blueprint help please

M

manitouguy

New Member
Jun 9, 2007
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Greetings all, i am brand new to this forum (and to model railroading as well!!).

Am wondering if i can get a helpful push in the right direction from some of you -

I want to scratch build some passenger cars for a 1 gauge layout / diorama i have in the works

i think the passenger cars that interest me are from the '40s/'50s/'60s era ?? but want to find reference material to learn more accurately their history

i also have no idea if blueprints are available anywhere (hopefully?) to do some accurate scratch building - proper dimensioned plans, elevations, sections etc.

the cars are the 'streamlined' type (some have been referred to as ribbed and smooth sided) and i think some were by a company called Budd? Please forgive my ignorance on the matter!

the others that have got my interest are the domed cars that would have ran on the Great Northern Empire Builder around mid '50s i believe

at any rate as i am sure you can tell - a bit lost here as i begin to learn more - so hopefully i can get a 'schooling' from some of you who will undoubtedly be in the 'know' :oops:

to be honest i am not even clear on the proper selection of cars that would have made up a typical passenger train like the Empire Builder...obviously the engines, then some combination of coaches, dining and observation???

so - very excited about delving in to such a wonderful hobby, with so much to learn

thanks very much for your time

regards, Ron
 
Ron: welcome to the gauge.
Most model magazines publish plans on a regular basis. However, what you get in any month is usually not exactly what you want. They often stock back issues.
Carstens (Railroad Model Craftsman) have published a set of books on passenger cars. I think there are some others as well. Kalmbach published the Model railroader Cyclopedia, but I don't know if anything beyond locomotives is in print.
Anyways, you'll need to buy a 12" HO scale rule for most of the plans. Other scales may also be useful, but most can be found on a draftsman's rule.
For the makeup of a specific train, you should look up something like the Great Northern Historical Society.
Most passenger trains had a format like:
mail/baggage
coaches
first-class
sleepers
observation.
diners/snack bars/club cars could be scattered through other sections as required, or the food-service cars might separate coach and first class. (sleepers were usually first-class, although there were lower-class sleepers.)
 
Ron,

The interesting part of model building, at least for me, is doing the research. Here's a start for you.

Cars of the California Zephyr

Some good info on Budd cars and a roster of equipment.

Another good resource for info is the library of congress. at The Library of Congress

Be brepared to spend hours. Once you get started it's hard to quit.

Good luck on your modeling.
 
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