N Scale Business Car Build (NS/PGE/BCR/BCPM)

[BCR 570]

Introduction
I am starting on construction of the business car PEACE RIVER for my Provincial Museum Train, and as others here may be building a model of this car at some point, I thought I would post my build sequence here.  I will be using some new methods (new to me) to build this car, so will be learning as I go.  Business cars tend to be highly individualistic and building an accurate model therefore requires a fair degree of research, so I thought I would also share my research into the car's history, which in itself is an interesting story through several owners/operators.

History of the Car

MT. MORAN
The car was built originally as one of twenty ten-section 12-seat sleeper observation cars to Plan 3521, Lot 4816 in October 1924.  The MT. MORAN was Car #14 of that order.  It was of all steel construction, rode on Type 242A trucks and was equipped with schedule UC brakes with a single 18” cylinder, two eight-cell battery boxes and ice air conditioning (block ice, blow-fan operated).  The vestibules were fitted with three-tread steps.  From front to rear the car comprised a women’s lounge with lavatory, ten seating/sleeping sections, smoking room and lavatory, rear lounge and open observation platform.  This floor plan from the Pullman Archives was used to study the original interior layout:



Plan 3521B floor plan (Pullman Digital Collection; Newberry Library)


I also wanted to know the original underbody equipment layout, particularly for the brake equipment, and this underbody drawing was used for that purpose.  One thing to note regarding Pullman underbody drawings is that they are oriented looking down through the floor rather than looking up from below.  For orientation purposes I am referring to the large brake cylinder in the upper centre of the diagram which is on the left side of the car.



Plan 3521 underneath equipment layout (Pullman Digital Collection; Newberry Library)


The Plan 3521 sleeper observation cars served on regional trains, often as “set-out” sleepers.  The MT. MORAN served in Wyoming on the Union Pacific Railroad.  In May 1935 the car was sent to Pullman’s plant in Chicago for conversion to mechanical air conditioning.  The Pullman mechanical system (PMB) used a compressor box with belt-driven condenser fan and compressor, both equipped with axle-mounted Pullman drives and drive shafts.  A standby motor attached to the far end of the drive shaft powered the system during longer station stops.  A brine auxiliary tank provided some cooling when the car was stopped.  The car was outshopped on 29 May 1935.

In 1948, as the result of a federal antitrust lawsuit forcing Pullman to separate its sleeping car and manufacturing operations, the company sold its sleeping cars to a consortium of 57 railroads.  By this time the older cars were leaving service as newer lightweight cars became more numerous.  The Mt. Moran was retired by Pullman and sold to the Norfolk Southern Railway on 15 November 1948.


MARY LEE / CAROLINA
Following its purchase of the car, the Norfolk Southern Railway called for tenders to convert the car into an official car.  During the conversion, the front left vestibule door was plated in and the space utilized for a refrigerator, and the women’s lounge was converted into a full kitchen.  One of the sleeping sections was retained for a servant’s room, and the remaining sections were converted into a dining room, two compartments, and a bedroom with ensuite washroom and shower.  The rear observation room and open platform were retained.  This Norfolk Southern drawing from 1949 illustrates the new interior layout:



Business car floor plan (Norfolk Southern; Collection of BC Rail)


Underneath, there were modifications to the equipment including the provision of additional batteries, and likely removal of the brine tank, as Pullman was removing them from their remaining cars by this time.  The car was furnished with a complete set of linens, crystal, crockery and cutlery with the golden initials “NS”.  The car was obtained and converted for private use by the head of the railway’s Board of Directors, and legend has it that he used it to travel south with his friends to the horse races in Florida.  The car was named MARY LEE.  This photograph shows the car upon completion of the conversion:



Photograph from the Collection of James Noble via Jerry LaBoda


The car was renamed CAROLINA in 1953 or 1954.  The cost of these trips led to the man’s forced retirement and the car being put up for sale.  (The railway did not operate a passenger service.)  The car was sold to the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in August 1956.


NORTHERN SUMMIT
The PGE’s Superintendent of Car Equipment, Eric Stathers, was sent down to evaluate the car, arrange for its purchase and bring it back to North Vancouver.  The Pacific Great Eastern Railway renamed the car NORTHERN SUMMIT in consideration of the monogrammed tableware which came with the car, and in recognition of the railway’s recent expansion north into the Peace River country.  The car also received the designation A6.  It was painted in PGE Passenger Car Red with yellow lettering including the railway’s Caribou herald:



Photograph by William Hewlett (Collection of 7th Division PNR-NMRA)


In July 1958 HRH Princess Margaret visited British Columbia as a part of the province’s Centennial celebrations.  During her Royal Visit she travelled from Prince George to Williams Lake with an overnight stop in Quesnel.  The trip was made aboard a special train of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway including the official car NORTHERN SUMMIT.  The car carried her royal cipher on its side for several years afterward.  This photograph shows the car in its orange and green paint with Royal cipher:




On the evening of October 21, 1963, the NORTHERN SUMMIT and the railway’s other business car CARIBOO were coupled behind the locomotives at the head end of a northbound freight train departing North Vancouver.  Just south of Brunswick Beach along Howe Sound, the train encountered a cracked rail on a curve.  The three locomotives derailed and tipped over, and the weight of the cars behind drove the two business cars into each other.  The front end of the CARIBOO was thrust right through to the dining room of the NORTHERN SUMMIT, and the two cars were locked together.  The cook and steward escaped injury but were trapped inside.  The two cars were pulled apart and taken to Squamish.  The damaged portions of the NORTHERN SUMMIT were cut away and the car rebuilt as closely as possible to the original.  The surviving crockery was sent to England to have replacements for the broken crockery made.

The car was eventually repainted into the railway’s two-tone green paint scheme with white stripe and lettering.  After April 1, 1972, the car was re-lettered for the British Columbia Railway with the new dogwood logogram.  By this time the car had been fitted with track inspection lights on the rear railing, and at some point in time the front right vestibule door was plated in for additional space inside.



Photograph by Roger Burrows


PEACE RIVER/CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
In 1975 the car was loaned to the British Columbia Provincial Museum for operation on its Museum Train.  The car was repainted into Tuscan Red and lettered for British Columbia Provincial Museum.  It carried the provincial coat of arms on the rear porch railing and was renamed PEACE RIVER.  The car provided space for museum staff to receive dignitaries visiting the train, as well as office space.



Photograph by Roger Burrows


As part of the train, the car visited Burnaby and Port Coquitlam before undertaking a tour of the BCR system during July and August of 1975.  In 1976 it went to Prince Rupert and Kitimat on the CN, and then toured Fraser Valley communities on B.C. Hydro Railway trackage.  In 1977 the train toured communities in the Okanagan on CP trackage.

In the spring of 1978, the car was included in the consist for the Discover British Columbia Tour which travelled across Canada from Vancouver to Toronto on CP tracks and then down into the United States.  This train included exhibits celebrating the bicentennial of Captain James Cook’s visit to British Columbia in 1778, and some for the coaches were named for Cook’s ships.  For this trip the PEACE RIVER was re-lettered British Columbia and renamed CAPTAIN JAMES COOK.  The 1978 summer museum train included some of the Cook bicentennial displays and the train visited the Kootenay region of British Columbia on CP tracks.




In the spring of 1979, the car reverted to its name of PEACE RIVER and was included in the consist for the Good Times Express to Spokane and around British Columbia, including visits to the Peace region and Vancouver Island.  This concluded the car’s service in tourism and museum train service.  The car was not included in the 1979 summer museum train consist, being replaced by the official car BRITANNIA.


NORTHERN SUMMIT
In 1979 the car was returned to the British Columbia Railway and was repainted into the two-tone green scheme with dogwood logograms.  It reverted to its original name of NORTHERN SUMMIT.  In 1985 the car was repainted into the railway’s new blue and silver livery with the railway’s interim BC RAIL logogram.  In 1986 this was replaced with the final BC RAIL logogram.  The car became part of BC Rail’s executive train comprising the power car CHEAKAMUS RIVER, sleeper NORMAN A. MACPHERSON, and business cars CARIBOU and NORTHERN SUMMIT.  At this time the car acquired the number BCOL 50.  By this time there were significant alterations to the underbody appliances, including a battery charging plant, diesel fuel and propane tanks, and waste water retention tank.

In 2002 BC Rail was divesting itself of its passenger equipment and the car was sold to the Okanagan Northern Excursion Railway.  It was stored at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish.  In December 2005 the car was sold to the West Coast Railway Association and as of March 2026 remains stored at Squamish.



Photograph by Timothy Horton


Note: The plans and photographs posted above have been shared with kind permission from the photographers and collections and I would humbly request that they not be posted elsewhere. 

In my next post I will cover my journey in how to go about modelling this car.


Tim




 

[BCR 570]

Model Construction Methods
In this post I will review several different approaches for modelling this car which I went through prior to commencing my current build.  My research into modelling this car began back in 2007, and for a long time the best approach seemed to me to be a kitbash from several Rivarossi heavyweight car bodies.  This project was put off for several years as I didnt think I had sufficient skills for the work.  Fast forward to 2017 and I had completed several models scratchbuilt in styrene, which led me to consider a scratchbuild of this car in styrene.

I began by constructing the Pullman underframe, including the centre sills, diaphragms, cross-bearers and bolsters.  This part turned out well, and is pictured here:






I also constructed two sections for the sides, to work out which sizes of strip styrene to use:






It was at this point that several developments encouraged me to consider a change in plans. 

The first was the release of several new heavyweight passenger car models from Micro-Trains, including a sleeper observation car.    Included with these releases was a full arch roof, which while not quite correct for this prototype, appeared to solve the problem of how to model the roof. 

The second was the publication of an article in N Scale Railroading magazine by Scott Lupia on how to model a Pullman sleeper using one of the Micro-Trains cars as a core and substituting new etched sides.  This article alerted me to the existence of 3D printed parts for Pullman underframes, underbody equipment, steps and trucks available from Keystone Details:




After getting in touch with John LeMerise, I learned that he also had a full arch roof which was much closer to the one on the car I am modelling.  He even offered to modify his part for me to include the roof vents on my car.  I subsequently ordered the roof, underframe kits, and trucks:




The third development was a very kind offer from Bryan Busséy to draw the correct sides for my car.  With interest in the car from other PGE/BCR modellers, the project quickly gained momentum, and in due course the etched sides were ordered through PPD in Scotland: 




I also ordered a Micro-Trains heavyweight sleeper observation body for use as a core.  The Keystone Details roof fit the Micro-Trains body perfectly:






And so by 2021 I had a complete set of parts for a fairly accurate model of the car:




By this time I was well into construction of the loads for the museum train flatcars, and then the tank cars.  With those models now complete in 2026, I am finally ready to commence my build of the business car.


Tim

[Dwight in Toronto]

Great stuff!  I’ve always enjoyed following your thoroughly detailed build threads, and will be watching this one closely. 

Thinking back a bit, I seem to recall that you had one or two builds underway that may have quietly been shunted off to a siding?  Perhaps the Museum Train, and your NMRA projects, took priority?

[BCR 570]

Hi Dwight

Thank you and yes you are correct; I tend to focus on one major build at a time and as we reached the 50th anniversary of the museum train I really wanted to push it forward to completion.  I also wanted to get the NMRA AP projects done and out of the way, and then of course there is the layout to work on.

The only other builds in progress and currently on hold are my rules instruction car and my Sperry rail car, which I will definitely get back to at some point.  I will be displaying the museum train at our annual Railway Modellers Meet of BC in May and am hoping to have this business car assembled in time for that event.


Tim

[Lemosteam]

Boy those kits are a blast from the past!

If you need a weight for the car, let me know.  the two underbody halves use a tungsten carbide welding rod to align them and weight the car across the middle.  I have extra rods I can mail to you.

That roof looks good on there!  Light sanding with 200 or 400 grip paper will perfect that roof very smooth before you add the vents and the drip rail in back.  Five coats of Tamiya TS-6 will make it smooth with a light sheen.

Not sure if you saw this thread, but it may help with the placement of some of the pullman underbody components and how the tungsten rod works:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44690.msg575748#msg575748

[BCR 570]

Assembly of Etched Sides
This project began with de-spruing and assembly of the etched sides.  Each side comprises three layers of .20mm stainless steel, with the third layer including the top letterboard and the lower belt rail with vertical rivet strips.  The fret also includes cut levers for each end:




Each part was removed carefully from the sheet using Xuron's photo-etch shears:




Following release from the sheet, any remaining material at the attachment points was removed using small files.  At this point the parts took on a pronounced curl which would make assembly more challenging.  With CA being the adhesive of choice to laminate the sides together, there would be limited time to ensure exact alignment of the parts.  The layers for each side will need to be aligned together along the top edge and also along the front edge.

I decided that it would be a good idea to create an assembly jig for laminating the parts together.  I built this from .080" sheet styrene with .080" thick guides along the top and at each end.  This thickness of styrene would ensure a perfectly flat surface to work on:




To combat the inherent curl in the parts and prevent it interfering with the assembly process, I needed to glue the first layer down temporarily somehow.  The glue would need to be strong enough to hold the part flat, but also easily releasable after assembly of each side.  I decided to try using WS Scenic Accents Glue, which actually worked very well in this application.  Here is the first layer for the left side glued down onto the assembly jig.  The second layer waiting above shows the inherent curl in the parts:




I then proceeded to add the second layer using medium viscosity CA, again aligning it against the top and left edges, and then weighted the part to ensure that it was also flat:




Next came the third layer in two parts.  The letterboard was aligned along the top edge, and the belt rail along the bottom of the vertical rivet strips between the windows.  Again, the parts were weighted while the CA cured.  I then released the assembled side from the assembly jig by sliding a #17 blade underneath.  As hoped for, the glue released fairly easily.  I used the same blade to clean any glue residue from the back of the assembled side and from the assembly jig.  This is the assembled left side; at this point the part had a less pronounced curl:




First and second layers for the right side in the assembly jig:




Both parts for the third layer added in the assembly jig:




Here are both sides fully assembled, still with some inherent curl which has caused the CA to release in places.  I have kept the parts weighted until installation, after which I am hoping this wont be a problem anymore.  The sides will be backed with strips of styrene in the near future which may help:




So this is an important first step concluded successfully.  The next step is to prepare the Micro-Trains core body for the new sides.  I have work to do on the front end so I think I will tackle that next before removing the sides and leaving the front end attached only to the floor.


Tim

[BCR 570]

Boy those kits are a blast from the past!

If you need a weight for the car, let me know.  the two underbody halves use a tungsten carbide welding rod to align them and weight the car across the middle.  I have extra rods I can mail to you.

That roof looks good on there!  Light sanding with 200 or 400 grip paper will perfect that roof very smooth before you add the vents and the drip rail in back.  Five coats of Tamiya TS-6 will make it smooth with a light sheen.

Not sure if you saw this thread, but it may help with the placement of some of the pullman underbody components and how the tungsten rod works:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44690.msg575748#msg575748

Hi John!

Thank you for your post.  I have been looking into where I could get my hands on some of that rod, and how to cut it to length.  It looks like I will require a length of two inches or very slightly less.  If it isn't too expensive to mail some up to me, I would greatly appreciate you doing so.

Yes the roof will need to be sanded.  Can you refresh my memory as to the size of styrene required for the drip rail?

Thank you for the link to the thread on the underframe kit; I have been studying plans and photographs to determine the layout of underneath equipment on the car during the period I am modelling, as there were significant changes during the conversion from ice to mechanical A/C, again during the business car conversion, and again at some point following its museum train service.  I have surveyed the underside of the car extensively but can see from photographs that a lot had changed since its museum train service.

One challenge I will have with the underframe parts is that they have also taken on a pronounced curl, and I am hoping that I can correct this when gluing them into the car.  it is evident to me that the underframe will have to be assembled in place underneath the car rather than as a separate entity.


Tim

[BCR 570]

Preparations at Front End
Before removing the sides from Micro-Trains core and leaving the front end attached only to the floor, I wanted to prepare the end for some parts which will go on later.  This included drilling holes through the front end, so it was best to do this while the core was still fully intact.

This left oblique view of the car which I took in September 2021 shows the diaphragm at the front end of the car, and six grab irons to one side.  There are three additional grab irons up on the roof:




The grab irons are 18" wide and I will use the Atlas/BLMA 18" drop grab irons which are formed from .007" wire.  I used the Atlas/BLMA drill template to locate the holes and inserted a pin to mark the location of each hole:




After verifying that the pre-drills were where I wanted them, I drilled out each hole with a #80 drill bit:




I then inserted the grab irons for a test fit, ensuring that I could align them parallel with each other:




I installed the roof and drilled holes for the three grab irons up there.  The long grab iron was formed from Tichy #1100 .008" phosphor bronze wire which is a good match for the Atlas/BLMA grab irons:




The Micro-Trains core comes with a part for a retracted diaphragm at the front end, but I wanted to substitute an American Limited #8400 working diaphragm to match those on the display coaches which will be coupled ahead of this car. 

The American Limited diaphragm requires a few minor modifications to the front end for it to mount and work properly.  Two notches were made in the upper half of the front end door opening, and two pieces of #132 .030" x .040" strip styrene were added top and bottom to provide areas for the new diaphragm to mount to.  This photograph shows the modifications for the new diaphragm:




With this work completed, I can now move on with removal of the sides from the core.

Tim

[Iain]

See, as an NS modeler, I would like one of these ...

[BCR 570]

Removal of Shell Sides
It is now time for what might be the most challenging stage of this project.  The Micro-Trains shell must be prepared for the new etched sides by removing the original sides.  Fortunately I have the aforementioned article from N Scale Railroading to follow as a guide.  I am following the procedures in the article with a few modifications, as I am using a different shell, and the car I am modelling has a plated in front vestibule and a rear platform.  Specifically, the Micro-Trains shell I am using is #144 00 001 83' Heavyweight 3-2 Observation Car.

The first step was to execute a cut just inside the front end using a razor saw.  I started using the standard Excel razor saw but soon switched to an Xacto razor saw as it seemed to work better.  This cut was made from bottom to top of the car side:




At the bottom of the car side, I made sure not to cut too far into the floor:




The next step was to score through the floor right up against the side with a #11 Xacto blade:




I also scored through the floor from below, again up against the side:




This photograph shows the first side fully removed from the shell:




You will see that there are two shells in the photograph above.  I started on the shell at the top of the photograph and soon realized that there would be a serious problem with the floor, as there were two rectangular openings spanning the entire width of the car.  This meant that the centre portion of the floor would not be attached to anything once the sides were removed!  Fortunately I had a second shell which did not have those rectangular cut-outs (strange as they are both stamped 144000 Shell).

Removal of the first side was successful, and I will now move on to removal of the second.


Tim

[Lemosteam]

Hi John!

Thank you for your post.  I have been looking into where I could get my hands on some of that rod, and how to cut it to length.  It looks like I will require a length of two inches or very slightly less.  If it isn't too expensive to mail some up to me, I would greatly appreciate you doing so.

Yes the roof will need to be sanded.  Can you refresh my memory as to the size of styrene required for the drip rail?

Thank you for the link to the thread on the underframe kit; I have been studying plans and photographs to determine the layout of underneath equipment on the car during the period I am modelling, as there were significant changes during the conversion from ice to mechanical A/C, again during the business car conversion, and again at some point following its museum train service.  I have surveyed the underside of the car extensively but can see from photographs that a lot had changed since its museum train service.

One challenge I will have with the underframe parts is that they have also taken on a pronounced curl, and I am hoping that I can correct this when gluing them into the car.  it is evident to me that the underframe will have to be assembled in place underneath the car rather than as a separate entity.


Tim

Soak the underbody rails in hot water for a bit, pull them out and use strong magnets to hold them down to a metal plate till cooled.  They should stay fairly flat after that.  Also, there are features on the back that should snap into the shell like the original underbody.  Those, the welding rod, and the glue should hole them in place.

The pure tungsten welding rods are very expensive now.  I will PM you regarding sending you one rod.

[BCR 570]

Thank you; reply to your PM sent.

Tim

[BCR 570]

Removal of Sides (cont.)
With the first side removed successfully, I went to work on the second.  I scored up and down the rear end up against the side, hoping to preserve the rear end if at all possible as it was very narrow between the end windows and the sides:




I switched to a #17 blade in the corners where the scoring was a little less effective:




Scoring along the floor up against the side:




Second side removed, leaving the front and rear ends intact:




With both sides removed, I cleaned up the edges with sanding sticks in preparation for the new sides:




I used a metal straight edge to look for spots where the sides remained uneven:




Here is the prepared shell with the new etched sides:




The next step will be to add strip styrene to the rear of the etched sides to match the thickness of the original sides.


Tim

[BCR 570]

Assembly of Etched Sides (cont.)
The new etched sides are thinner than the original Micro-Trains shell sides, so to restore the original thickness, it is necessary to laminate strip styrene to the rear.

I began with a vertical piece of .020" x .125" strip styrene at the rear end.  This piece will form the side wall at the rear platform, and will join up against the rear end:




Next I ran a length of .020" x .125" strip styrene along the lower car side, even with the bottom side sill.  This piece will join up against the floor for its entire length:




The sides were weighted down after installing each piece of styrene in an effort to reduce the inherent warpage in the sides as the CA set up:




The next piece was a strip of .020" x .060" along the top of the car side and even with it.  This piece will help to secure the roof in place:




I then repeated the process for the second side.  Each piece of styrene was aligned with the sides using steel blocks or edges:




Where the sides extend out above the rear platform, I added a piece of .020" x .020" strip styrene:




These were installed long and then trimmed to length once the CA had set:




I had previously drilled out the holes for the front side grab irons, and it was now necessary to drill through the lower strip of styrene for the lower holes.  This is easier to do when the sides are still flat:




I formed the grab irons from Tichy .008" phosphor bronze wire to match the front grab irons, and installed them for a test fit:




Here are the etched sides with all of the strip styrene glued to the rear:




These are now ready for installation in the Micro-Trains shell, so time to think about how best to approach that.


Tim

[Lemosteam]

Tim, unless you have removed the beads from the flange on your roof that snap into the grooves in the old sides, you would need to add them into the styrene you just added, else the beads will spread the updated shell.

Something to consider before you adhere the new sides to the old chassis.