AAR M500 observation car.

[torikoos]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a scale drawing (a scan or so would be great) , and/or a HO scale model of an AAR M500 observation car, with smooth sides (not corrugated).
I want to model the CFNR business car 1 'Appekunny Mountain', but have not yet found a suitable model or drawing to use as a base for this project. I need it to be of correct length, no shortened versions. This was an ex BN car.

Thanks!

Koos

[Sumpter250]

Google Appekuny Mountain.
Scroll to Preserved GN Passenger Cars-Observation-Great Northern Empire, and select.
Then scroll to the 7th ( #1290 ) for photos.
#1291 looks to be an identical car. Click on photos to open the album.
The Rivarossi smooth side BN coach that I have looks like it might also be an American Car & Foundry prototype, and if they have an Observation car, it might be exactly what you need. The car side height, and the height of the window in the door seem to be the same in the photo, as in the model, and it's hard to be absolutely sure but the car length also seems to match.
Hope that helps.

[Tom]

Try this for photos of the car and also a section of CFNR models shows a brass one a friend built.

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[torikoos]

Thanks guys, yes that's the car. I didn't know Rivarossi made one (has made).
Where ever I look online, it's heavy weights , or some budd design cars, and this type of car doesn't seem to be in production by anyone at present, and it is @*$£ hard to find anywhere.

Those brass models look great too!

Koos

[Sumpter250]

Thanks guys, yes that's the car. I didn't know Rivarossi made one (has made).
Where ever I look online, it's heavy weights , or some budd design cars, and this type of car doesn't seem to be in production by anyone at present, and it is @*$£ hard to find anywhere. Those brass models look great too! Koos

Yeah, I found a number inside the one car I have, and went to the Hornby ( owners of the old Rivarossi ) website, to see if it was available...not. Checked out my local hobby shop, they're out of stock there also. looks like "our" Swap Meet forum, or "Evil Bay" might be your best options. The coach I have, measures 85'-6" overall length, 83'-10 1/2" side length, 7'-9" side height to the edge of the roof, and 2' from the lower edge of the roof to the top. Trucks, center to center 60'. Truck wheelbase, 8'-9" center to center.
Hopefully, with those dimensions you might be able to determine any of the others. For example, knowing the side height, you could use a set of proportional dividers ( the pivot point is movable ), set so that the height of the side at "a point", will produce 7'-9" on a scale rule at the opposite end of the dividers, and you could get all the vertical measurements at that point. The horizontal measurements are a bit tricky, because they change in direct proportion to the change in vertical height in the photo.
Often, the vertical:horizontal ratio is most accurately determined from the "near end" in the photo, and could be compared to the truck wheelbase, for the horizontal distance at that location.
I used that method to scratchbuild several tri-level auto racks. When Walthers released their first kits, I was happy to see that their cars and mine were the same length and height. May fortune favor you.

[torikoos]

Thanks very much for your detailed reply and tips on getting dimensions.
I'll first see if there's anyone on the gauge here who want to part with one , so on your suggestion now put a 'wanted' add in the swap meet thread. :-)

Koos

[Tom]

Is this what you're looking for? (I am pretty sure it is).

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/AHM-Rivarossi-B-O-Observation-Car-/160530421557?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item25605bd735">http://cgi.ebay.com/AHM-Rivarossi-B-O-O ... 25605bd735</a><!-- m -->

I have had great luck on Ebay, but if you are a little gun shy of Ebay or the seller won't ship across the pond, let me know and I'll help you out and get it and send it to you, you can just reimburse me after you get it there.

[Sumpter250]

Tom, that looks like it should do, thank you for posting that. I don't have a lot of "experience" with Ebay, it would have taken me ages to find that item there
Torikoos, hope you can win that bid, and have fun repainting and detailing that obs car.

[torikoos]

Is this what you're looking for? (I am pretty sure it is).

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/AHM-Rivarossi-B-O-Observation-Car-/160530421557?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item25605bd735">http://cgi.ebay.com/AHM-Rivarossi-B-O-O ... 25605bd735</a><!-- m -->

I have had great luck on Ebay, but if you are a little gun shy of Ebay or the seller won't ship across the pond, let me know and I'll help you out and get it and send it to you, you can just reimburse me after you get it there.

Thanks Tom! It's not quite the right car, it's close but needs some kitbashing, the windows aren't quite the same arrangement, and the end is not as round (streamlined) as the actual car, but maybe I can do something with it, I might just place a bid, I'm not shy of e-bay. :-)

Thanks again!

Koos

[Sumpter250]

Here's the Bachmann, and the prototype:
   
   
The window glass, should be part of the roof ( it is on my coach ), and slides down into the car body, so the big change will be the "upper half" of the car body, where the window "frames" are. I would think, that filling in the existing windows, and then cutting the new window pattern, might be a way of modifying the Bachmann, but I'm not absolutely sure how Bachmann constructed their Obs' car model. The back end is going to be a challenge to modify correctly
This looks like an interesting "bash".

[torikoos]

Yes it is indeed, if I base it on that type car, the end is going to be the biggest challenge.
New sides with windows is not too hard, I could cut these from sheet styrene, but it's the car end, and the shape of the roof that will be the hardest...

Koos

[Sumpter250]

Starting with the Bachmann car, the entire back end would have to be completely rebuilt, to achieve the distinctive curve of the prototype.
That said, it's not really that impossible a thing to do. I would recommend, at the least, once you have acquired the car, disassemble it and figure out a "best way" to proceed, writing down a "step-by-step", that you would be comfortable "executing".
That would give you a chance to visualize, and note how each bit would need to be be modified. The floor/body, the windows, and the curve of the roof.
When I rebuilt the Quartergalleries of the "Jolly Roger Pirate Ship" from Lindberg, To make a model of HMS Surprise, as seen in the movie "Master and Commander", I used Balsa blocks for the compound curved "roofs". I glued them in place, and then formed them to the right shape. They got a liberal application of ACC ( superglue ) and were then sanded to a smooth finish and painted.
   
You could use a similar method for the new roof end on the car, with Balsa, Basswood, Styrene and " Apoxie sculpt ", or just a buildup of styrene, filed and sanded to shape.
Yes......an interesting "bash" indeed.

[torikoos]

I think this car (link below) is probably a better starting point.
I know I'd have to scratch build new sides, remove the skirting, and make some other windows bigger among other things, but it has the right shape I believe. Now comes the task of finding one for a reasonable price, I, decorated or not.. think I've spotted a few )

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-9084">http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-9084</a><!-- m -->

Koos