Modeling secondhand parlor cars for the LIRR
The model parlor cars Montauk(above) and Nisseqogue (page 58) started out as Walthers cars and have been custom-paint- ed. Modifications to them include new appli- ances on the underbody and changes to the roof vents and fans. Powered by a Fair- banks-Morse 2,400 h.p. CPA-24-5, the all par- lor car trains (right) were a sight to behold.
dow shades were made from construc- tion paper using several colors: off white, light gray and a light blue simi- lar to the car’s window stripe. I varied the height of the shades along the length of the car and carefully glued them to the window material.
Painting and weathering The Walthers car resembles a freshly painted car, so I painted and lettered several undecorated cars for a more weathered appearance. I added one teaspoon plus 20 drops of Dark Blue to a bottle of SP Lark Dark Gray for LIRR’s Charcoal or Smoky Gray for the car ends and sides, and used GN Big Sky Blue for the window stripe. I used Brunswick Green for the roof and Weathered Black for the underbody and trucks. Rail Brown was used to weather the trucks and underbody. I used Polly Scale paint, but paints by other manufacturers will do as well, and Polly Scale is no longer made. Beneath each door I painted a thin orange line using SP Daylight Orange paint to represent the platform edge of the vestibule trap, an often overlooked LIRR practice done to all of its passen- ger cars during that era.
Lettering for the car came from Champ LIRR passenger car set PH95. The Dashing Dan, Weekend Chief her- alds and the small white PARLOR letter- ing decals are available from Dave’s Custom Trains, 30 Kunigunda Pl., Islip Terrace, NY 11752.
LIRR parlor cars originally wore small Dashing Dan and Weekend Chief heralds with a blue base. In later years a larger version of these heralds was
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PHOTO BY GENE COLLORA: NEAR MONTAUK,, NY; EARLY 1960’S
used with no base. Placement of the heralds below the window belt varied, so I utilized prototype photos to letter my cars, a practice I highly recommend for any model for any road.
Pennsylvania Railroad parlor cars After 1961 business was so good that in addition to the cars the railroad had purchased, the LIRR also operated a number of leased PRR parlor cars. I wanted some of these cars mixed in with my LIRR cars, so I simply re- worked the PRR cars the same way as my LIRR parlor cars. The Walthers Pennsylvania parlor cars have small PULLMAN lettering in the upper corner by the vestibule, which is incorrect. I removed the lettering by shaping a pencil eraser to a point and rubbing it back and forth over the lettering. After touching up the area with a small dash of Tuscan Red paint, I replaced it with the correct PARLOR decal from a set I had on hand. Two special Champ Blue Ribbon sets made for Bethlehem Car Works, DCW No. 437A and BCW No. 401, have the PRR style PARLOR decal available. Champ PRR P151 set also
has it, as does with The Middle Divi- sion set HPS-5. Parlor car service was an extra fare operation, so the cars were kept clean despite their years of service and age. Initially, weathering was minimal on them. I airbrushed some dirt and grime on the underbody and trucks, as well as some rust on the diaphragms. Dirt, Grime and Rail Brown paints are suitable here. A flat finish on very weathered cars is advisable. Use a gloss finish for freshly-painted cars. The Walthers parlor car has a realis- tic and great-looking interior and pas- sengers can be placed in the parlor cars. Preiser and Woodland Scenes make excellent passenger sets. Both have individually-seated figures. Sim- ply glue the passengers to their seats if you want your parlor cars populated. As assembled, the car’s air condition- ing duct is on the wrong side of the car. I simply turned the roof around and put it back on. The air conditioning duct sits above the side of the car with a single window at each end closest to the vestibule. My LIRR parlor cars were now ready for service.
NOVEMBER 2013
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