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Modeling Santa Fe Passenger Cars
83' Heavyweight Baggage Express
AHM based
The AHM 2602 Combine is actually a Heavyweight Rider Combine. It was built in 1923 as 80' Buffet Library San Onofre and was converted to a rider in 1937 for use on the #7/8 Fast Mail. Normally it was the lone passenger car on the Fast Mail and would not appear in regular passenger trains.
When you look at the side of the model you can see where windows were plated over.
After WW2, Santa Fe had a shortage of Baggage Express cars but a surplus of old heavyweight cars, especially coaches. The lightweight cars had become the standard for passenger service, but the mail contracts needed more express cars. Between 1948 and 1952, 31 of the 78'3" coaches and other cars were converted to Baggage Express cars numbered 1854-1884.
In 1952, 10 more were converted but these have the rare feature of having two large 6' doors on the sides instead of the familiar 6' and 4' door. The 1960 series were the only ones of this style produced by Santa Fe from other cars. Most of these cars measured 74'10", but one, the 1964, was an 83'5" car, ideal for our AHM conversion because it does not require cutting the roof.
Photo from Robert Loewing, Dennis J. Kogan collection, from Ellington's Head End Cars.
For our model we will use parts of two AHM/IHC/Rivarossi combines. One half of each car will be used for our Baggage Express 1964, the other half will be used for the "Easy Coach" detailed elsewhere on this site. The new IHC cars are made of a plastic that will tear easier than old cars, so be careful and go slow. If you can find models produced in the 60s and 70s, they are easier to work with.
The AHM body is suitable for any of the 1960 series cars if you are willing to cut the roof for the shorter car. It will match the 1964 with the roof as it is. It can be used for the 1854 cars if you will redo one door to the 4' width.
As mentioned in the introduction, the Ellington book in invaluable in making these models.
The Body
Do the same for both of two Rivarossi combines.
1. Using a mitre saw, cut each Rivarossi combine in half. You will notice to battery boxes molded into the frame. Cut even with the side of those boxes closest to the window end of the car. Your cut will come nearly in the middle of a side panel. I suggest cutting the car in half before you remove underbody details because those details provide strength for your cut.
2. Set the coach end aside. We can use it later for the "Easy Coach" project.
3. Clamp a straightedge to the car body even with the molded lower sill. (I call is the Santa Fe Sill. See the special article for details). Use a razor saw to remove that sill and all cast-on underbody boxes and tanks.
4. Use a hobby knife to remove all cast on details in the mid section of the car. Cut it smooth with the floor of the car. Of course there will be some holes where cast on boxes had been located.
5. Attach the roof on one half of the car. Now hold the other half beside it and determine where you want your joint to go. Remember, you are not going to cut the roof. Once you have determined where that joint will be, cut one car only to that joint location. Don't cut the second car until you have the first one completed.
6. Cut one end where you desire your seam to be. Use a wide bastard file or sheet of 400 grit sand paper on a flat surface to refine the end of one half. Check with a machinist square at all times. The ends must be perfectly flat an perfectly square for this to work. Your miter cut will not be perfect. Some commercial miter boxes are off considerably. I have a disk sander and miter attachment that I have checked and rechecked for accuracy. I simply put the car in that miter and the sander does the rest. When one end is complete, mark and cut the second end. I suggest you make it about 1/16" too long and then file or sand it to a perfect match.
When you are sure everything fits, take a wide bastard file and make two square swiped across the floor portion of the car, avoiding the sides. We want the floor that tiny bit shorter. Glue the car together one side at a time. Put glue on a surface, rub it against the mating surface until you see some glue and plastic ooze up. When that "ooze" firms up 24 hours later, you can sand it flat and the seam will virtually disappear. The shorter length of the floor section is to allow for this "ooze" on the sides. Let it set over night.
I also take a piece of .10 styrene that is about 1/4" wide and as tall as the car side and glue it to the inside of the car to reinforce that joint. I will further reinforce the joint (after these other have set 24 hours) with plastic in the floor of the car and on the side of the underframe trusses.
7. Once the glue has set, cut some .010" - .020" plastic and glue it to the bottom of the can and to the center sill at the joint area. This is where you removed all the underbody details. It will make the center sill look smooth from the outside, give you a smooth base for re-installing underbody details, and strengthen the car.
8. Now you can put on the Santa Fe Sill. I use Plastruct CFS-4 1/8" HIPS channel to simulate the sill. I lay the sill flat on a cutting surface and remove one side, leaving an "L" shaped piece which I glue to the bottom of my car. You will notice on the photo above that the ends of the sill angle up under the former vestibules. You may also remove the belt rail in this last section of each end to simulate a plated-over door opening.
9. You will notice that you car now has two brake wheels, one on each end. Remove both and the gear. Since the prototype was originally a vestibule car, cut a piece of plastic and fill in the end recesses on both ends. Actually I don't know if, when the car was rebuilt, the brake wheel was placed outside of one end or if it was left inside. I do not have photos to clarify that question.
11. Install whatever underbody details you like. My practice is to only install what can be seen. Visible underbody details include the emergency reservoir and service reservoir on the same side as the double battery boxes and the brake cylinder and brake valve on the opposite side. Recycle the battery boxes from your AHM car on one side. Cal-Scale AB300 provides the brake detail.
11. Remove any cast on grabs and install wire grabs. Remove extra roof gutters and add gutters where needed. I also use a file and remove most of the roof ribs. I find most models place far too much emphasis on these ribs (look at some photos of the prototype).
12. Since I use body mounted coupler, cut and glue a pad of .030" styrene on each end of the frame so you can mount the coupler pocket to the car. Drill and tape it for your coupler pocket.
13. Make your own baggage door steps. I fashioned all of mine from .020" x .033" strip brass. Santa Fe had at least four different designs for such steps, but I used this one because it was relatively easy. Holes were drilled in the frame using a #77 drill. The ends to be inserted into the car were filed to a point and pressed into the car, later glued with CA. The bottom center support is glued with CA to the lower step and the back of the frame.
14. Apply steps at the corner of your car. I chose to use brass ladder stock which is designed for signals. I cut off 4 rungs worth, remove one rung, drill holes in the body and glue the ladder in with CA. There are plastic steps that look better, but they are extremely fragile.
15. Now on to the paint shop and decaller. The car is Santa Fe Green. Underbody and roof are flat black. I use Badger Modelflex 16-65 GN Green for Santa Fe Green. Pullman Green is much to dark.
Decals should read
×
Champ decals PH-8 ATSF-Santa Fe Passenger Car STD. DULUX GOLD LET. will provide everything you need. Microscale does not provide a set for this car.
15. The car will require 3 oz. of additional weight to meet NMRA standards. I use fishing weights from a sports store.
16. Diaphragms will finish off our model. I used American Limited #9100 and did not use the spacer which they recommend be used.
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