# converting a heavyweight roof?



## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Since I have a lionel Atlantic mocked up as PRR 460, I've decided to try to make up the "lindbergh special."

Here's the story, for those who might not know.


The Lindbergh train included a P-70 passenger coach and a B06b baggage car. Aristo's heavyweight passenger coach I can fake up into a P-70 I think. But the PRR baggage cars appear to have always had what I believe is a "harriman roof"












Aristo makes a baggage car and I have one on order:










It's in the ballpark, kind of. It's a couple inches too long i think. But the clerestory roof has to go.


Any suggestions on how to do that? I'm thinking maybe fill the gap with that expanding construction foam, sand/shape it, then put styrene strips over it But that's just a wild idea--anyone done this kind of conversion?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

JC should show up, his hospital car had a harriman roof, I think he tried wood and styrene. 

He should have some pix here on the site... 

Regards, Greg


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Try Shawmutt car shops they sell roof kits..............


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Buying one would take all the fun and the cursing away

The aristo heavyweight is about 3.5 inches too short--should be 33 inches, but it's 29.5 The PRR had thousands of P-70 coaches that were almost 81 feet and had 4 wheel trucks. Aristo's cars are short and usually have 6 wheel trucks. I can change out the trucks, but adding 3.5 inches would be really tough, I think. And it would mean repainting everything


The baggage car, it turns out, is about 3.5 inches too long. Might be possible to shorten it by cutting it down at the doors. As long as I'm messing up the roof.


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## pimanjc (Jan 2, 2008)

There are a couple of effective [but difficult] ways to modify the Celestory roof into a Harriman roof. 

Marty Cozad came up with a modification of the roof using cut pvc pipe on each side to create A/c ducting [prototypical]. With some variation, his technique could probably be extended to the ends of the car.

I developed a method of removing the Celestory and inserting a section of .040in styrene. If you are interested, send me an email or message with your email and I will send you 3 or 4 pics of the process.










A third [but not recommended] method is to heat form a piece of styrene or plexaglas over a [wooden] form. 

None of these methods are simple or easy.

JimC.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks JC, you came immediately to mind... how about some more pictures of your various efforts? This question comes up a fair amount. 

Regards, Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By pimanjc on 18 Nov 2009 08:09 PM 
There are a couple of effective [but difficult] ways to modify the Celestory roof into a Harriman roof. 

Marty Cozad came up with a modification of the roof using cut pvc pipe on each side to create A/c ducting [prototypical]. With some variation, his technique could probably be extended to the ends of the car.

I developed a method of removing the Celestory and inserting a section of .040in styrene. If you are interested, send me an email or message with your email and I will send you 3 or 4 pics of the process.


JimC.

Jim, I'd love to see what you did and how. Right now I'm thinking of just making an entirely new roof out of wood--just get a piece of poplar, cut it to size, and shape it.


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## pimanjc (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike, 
You should have an email with the conversion pictures and info.
JimC.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Jim:

Got it! Thanks very much. I got the baggage car today--alas, Aristo, for reasons known only to itself, ships it with three axle trucks. they will have to be changed.


Now does anyone know what fim developing and printing labs looked like in 1927? I'm thinking of mocking up some aspect of the flm lab


Here's an excerpt from the New York Times account of the train, from 1927.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Interesting bit of History.


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

So I've made some progress. I slapped a quick coat of paint on it as "proof of concept."












It's not going to be perfectly accurate, just a little more suggestive of the prototype than it was originally. That's the original roof, with 1/2 styrene tube and 1/2 dowels glued to the sides and shaped, covered with gaffer tape and with styrene "rivet strips." It's 3.5 inches shorter than the original car


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Here it is done:




















Still waiting for the coach to arrive. In the meantime, I added a few details to the inside. A wooden floor, a bench, some film cans, a few other things.










I added lights--there's white lights over the table, and in the other end there's a red light, to suggest a darkroom. Of course, if it was really a darkroom, you would not be seeing a red light through the window. But I just wanted to suggest the mobile film lab on the Lindbergh train


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