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.
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| A Photoshop mock-up of the decals overlaid on the coach body. |
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| A photoshop impression of a kitbashed baggage car. |
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.
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| 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.
I have been under the impression that some railroads created named passenger trains and purchased equipment in a set based on what they intended to haul - primarily day-coach riders, pullmans, baggage, mail, etc. in some combination. As time went on the needs changed, often losing pullman or sleeper service, along with diner or lounge cars, and gaining more head end equipment. But this is based on large railroads with big budgets and vast areas to cover. Take the Norfolk & Western's Powhatan Arrow for example.
ReplyDeleteStill, for a short line in the early steam era, especially one where the railroad was the lifeline of transportation, I imagine baggage/mail/express cars may have been a higher proportion of what made up a passenger train. There was no FedEx or UPS, after all.
I've also always imagined combines as you do, as something to provide a little passenger and mail service on lightly traveled branches. But that may not be accurate all the time. On my desktop right now is an image of a Florida East Coast train on what I think is a branch line in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The engine is pulling what looks like a ventilated box car, followed by a single door baggage car and a coach. Both pieces of passenger equipment have truss rods, clerestory roofs and open platforms.
As for the paint scheme, I'd go for gilt on every car if you want the train to appear as a set. Even the smallest roads aspired to greatness and running the line's premier varnish as a matching set would be a selling point to passengers. Over time that may change as cars are repainted and the train's importance diminishes, but if you are modeling the train as delivered, why not go for the gold?
Thanks for support Galen. I think you are right about having things in sets. I've decided to keep the two combines, meaning I can run one train with a red combine and coach. The little 4-4-0's tend to only manage two passenger length cars up my grades so I'll have the red set (adorned with guilt) and the green standard set.
ReplyDeleteI've created decal sets for both the coach and the combine, although the opulence of the combine is toned down, when compared with the coach. I'll do another post when I've finished adding the decals.