Suddenly... it's 1870?

[Mik]

(A bit of a play on an old Plymouth advert from the '50s, sorry)

After a summer of other stuff, the Allegheny Valley's Skonkworks is back in business... And Rio Grande fans might be interested in the prototypes. - these have been in the 'planning stage' (aka too many other irons in the fire! 8D ) for about a year

Project 1 - late 1860s shorty mail/baggage car (yes, I know the prototype is 1871... it won't be an exact model anyway)

LGB shorty American baggage body fitted to a Euro 4 wheel coach frame and roof. Coffee stirrer floor and B'mann divider. other details as I scrounge them...

A custom mixed dark plum will do nicely once it gets striped in gold (yes, it actually IS a period US railroad color... and to think, the foamers had fits over the C&TS going Pullman Green to red?!?! )

Project 2 - late 1860s smoking car (again, I'm aware that the prototype photo was 1871)

Since I was starting from a 4 window coach, I had to use a bit of license with the side door. I'm not moving the end doors either.... more work than it's worth to me.

This will have a full interior as well... I need to get some deep red velvet (the dude is Jesse Sharp - from Jackson & Sharp fame, I may have to model him, too

I think these will go rather nicely behind my 1860s 2-2-0

 

[C&S]

Very interesting prototypes, Mik. I'd no idea there was anything that small on U.S. railroads. Nice work on the conversions, too. Do you plan a longer train of coaches? - you won't make much money with only 12 passengers.

 

[robsmorgan]

Another interesting scratch job Mik..... keep 'em coming!

Regards
Rob

 

[Mik]

To do another one, I'll need another LGB Euro coach.... Which, at today's prices, are pretty ridiculous.... Somebody has decided that those 3 letters mean they're made of gold. (Unless you do a google search, then you get other stuff)

Anyway, the mail contract subsidizes the train, passengers are just gravy.

 

[Jerry Barnes]

Love that 2-2-0!

 

[Richie]

Great work Mik loco looks very nice

 

[trammayo]

Its a great job Mik - and extra interesting for me as the loco photo is the twin to the model I'm building! There were two steam railmotors and the one in your pic was converted to a loco and tender. Fascinating. I never imagined that such short cars existed in the 1870's.

 

[Mik]

Some more progress on the smoking car:

Waste not, want not.... I needed a back-to-back center bench One of the LGB seat sections got butchered

I plated it with coffee stirrers to give it more bulk

Then covered it with red cloth "cushions"

A Bachmann coach stove got 'nickel' trim

I put coffee stirrer wainscot in the coach to give it some visual texture

glossy brown paint to simulate varnished hardwood, and a printed "carpet" did wonders. The ceiling will be a prototypical off-white/butter cream

ready for occupancy

As for the tiny cars, they matched the locomotive...

meet "Montezuma" -weight of 25,000-lb. It had 9-in cylinders with a 16-in stroke

 

[Mik]

A bit more progress...
$35 in Ozark stuff arrived, so I could go back to work on the Climax engine this evening.

The 1870's cars are coming along. Backdating figures was a pain. and I still need to figure out how to make scale top hats

Hand painted pinstriping isn't perfect, but I think they look purty good. and I have some NOS Delton railings coming from that guy on ebay that are fairly close to the prototype style.

 

[trammayo]

The coaches are looking good Mik - you're going to have a really very nice period train when you've done

Howabout making the hats from a thin card?

And the Climax - have we had a peek yet?

 

[C&S]

Backdating figures was a pain. and I still need to figure out how to make scale top hats

Have you got any period pictures to copy?

My thoughts would be to use a length of suitable diameter styrene tube, then file a slight curve into one end, if you want a curved brim, or straight is another option. Filler or paper disc to cover the hole at the top, and a larger paper disc for the brim - curled as necessary, then hardened with superglue. File a "flat" in the top of the figure's head and glue the hat in place. This would give you an Abe Lincoln stovepipe hat (tall). Others were (I think) a little fatter, lower and had a bit of a "waist" - just a little more filing or perhaps easier to mould out of Milliput, again with a paper brim.

Not sure when Derby hats (bowlers to us Brits) came in, but think I'm right in saying the early ones were more like half a sphere on a brim, rather than the parallel sides with rounded top, which I think is maybe a 20th century style.

 

[trammayo]

Not sure when Derby hats (bowlers to us Brits) came in, but think I'm right in saying [style="color: #0000ff;"]the early ones were more like half a sphere on a brim, rather than the parallel sides with rounded top, which I think is maybe a 20th century style.

I seem to think they were called "billy cocks" because they resembled the little haycocks waiting to be gathered up after haymaking?

 

[Mik]

These places are invaluable for modeling period clothing.
http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/1870-victorian-photo-gallery.php < Link To http://www.gentlemansempo...rian-photo-gallery.php
http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/1860-victorian-photo-gallery.php < Link To http://www.gentlemansempo...rian-photo-gallery.php
http://romancereaderatheart2.com/victorian/timeline/1870/index.html < Link To http://romancereaderathea...meline/1870/index.html
http://store.soliscompany.com/mefainviera1.html [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1870s_in_fashion

 

[Mik]

The railings came today. I think they look acceptable

burple and 2 tone green... what a combination!

 

[Mik]