new subject Re: The Cavalier Drumhead (Rear Tail Sign)

Sun Oct 27 17:32:14 EDT 2019

 Walter:  If you have the IHC baggage-mail, it is almost a "ringer" for the  N&W BMf (1200-1221 series) A few detail changes, mainly to the roof and underbody boxes, would make it an even better match. The IHC observation appears to be a model of a Pullman room and observation car. You would need several window changes to do any of the N&W cars, but this is probably the best observation available as a starting point.The Claytor Lake (500) or the Lafayette (700) probably would be the easiest to kitbash. In addition to the window work, you would need to put a roof bubble on one side of the 700 and on both sides of the 500. All the original N&W business cars were extensively rebuilt in the mid 1950's, but prior to that time they looked similar to the 500 and the 700. Any of them would need window work and roof bubbles. See if you can find photos. The N&WHS archives is a good place to look.
The IHC 12-1 Pullman could be painted as several N&W Pullmans (Cuttyhunk, Galax, Lowry, Sunstar Rose, Vulcan).. None of the other IHC cars comes close enough to justify a kitbash, although the baggage car might be passed off as a BEn (1346-1350 series). 
Changing windows takes careful work. I have gotten pretty good at it. Basically, You cut windows from your donor body (cut oversize and sand or file to the finished size), cut and file out the place you want to graft it, fit in place and apply liquid plastic cement by capillary action.The panels between windows may be cut from the donor body the same way, or can be made of sheet styrene. If you do the 500 or the 700, you wouldn't need to sacrifice a donor body, as the windows on these two cars were the more modern sealed window sashes. Graft in sheet styrene and cut out new window openings. The 100, 101, 102, 200 and 300 were later rebuilt with sealed windows on welded sides; but if you model them prior to rebuilding, you would use windows from a donor body.
Hope this is helpful.
Jim Nichols 
    On Sunday, October 27, 2019, 08:45:57 AM CDT, NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  

I have 2 complete sets of 8 heavyweight IHC cars.  Which car should I try to model with the 2 observation cars?  Are there other cars that could kit-bashed from the rest of the cars in the IHC sets, also?  You don't see many of the N&W heavyweights modeled at all.  I did pick up the 3 Virginian paired window coach models from Atlas that were just released.  I guess they will do a quick run-through the main station scene behind a Train Master just because I have them (when that area of the layout is completed).  And since I have you for a couple of minutes, do you or someone in the group know how close the the Virginian Berkshire is to the models of the C&O or NKP on the market now.  Also, I did not see any Pacifics in the Prince book, so are any of the Virginian Mikados based on USRA standards?  Too many questions, I know, and I apologize for taking so much of your time. Thank you for the help.

So much to know and so little time to learn and apply it.

Walter Davis, modelling the N&W in Youngsville, NC

  On 10/25/2019 11:48 PM, NW Modeling List wrote:

  N&W's heavyweight observations were business cars. At least this was true of the open platform cars. The exception was a group of 10 section-lounge Pullmans which had solarium ends and ran on the Pocahontas after all the other heavyweight Pullmans had been replaced by the S1's. The business cars were eventually rebuilt with round roofs, welded sides and sealed windows. In the 1964 merger, they got the City of Lafayette from the Wabash, as well as the Claytor Lake. So far as I know, none of these have ever been offered commercially. Your starting points for kitbashing are few. The old Rivarossi/AHM obs would  be my choice, since you can get them fairly cheap. The Athearn car is shorter, and the thick sides create problems with window glazing. For a few dollars more the Bachmann PRR style car might be a good choice. Finally, IHC did an open platform car with a similar construction to the AHM car, but these generally sell for a higher price. (Both are out of production) In any case, you want at least two bodies so you can use one as a source of windows. 
  I have not done any of the open platform cars, but I have done the 10 section solarium lounge a few times, starting with the old Rivarossi/AHM 12-1 Pullman, cutting the sides off the body, rearranging side parts and grafting windows from the donor body. I have also done one starting with the Branchline 14 section car and grafting windows from a donor body. This was more expensive, but the Branchline kit is much better detailed.Since it is a flat kit, you don't have to cut the sides off at the beginning. They are already separate. I kitbash the Branchline cars only because I have been able to buy a supply of them on ebay at low prices. 
  Tell me which car you would like to model, and I will try to outline a step by step process to do it. 
  Jim Nichols 
      On Friday, October 25, 2019, 12:23:36 PM CDT, NW Modeling List <nw-modeling-list at nwhs.org> wrote:  

Seeing this picture of the Memphis Special reminded me that I don't know if anyone has produced a model in HO of N&W heavyweight observations or tail end cars.  MTH has done a great job with the light weight car but I don't recall Walther's or anyone else who has produced the heavy weight car.  If not produced, has anyone kit bashed one that they could share some pictures and modeling tips with me.

Walter Davis

Modeling N&W in Youngsville, NC

 On 10/25/2019 2:14 AM, NW Modeling List wrote:

 A much better, and color view is from N&WHS site

https://www..nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=90149

A non-N&W drumhead at Bristol

https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=94056

Last run of Pocahontas with wooden tail sign
https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=64418

Ken Miller

 On permail/nw-modeling-list/

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