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Detailing HO scale commuter equipment Journals/Blogs
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New member 7 posts kevino New member 7 posts
kevino

Over the past couple of months I've been working on and off on a few detailing projects for myself and a friend of mine.  First up is a Walthers Horizon cab car factory painted for Septa that I detailed for my friend.

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This shows it with the basic details added next to a factory fresh comparison.  It really makes these cars look spartan.  The door grab was custom bent and the wipers are from Keystone Locomotive Works.

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I made the cut lever myself using a prototype photo for reference.

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Here the HEP jumper cables and lower MU plug have been added as well as the plow/cab signal pick up shoe.

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After receiving numbers touch up pant and some quick weathering to the under side and body.

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The finished product for now.  It will eventually recieve LED lighting and possibly a sound module for horn, bell and brakes.

 
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splitrock323 Prolific poster 1,374 posts
splitrock323

Great work

Nice to see commuter trains here. I am working on some a Rock Island bi-levels for a friend. Need to add about 300 figures inside. The wipers add a lot of 3D detail as do the grabs. Please keep us posted on progress and show the cars in service. Thomas G.

Thomas W. Gasior MMR

Modeling northern Minnesota iron ore line in HO.

YouTube: Splitrock323      Facebook: The Splitrock Mining Company layout

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kevino New member 7 posts
kevino

Thanks! There's still more to come.

Thomas,

Thanks for the kind words.  Yes it really is amazing how just a few small details can make all the difference in the world with their appearance.  I wish more people would take passenger modeling as seriously as frieght typically is.  A properly detailed and lightly weathered loco and rolling stock makes a much better impression on the layout than a fresh out of the box clean model.

I still have several more projects in the wings including detailing some ex- Chicago bi-levels that are in Virginia Railway Express paint.  All those little grabs in that bag from Walthers sure can be a pain.  Other projects include a scratch-bashed NJ Transit GP40PH-2 from Atlas and Cannon parts as well as several more rolling stock and loco detailing projects.

Kevin
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Ironhand_13 Frequent poster 709 posts
Ironhand_13

Looks nice!

Not a big-city person here, only going by what I've seen on tv and stuff, but the weathering looks like it's spot-on for a regularly-cleaned commuter.
-Steve in Iowa City
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nursemedic97 Regular poster 268 posts
nursemedic97

Looking forward

Definitely looking forward to your future projects! I've got some bi-level gallery cars and some Bombardiers that I want to detail (primarily cab end details and lighting) and I'm betting your posts are going to be a great resource!

Mike in CO
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iandrewmartin Active Member 60 posts
iandrewmartin

Love passenger gear

Great mod. So simple and yet it adds so much. I'll reinforce what everyone else is saying - please keep sharing. Great stuff.

Andrew Martin
Designing & Building Small Operating Layouts since 2003
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Andrew's Trains for hundreds of layout ideas and designs
Andrew's Trains' page on Facebook
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dmitzel Regular poster 278 posts
dmitzel

I agree - nice weathering job

Great job on the weathering - subtle, yet exactly what the eye expects for an in-service car that sees daily use.

I hope to do as well with my Chicago bi-levels and Amtrak Superliners.
D.M. Mitzel
Div. 8-NCR-NMRA
Oxford, Mich. USA
Visit my layout blog at  http://danmitzel.blogspot.com/
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kevino New member 7 posts
kevino

Thanks for the encouragement

Thanks everyone for the kind words.  My best advice for those looking to do the cab car pilot detailing is to find as high of a resolution photo as you can.  The one I used was found on Flickr.  A lot of it comes down to just finding something that looks close and fudging it from there.  For example that small plow/cab signal pick up bar was just fabbed up from some L shaped styrene and an Atlas U23B rear plow from my spare parts box.  Unfortunately most of the transit agencies around North America each have their own unique equipment or at least specific detailing difference that require some ingenuity to get the finished product to at least look close and give the feel of the prototype.

Kevin
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Blazeman New member 17 posts
Blazeman

Sat in that particular car

Sat in that particular car more than a few times in 20+ years of commutes.
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1990's bn modeler New member 12 posts
1990's bn modeler

Sound

Wow! very well done I must say. As a modeler of modern era commuter equipment I have to say this is great. The extra details go a long way. If you looking for sound and lighting for a low price I highly recommend the Soundtraxx Soundcar. I've done an install in one of my Chicago Metra cab cars and it's perfect. It supports lighting functions and has a K5LA horn sound (which your model here has on it's roof) I made a video of my install on my cabcar and I really think it would be great for this cabcar. Oh and amazing job on the cutlever as well really stands out. Here is a soundcar install I did:

 

Mid '90s Chicagoland Modeling

 

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njtransit4523 New member 1 post
njtransit4523

Snowplow & Horn

The car looks amazing! Who makes the snowplow and the K5LA horn? What size drill bit did you use for the marker light holes?
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