CHAIR CARS 3000-3009                       PARTITION COACHES 799-808           PARTITION COACHES 1030-1037        STRAIGHT EQUALIZED TRUCK

CHAIR CARS 3000-3009      PARTS    PARTITION COACHES 799-808  PARTS  PARTITION COACHES 1030-1037    COACH FLARED STEPS ETCH   

These kits were designed to be used by modellers using their own existing supply of Roberto Martari brass etched sides.  

I was also expecting to get some supply of these sides from Roberto himself.

Unfortunately so far no luck......

I will update this page as soon as I have more news.

Till then only the core kits mentioned on this page are available.

KIT NUMBER/NAME and CONTENTS (see PRICELIST for prices)

N-202 Heavyweight car, partition coach 799-808. core kit: cast resin roof/underbody/ends, brass etching, clear plastic window insert, paper printed window blinds (NO trucks, couplers, brass carsides)

N-204 Heavyweight car, chair-smoker 1030-1037. core kit: cast resin roof/underbody/ends, brass etching, clear plastic window insert, paper printed window blinds (NO trucks, couplers, brass carsides)

N-206 Heavyweight car, chair coach 3000-3008. core kit: cast resin roof/underbody/ends, brass etching, clear plastic window insert, paper printed window blinds (NO trucks, couplers, brass carsides)

N-210 Brass etching: 4 FLARED DOORSTEPS, 8 door handrailings, 4 end hand grabs (SOLD OUT / NOT AVAILABLE )

N-220 Heavyweight passenger trucks: 1 pair of 3D printed straight equilized trucks

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW FOR 3D PRINTED ROOF VERSIONS AND PASSENGER TRUCK 

History.

Chair cars 3000-3009 were built by Pullmann in 1924. They rode on integral pedestal trucks and were used till the end of 1970.

Some of these cars ran in The valley Flyer.

Partition coaches 799-808 were built in 1929 by Pullmann. The rode on straight equalized trucks and were used till 1965. In later life these cars often ran as Rider Cars in the Mail Train.

Chair smoker cars 1030-1037 were conversions of the 809-828 partition coaches. Some ran on integral pedestal trucks, others on straight equalized trucks. Originally built by Pullmann in 1924 and 1928 and converted in 1937 and 1938. The last one was off the active roster in 1969. Four were converted to maintenance-of-way service.

Most of these cars were converted to air conditioning in the years just before WW2.

A great source for additional info and pictures is the book Coach, Smoker & Chair Cars Gynealogy by John B. McCall, a Santa Fe Hostorical Society publication.

Building instructions.

Begin by checking the prints for casting flash (clean up if needed) and wash them in warm soapy water to remove any leftover mould release.

The brass side sill is to be installed first. It should fit into the recess in the side of the resin cast floor exactly. The unetched upper part of the sill is the topside. Holding the sill in place at one end, insert a toothpick between sill and floor about halfway. Using another toothpick apply ACC sparingly (squeeze a few drops into an old bottle cap) on the backside of the sill, remove the first toothpick and press in place. If satisfied with the position repeat the procedure on the other side. If not, you can still pry the sill loose with a sharp knife, remove all glue residue, and start over.

Next are the etched sides. Check which side (window arrangement) goes on which side of the floor (underfloor equioment) using prototype pictures.

Position the etched side (NO glue yet) exactly centered (lenghtwise) on the side of the floor/underframe, keeping the underside of the etching exactly on the unethed/etched line of the side sill. Use the same trick as described above to glue the side in place.

The end walls are attached next. Check for a perfect fit between etched side and end wall rivet line. At the corner the top of the end wall and the side wall should be level. The underside of the side wall should be level with the coupler pad. Holding the end walls in place with your fingers glue them from the inside with ACC to the side walls.

There are 4 handgrips in the stairs etching and a drilling jig. Using the jig drill 4 0,4 mm holes in each end sill. After dipping the handgrips into a small drop of ACC insert horizontally. When the glue has set, bend the handgrips 90 degrees downward using a small screwdriver blade. The handgrips should extend just a little below the bottom line of the side.

Last big job is the roof. Looking at prototype pictures determine on which side the AC duct has to go. Trial fit the roof and probably remove some material from the underside of the roof near the ends. Gently straighten the brass sides with maybe a very, very slight curve inwards. The roff should be a snug/press fit. All my roofs are detachable (no glue) for later access to the interior.

The flared stairs are folded (visible half etch inside each fold) using pliers. Fold the 2 sides upward, adjust the whole assembly with tweezers till you are satisfied and solder from the back with a minimal amount of solder holding/squeezing the stair wit tweezers. The protruding pins on top will help locating the stairs under the end doors (holes in the bottom of the floor). Glue in place using ACC.

The end door railings (8 in total) can also be found in the stairs etching. Drill out the holes in the sides using a 0,4 mm drill, insert the handrailings and glue from the inside. You have a few seconds to adjust the distance between railing and wall. After the glue has set you can adjust the vertical line up with long tweezers and also gently grind of the excess flush with the inside wall to facilitate the placement of the window glazing.

The trucks can be either MTL 6-wheel heavyweight passenger trucks (both the old and new version; hence the 2 holes per end) or the 3D printed straight equalized trucks. Look at prototype pictures of the car modeled to determine which one to use. The 3D printed trucks should receive some extra attention because the printed surface is always a bit rough. Burnish the surface of the axle holes with a pointed dentist drill (when I visit my dentist I always ask him for old drills he is planning to dispose of; these are still sharp enough for modelling purposes) and a 1,5 mm drill.

Before airbrushing the truck black apply a good primer like Mr Primer Surfacer 1000. After all painting is finished put a little graphite powder or Kadee Greas-em inside the axle holes. Use FVM 3301 or 3310 wheels. The trucks should now be as free rolling as MTL trucks.

Use leftover MTL truckpins to attach these trucks It might be necessary to clean/ream the truckpin hole a liitle. Make sure the truck can pivot freely. 

The Roberto Martari etching has different roof handgrips . Using prototype pictures determine which ones go where on your car. Drill 0,4 mm holes and glue from the underside. Cut of excess length.

Clear glazing strips (provided) can be glued to the inside after you have painted (and weathered) the car. Tru-Color paint from Arizona has excellent ATSF heavyweight green airbrush paint. Use a primer first, certainly on all brass elements but I suggest also lightly on the cast resin or 3D printed parts(I use Mr Primer Surfacer 1000 thinned about 30 percent).

Paper curtain strips are also provided. Cut them (with a very sharp/ new scalpel) as you please and attach with a tiny amount of ACC glue on the top inside of the glazing. These curtains were almost never all at the same height nor perfectly horizontal. Holding the strip inside the shell you can make small markings between the windows behind the window posts to make the cutting and gluing process easier on you workbench.

The decals can be found on Microscale 60-1105 and 68-383 (not supplied) and American Limited diaphragms can be attached (not supplied).

Couplers are MTL (not supplied) and should be at the correct height.

Enjoy your kit.