Passenger cars, combines, decals and kitbashing...

I have six passenger cars on my layout, including three coaches, two combines and one baggage car. Four are finished in green, and one coach and one combine are finished in red.

I have been wanting to create decals for the red cars to depict the ornate Victorian guilt designs common at this time. So I spent some evenings on the computer and came up with the mocked up design below.

A Photoshop mock-up of the decals overlaid on the coach body.

A photoshop impression of a kitbashed baggage car.

I really like the look of the mock-up so will probably proceed with printing some decals for the coach. However, I don't know if a combine would be so intricately detailed. To me, combines are a practical compromise used on smaller trains. My railroad is a small railroad, but if I used baggage cars, I wonder if it would portray my line as busier and more important, further reinforcing the crucial role railroads played at this time?

So I'm tossing up whether to decorate the combine more modestly, or cut both my combines in half and cement the two baggage and coach sides together, turning the two combines into a coach and a baggage car.

One of the potential donor combines

 On one hand, two ornate red coaches would make a nice special train, which would pair nicely with a red baggage car if required. Doing this would enable me to run two passenger trains with three cars each (one baggage, two coaches) at once.

On the other hand, combines are useful for small local trains, but do I need two? I'm not sure. Kitbashing the two combines could sure be a fun project.

What do you think? I'm keen to hear your opinion on the artwork and the merits of baggage cars vs combines.

May 10 2019 - Sesquicentennial of the Transcontinental Railroad's Golden Spike

What was it the Engines said,
Pilots touching,--head to head
Facing on the single track,
Half a world behind each back?

From Opening of the Pacific Railroad by Francis Bret Harte

Today marks 150 years since the "wedding of the rails" when the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad were officially joined at Promontory Summit in Utah. At exactly 12:47 pm, the last iron spike was driven, finally completing the line. It was an event that marked a new era in long-distance overland travel. It is also the event that helped draw me to model early American railroads.

As a kid, I had a recording of Ludovic Kennedy's documentary Coast to Coast, which featured a short re-enactment sequence with the two replica locomotives at Promontory Summit. Apart from Disney's the Great Locomotive Chase, this was the only footage I had of trains from this era, so I watched and rewatched this sequence many times over. Even though it's old, I still get a kick from watching this again.

The words inscribed on the fourth side of the spike, May God continue the unity of our Country, as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world, were fitting for the occasion. The concept of the overland railroad had been debated by congress and explored for many years. But, when Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, America was embroiled in the Civil War. Establishing a reliable overland link was seen as an important move to strengthen the Union's ties with the western states, particularly California, which was struggling with the idea of secession.

If you are keen to find out a bit more about the Golden Spike and the famous locomotives, I recommend you watch the following videos from ToyManTelevision's channel on YouTube. I have also included a link to the original documentary about how they built the replica locomotives that reside at Promontory today. Enjoy them if you watch.