Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Modeling Owl (Part 3) & Photo Analysis (Part 7) - Sept 26, 1953 Consist for No.58

I'm mixing two series of blog posts here, both the Photo Analysis series and adding onto the Modeling the Owl series.

SP 6442 - No58 Horby Sept 26, 1953 Stan Kistler photo - Arved Grass collection

While not exactly the "typical" SP HW Consist, this train still shows a pair of the 72-C-series Chair Cars in the consist, plus both a 77-D-3/4 Diner and a 75-CS rebuilt full Lounge car and the front end of the Mission-series Lounge-Sleeper, running Solarium-Lounge forward, against the dining section ahead of it.  It's a heavy day with six chair cars operating in the consist, pulling a pair of articulated Daylight pool cars in as well.

SP 6444 leads No.58 past the Tehachapi depot in 1953. - Herb Kelso photo, WRMA collection.

I'm not really going to discuss the 4-unit set of dual-service F-units pulling the train between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, as that was typical power for the train at the time.  The SP had several dozen sets of "passenger equipped" F-unit sets, to pull the heavier passenger trains over the mountain districts.  In previous years, later AC-type 'Cab-forwards' or "Malleys" pulled the train over the Tehachapi mountains from Bakersfield to Glendale.  Single Mt or GS-class would take the train north from Bakersfield to Oakland.  At Glendale the road engine would take the train into LAUPT after the point engine was cut-off.

On No.57, the westward train schedule, a single AC-class would pull the train out of LAUPT to avoid the extra charge for multiple engine trains operating in and out of the station.  Then at Glendale a second AC or if it was a lighter consist, an Mt or GS would be added to the point for the trip to Bakersfield.  At Bakersfield, the heavy engines from the trip over the mountain would be pulled off and a single GS/Mt would take the train to Oakland.

Modeling the Consist


Cropped view of No.58 at Horby.

In this photo from September 1953, we can see the following consist:

1. 70-BP rebuilt RPO-Baggage (working RPO, with the catcher arm installed)

Soho 70-BP-30 rebuild (circa 1947-48), just needs some underbody built and trucks installed, plus a few details like the catcher-arms.

2. 70-BP-30-1, probably downgraded to Baggage-Express

Kitbashed downgraded 70-BP-30-1, ex-RPO-Baggage

I've written about this kitbash before.  Originally, I kitbashed the body of this car around 1997-1998 based on a 1933 SP Passenger Car Diagram book reprinted by SPHTS.  I used Floquil's (pretty aweful) Pullman Green and Microscale's (equally aweful artwork) SP passenger car decals to make the SP 5134 RPO-Baggage by combining MDC parts to make a 70-foot.  Not bad for a 17-19 year old's early passenger kitbashing.  We all have to start somewhere, right? 
However, this model stuck out badly when I coupled it with friend's properly finished models with correct SP Dark Olive Green and correct font decals for the lettering.  Then, after the SPHTS came out with their Passenger Cars Vol.3 book, I was able to more properly research the prototypes for these cars.  When I decided to repaint and decal the car, the fact that the RPO door was too wide, and didn't extend up into the letterboard started to bug me more.  I decided that after the repaint, I would instead model the SP 6102, a 70-foot ex-RPO-Baggage.  These retired RPO cars were converted by pulling out all their RPO sorting equipment, turning them into 70-B class Baggage-Express cars.  My repainted model found a new home working as a B-E setout car for many years and creating a conversation with fellow modelers about how this "RPO" wasn't an "RPO anymore!"

3. 70-B-series Baggage-Express

Soho 70-B-series, partly finished

Pretty accurate Baggage car models.  Generally my upgrades consist of new Walthers Trucks (which roll better than the original brass trucks or often worn out Central Valley trucks, and new diaphragms, plus painting and decalling.

4. Baggage-Dormitory car (14-single bedroom car 3500/3501)

My 3503 kitbash of the 1954 pair of ex-12-1s, the Bag-Dorm ex-14 SBR cars are more complicated to find/expensive.

The SP only had four of these ex-sleepers, customized Baggage-Dorms reconfigured in 1953 and 1954, and a few mid-train Lounge-Dorms left from the early 1930s, such as SP 3208.  After WWII several ex-Army Hospital cars were rebuilt with minor exterior changes and interior reconfiguration into similar Baggage-Dorms, but those were mostly used on the Overland Route.

Walthers 14-section painted as a 'Pullman Pool' "Tourist" Car, once assigned to the SP-UP Challenger service.

My other option to model a Domitory car is to pull a "Pullman Pool" 14-section 'tourist sleeper' in place of the reworked SP Baggage-Dorms. A 13-section (ex-12-1 sleeper) or 16-section Tourist car could be pulled in as easily.

5. Chair Car (72-C-1/2/3/4 type)

Golden Gate Depot's upcoming basic 72-C-series coach.

I'll have to modernize the as-built 72-C-series chair car with air-conditioning.  This should be a fairly easy modification.  Mostly removing roof vents and scrounging new A/C units for mounting on the underbody, maybe a water tank, etc.  Some of the GGD cars look to be a little light on the underbody details, but that can be very hard to replicate as SP didn't really have a 'standard' on how they did the A/C conversions on dozens of different cars, so each car can be different from it's sisters.

6. Chair Car (72-C-1/2/3/4 type)

Probably one of the cars rebuilt into Parlor for the Pearl Daylight, then refitted into News-Agent configuration.
A friend's SP 2082 ex-Parlor/Lounge, which by 1937 was upgraded to a Deluxe Chair Car with News Agent space.

I have two of these Soho cars to finish up... maybe I'll get to them before GGD does these cars in the future, but I wouldn't hold my breath!

7. Chair Car (73-C-1) - clerestory Chair Car with A/C added.

SP 2337 is a standing for 73-C-1 using a Walthers "Paired Window Coach".

I've covered this conversion in my blog on the 73-C-1 Kitbashes from the Walthers Coach.

8-9. Articulated Chair car from the Daylight pool.

MTH Articulated 1941 Chair Car

Minor modifications to MTH Daylight Artic Chairs to correct letterboard font with new decals, etc.

10. Chair Car (ex-SSW Osgood-Bradley "American Flyer" car)

Prototype photo, credit to Jim Lancaster for posting it

Notice that even in this prototype 1953-54 photo at Mission Coach Yard in Los Angeles, this "American Flyer" car is sandwiched between a 1937 Daylight articulated chair car to the left and a TTG HW diner to the right, just as in the Consist photo at the top of this post.

It is too bad that Rapido didn't get enough reservations to produce their version of the SSW/SP Osgood-Bradley chair car 10 years ago.  I did pick up one of the E&B plastic kits about 5-6 year ago, which will be quite a bit of work to put together and bring up to current modeling standards, but it's about the only option out there on the market.  I should note that some of these SSW cars that came west, retained their SSW Daylight paint scheme, complete with typical SSW silver roof treatment.  A couple years ago I could have also picked up a pair of second-hand built-up E&B Valley Osgood-Bradley cars painted in SSW Daylight, but passed on them, due to their build quality and finish, which I would have had to re-work, probably scrapping their decent paint job.  Oh well, for now working on the fresh E&B Valley kit is one of those projects that I don't need to do, but can wait a bit longer before tackling.

11. Diner 77-D-3/4

Golden Gate Depot, planned for late 2025 release.

I've waited many years for a good plastic model of an SP Diner.  I'll be writing a review when the new GGD cars arrive, I've ordered one for my Owl and West Coast consists, plus one of the Daylight-painted ones, which will allow them to rotate in and out of other assignments too.

Starting point of a Soho car.

For years I've slowly worked to convert a Soho brass model of the as-built version of the car to an air conditioned and modernized car.  Unfortunately, the baked in errors in the windows are rather annoying and the required changes to the windows removing the upper transom windows to update the car to properly replicate the post-1937 rebuilt cars with air-conditioning is really difficult to do.  With the prospects of a ready-made accurate plastic diner with air-conditioning, I'm likely to shelve the Soho model.

12. Lounge 75-CS rebuilt

Golden Gate Depot, planned for late 2025 release.

Trying to kitbash a 75-CS full lounge would be one of the most complicated prototypes to attempt, which is one reason I never planned to do one.  The prospects of a new accurate plastic model is very exciting to me, in terms of being able to complete the Owl and West Coast consists I've been working on for 20 years.
Seasonally, the Owl would drop the full lounge car and only use the Mission-series Sleeper-Lounge car.

Around the Hill & Out of View

Remaining cars are out of sight around the hillside would be the standard Pullmans associated with the Owl during this time.

13. Mission-series Lounge-Sleeper 

Walthers 'stand-in' for "Mission"-series 6-2 (bedroom)-Lounge, shown before fixing the letterboard.

While unique on the SP, the two Mission-series Solarium-Lounge-Sleepers found a home on the Owl for many years until their retirement to SPMW service in 1956.  My Walthers 'stand-in' for Mission Delores current is not 100% accurate on the windows, etc.  I have a second body, which I may spend the time to kitbash into a more accurate Mission-series model.

14. STD 10-1-1 Sleeper

SP Prior Lake, kitbashed Walthers STD 10-1-1 Sleeper, shown before fixing the letterboard.

While Atlas has released their Branchline 10-1-1 sides, I started by converting a Walthers 12-1 with kitbashed window inserts.  It mostly now just needs some of the regular interior detailing of sunshades and safety handrails in the aisle areas.

The 10-1-1 is among the last of my SP cars that still have the incorrect Micro-Scale font, which I want to have corrected by upgraded letterboard decals to more correct ThinFilm sets.  Most of my 12-1s need to be upgraded as well.

15. STD HW 8-5 or STD LW 6-6-4 Sleeper

SP 9162, starting with a Walthers UP 6-6-4 relettered to SP.

I have a brass car sides kit for a HW 8-5 sleeper to build one of these years.  So for now I get to the choice of one of several SP LW 6-6-4s.

16. STD 12-1 Sleeper

SP Juana, Walthers STD 12-1 Sleeper

The Juana has received the upgraded ThinFilm decals on the letterboard.  It mostly now just needs some of the interior detailing of sunshades and safety handrails in the aisle areas.

17. STD 12-1 Sleeper

PC Coronado,Walthers STD 12-1 Pool Sleeper

One of my "Pullman Pool" 12-1s, which can also be used when I want to backdate my consists to before Dec 1948 when the Pullman Pool was broken up and sold to the railroads.  The Coronado mostly now just needs some of the interior detailing of sunshades and safety handrails in the aisle areas.

18. STD 12-1 Sleeper

SP Los Angeles, Walthers STD 12-1 Sleeper with tail-gate marker, shown before fixing the letterboard.

Since 2019 my models of the 12-1s besides Juana and the 10-1-1 Prior Lake have been receiving upgraded decals for their letterboards and car name, replacing the old incorrect Micro Scale artwork lettering.  Given that it's been over 6 years and my modeling has changed focus to the Jawbone Branch, I'm not sure when I'll get around to finishing up the Pullman cars.  Perhaps with the new GGD Diners and Lounges on the way, I'll get some motivation to finish fixing up these sleepers.

In Closing


SP 4352 & AC road engine with No57 near Glendale - Eddie Sims Collection

Even with most of my modeling efforts for the last 5 years being focused on the SP's Jawbone Branch, I'm still happy to discuss modeling historical passenger trains.

Jason Hill

Related Articles:


Modeling Clerestory SP Chair Cars (Part 1) - SP 1050 - Using a Walthers Paired Window Coach

SP 1050 Coach (Part 1) - History of SP Coach & Chair Cars - Kitbashing an Ex-EPSW coach, with Walthers Paired Window Coach.

Modeling Clerestory SP Chair Cars (Part 2) - 73-C-1 SP 2337, 2344, 2346 - Kitbashing 73-C-1 class cars with Walthers Paired Window Coach

Pre-Review of Golden Gate Depot's new V2.0 Harriman Cars for Late 2025 - Hopeful look at prototypes for the 77-D-1/3/4 Diner, 75-CS Lounge, and 72-C-1/2/3/4 Coach/Chair car models and their prototypes.
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Sunday, May 18, 2025

Modeling Clerestory SP Chair Cars (Part 2) - 73-C-1 SP 2337, 2344, 2346

Many of us forget that by the 1930s the SP's fleet of HW passenger cars had completely pivoted away from the 'arch-roof' car heritage from the Common Standard Era and Harriman (ending in 1913), with the legacy cars continuing into the mid-late 1920s.  By 1928-29 the construction standards had changed to Clerestory roof styles.  Along with the arch roofs, the throwback to wooden cars of the 1890s with their fancy transom windows were replaced with plainer utilitarian looking cars of the Roaring '20s. 

These cars were then upgraded with new 'Art Deco' interior stylings of the mid-late 1930s, air-conditioning, and fluorescent lights.  Much of the interior design for these upgrades were pulled from the new 1937 Daylight equipment being delivered at the same time.  While SP was pouring millions of Dollars into the two new trainsets and six GS-2 streamlined Northerns, they couldn't buy all new passenger cars to cover all of the SP's vast milage and services across the country... but perhaps they could revamp the interior of their HW cars to trick the passengers into thinking they're in a newer car when they're inside it.

SP 73-C-1 with National Federation of Financial Analysts excursion at Glendale May 15, 1952 - Roy R Platt posting (cropped)

About 10 years ago I started working on doing conversions to Walthers "Paired Window Coaches", turning them into stand-ins for the SP's 73-C-1 coaches, which were modernized and fitted with A/C in 1937.  The body will still be a foot short, and won't be exactly correct, but I'm trying to expand my options for modeling some of the post-archroof era.  The 73-C-1 is one of the larger groups of cars that fall into this group, the other being the 74-CC-1.  Unfortunately, the windows of the 74-CC-1 are fewer and more squat in appearance than those of the Walthers car, so I feel the 73-C-1 prototypes will be easier to 'fake' with the stand-ins than the 74-CC-1.

The order that I'm presenting these kitbashes may seem weird, but it is in the best kitbashing order of construction and photos of which cars I have on hand.  I thought I took more construction photos of the SP 2337 and 2346, but I can't seem to find them now.

SP 2344 (Intercity - Day Service, a.k.a. HW San Joaquin)


The simplest conversion is to the three cars with minimal upgrades for the heavyweight (1937-1941) San Joaquin.  These cars retained the full length seating arrangement of the previous coach configuration for maximum seating.

Many of my conversion car bodies started as CNW models, so don't mind the yellow and green, as that will all be painted over before the end.

SP 2344's stock Walthers underbody.

While the basic Walthers model is pretty good, when I have photos of specific SP cars, I'll be moving equipment around and repositioning to as best match the photos that I can.

SP 2344 starting disassembly.

To paint these models, I've decided that it's worth the pain to pop every piece of glass out of the car, then paper-towel stuff the interior of the car while painting the SP Dark Olive Green on the exterior.  Somehow in the last few years, I misplaced the interior for this car... I'll find it again and finish the car up!

Unmodified interior high side-view.

The Walthers model has a fairly well detailed interior.  If I was pushing to crazy levels, I'd be putting two of he anti-mascara headrests on each seat back.

Unmodified interior, top view.

The bathroom's don't need a lot of work, as usually I'll be putting a bit of Scotch-tape on the interior of the prism-glass.  Don't use the "Magic" type of tape, but the type that results in 'foggy' or 'milky' look when applied to replicate the sand-blast etched glass look.

SP 2344 stock sides with one bathroom windows not removed, to be painted over.

Among the first steps on the outside of all of these cars is scraping some of the paint from the top of the vestibule doors so the new extended letterboard plastic sheet will bond well to the existing carbody.

SP 2344 other side with all windows removed.

I usually remove the car-sides to do the major work on them, especially as the letterboard work will be right against the car-ends which are a separate part.


SP 2344 with letterboard modifications over the vestibule doors

These car have extended letterboard, which runs all the way to the end of the car over the door.  This requires gluing in an extra strip of styrene and blending it down to match the letterboard in shape.  The new upper part of the door needs to be fashioned and a new door window has to be made from scratch for the new sized window.

The SP 2344 will need the "1/4 round" A/C ducts installed along with the A/C hatch in the roof, which I'll be showing more on the SP 2337 and 2346 kitbashes below.

SP 1050, an ex-EPSW coach shows roughly what the SP 2344 will look like, except 2344 will have the extended letterboards over the vestibule doors.

My model of SP 2344 isn't finished, so I don't have any current photos to show for it, but you'll get the idea of what it should look like when painted in SP Dark Olive Green and gold-yellow lettering from the other two nearly completed models.

SP 2337, 1937 Modernized (Long Distance, Intercity Service)


Time to change the car to fully modernized "Deluxe Chair" configuration

Here's the basics of a disassembled Walthers coach.  The extra sets of seating have been removed to make room for the mens' and womens' dressing rooms at each end of the car.  The tighter coach seat spacing is kept on these models, as I have to loose the foot of carbody length somewhere... and like with modern airliners, the leg room is the first to go!

Single window is dropped into the Walthers carside

The main changes to the car sides is changing the New England Rail Service windows around to reflect the blanking of the aisle windows and converting the windows in the dressing room/annex areas to single windows.  Today, I'd probably just draft and 3d print a section of replacement windows to match the Walthers sides and 'drop in'.

Both carsides of SP 2337.

The two completed sides of SP 2337 are slightly different.  The Walthers sides also are keyed differently to the core body of the car, so I decided to build the sides to match which way the underframe seemed to be pointing with the brake cylinders against the prototype photos of the car.

High-angle view of stripped down interior, this for another car, modernized T&NO 412/413 48-seat chair cars.

The SP reduced the seating to 48-seats for the typical 'Transcontinental" deluxe chair cars.  These cars would run through on the T&NO between LA, sometimes San Francisco, and New Orleans.  So I'm planning to build one T&NO car, but it also gives reason for T&NO modelers to build or have SP Pacific Lines long-distance cars too.

New dressing room and annex room walls constructed from sheet styrene and painted interior buff color.

Here's the core structure of the car reassembled with the new interior walls fabricated from sheet styrene and painted with a buff color to match the rest of the interior.  Repurposed seats from the coach configuration are re-used to form the sitting furniture in the 'dressing rooms'.

Another view of the interior coming together.

The main challenge remaining for the SP 2337 is to make or build the 1/4-round under-sized A/C ducts to fit along side the wide clerestory roof.  I've pretty much decided that I will want to design and 3d print those to fit the Walthers car, but haven't gotten around to it for now, as of 2016.  Note from 2025 me, I still haven't designed the ducts, but the technology of printing has come so far since 2016, I think it would be the best option now.

Detail Views

Note that my designations of "Front," "Rear," "Left" and "Right" are totally subjective to which way the seats are facing.  The seats in cars like this can be rotated to align with which way the car will be moving in the train.  In most of these cars, I didn't bother to turn around every seat in the interior of the car, but I may do that on some of the 'later' conversions I do.

Left Front

Left Rear of the car, a little paint damage from the number of times I've opened the car's roof.

Left Rear

The Left Rear of the car showing the safety handrails in the aisleway.  Note the A/C hatch in the roof.  The roof isn't quite sitting down properly in this photo, but it is possible to get it to seat properly, I just didn't for this photo.

Right Front

The Right Rear shows the plugged ex-bathroom window, plated over.  The aisleway safety handrail is again visible.

Right Rear

Detail view of the Right Rear of the car.  Note the rivets were also sanded down.  I need to still replace those with rivet-decals and touch-up the Dark Olive paint at some point.

Safety handrail installed along the aisle walkways in the SP 2337.

One often overlooked detail features on our passenger car models is the safety handrails that were built with some 0.012-0.015" phosphor-bronze wire.

Underbody with some NERS details added, such as the large pressurized water tank.

Some A/C boxes and details added to the underbody of the SP 2337.  The "Front" of the SP 2337 is to the right in the underside view.

OwlMtModels pickup etchings used.

I used 30-gage wire from TCS and OwlMtModels 10001 pickups (out-of-produciton, as of 2022). 

Reverse view of the trucks and pickup-setup.

The Walthers swivel coupler rig was removed and standard KD-5 box installed with standard 'whisker' type couplers with No.5 coupler heads.

Lighting


Direct LED lighting option

I originally looked at direct lighting, with the LED strip pointed down, but this does create 'hotter' spots of lighting than if you flip the LEDs and point them at the roof.  The direct lighting version also requires more dropping resistors to dim the lights.

Interior LED lighting setup installed.

I added the 6k LED strip pointed up over a 1/8x1/4 strip of styrene bar to reflectively light the interior of the car, via indirect lighting, same as the prototype cars used.


Photo of dimmed room lights, with interior lighting.

One of the hardest things to photograph with any realistic impression of what the human eye sees is the way a lit car looks in a dimmed or dark room.  As I've said with all my lit passenger car blog posts is the goal of having the lighting only show up when the room lighting is reduced or off, but isn't noticeable during "daylight" lighting of the layout room.

SP 2346, Variation on 1937 (Long Distance, Intercity Service)


The SP 2346 and 2347 were regularly assigned to the West Coast after WWII into the 1950s, resulting in one of these cars being high on my list of Must Model kitbashes to have a reasonably accurate West Coast consist..

Right Side of SP 2346 when completed

The SP 2346 and 2347 were slightly different from the rest of the 73-C-1s in that they received the usual upgrades of A/C, etc but the ducting was put inside of the clerestory section of the roof, so no external ducting was visible.

Left side of SP 2346 when completed

The window changes are somewhat different from the lower SP 2331-series of this class.  The two pairs of aisle windows were reduced to only one pair on these two cars, requiring some more work to kitbash these cars.

Detail Views of Window Changes on SP 2346


The SP 2346 and 2347 were slightly different from the rest of the 73-C-1s in that they received the usual upgrades of A/C, etc but the ducting was put inside of the clerestory section of the roof, so no external ducting was visible.


Left front corner

Combination of new paired window and single window forming the dressing room on the front end of the car.  I haven't made the new door windows for the SP 2346 yet.

Left rear corner

The Left Rear corner has a blanked window at the end of the main seating area, forming the center corner of the aisle on that end of the car.  I think I still need to change out the prism-glass window from the corner, as that would be the aisle all the way to the end-wall inside the vestibule.

Right Rear

Right Rear corner required the same dressing room window changes as SP 2337.  The A/C hatch is also fabricated from sheet styrene and glued to the roof on the "rear" of the car.  The concept of "front" and "rear" is simply based on which way the model's seats are facing.  The prototype cars could have their seats turned around to face as-needed for the car's direction of travel in the train.

Right Front

The same modification is required on the right side as shown above on the left side.  20+ years ago I thought the 'wide' spaced lettering on "C H A I R" was weird, but it's actually started to grow on me to the point I like the prototype cars that have that look, even though it means I have to cut the decals apart and individually apply each letter to make it look right.

As the 2346 isn't finished, I still need to add the safety handrails too.

In Closing


SP 2337 "in service" circa 2016 showing what the car looks like "in context".

I'm going to wrap up this blog post here, as these cars have been in this condition since about 2016 when I was going to do more work on them "before doing a blog".  Now I see it's been 8 years and I've not done more on them, but I wanted to get this information out.

Jason Hill

Related Articles:


Modeling Clerestory SP Chair Cars (Part 1) - SP 1050 - Using a Walthers Paired Window Coach
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