars, and fits very nicely in my early Amtrak train.
Decals are a combination of MSD's old Amtrak Phase I set, for the logos, a Superliner Phase II set for the stripes, and Woodland Scenic dry transfers for the name and number. Unfortunately, MSD doesn't make Phase I stripes.
