When building my passenger train, back in the day, it was made up of all LGB consisting of a 2019 mogul, box car, a combine, and coach, The Mogul was detailed and slightly weathered, the box car and coaches were painted orange with green accents honoring the old orange blossom special and lettered after my layouts waterfall built using an indigenous rock made up of small sea shells called coquina. The engine, tender + 3 cars seemed to be the correct length for my small railroad.
Then came the hurricanes of 2004 and cars stored in a shed were pretty much an tree fell on it and just about everything inside was damaged, back yard flooded and the pond liner surrounded by large coquina rocks was pull into the pond as the sides gave away. Tack and pieces of building was stacked up in the corner of the yard, the pond was filled and my interest in garden railroading came to a stand still, then about 3 years ago, money making work became a little easier and was supplied with more free time and while in the back yard 1 day I came across some train pieces. found undamaged my passenger car and box car also the combine but it was in pieces. Lots of broken building parts and track.
So with renewed interested in the railroad I started making several buildings out of 1 Pola building and also new passenger cars. Had always wondered why LGB never built a observation car, and it was obvious it was because there never as a real one as they really didn’t appear until, the heavyweight era, but not being a rivet counter that didn’t stop me. From pieces of the broken combine I robbed the end bulkhead and was able to procure some new window section for TrainLi. I removed the stove and coal bin from 1 end, cut a window into that area, moved the rear bulkhead forward to the stove side rear seat and removed the seat on the other side. built a new floor in the vestibule area, cut windows into the rear bulkhead and procured and Bachmann metal observation car railing and although at the time the orange and green paint scheme was fine is strived to find something a little more colorful and settled on the colors off the old E unit Orange Blossom special of orange, yellow and two colors of green. Wasn’t overly fond of the Pullman green one so I subbed a brighter dark green called hunters green. Painted the header or cant rail yellow with window casing also, the waist rail I did in orange. The area between the window and the waist rail I did in a pea green and below the stripe became hunter green. Turned out to be a colorful paint scheme and was more than pleased with it, finished it off by lettering the road name in a dark green sitting on the yellow header. Lighting was dome using 10mm LED bulbs attached to the stock location using copper foil tape used for stain glass making using it for the wiring, powered by 2 AAA batteries hidden in the clearstory roof with an external switch in the same area, lighting was rounded out by LGB side marker sights and a yellow LED in the vestibule area, bugs you know. Now I realize I have a car that probably never was but you never know when the president is libel to come by 1 day and want to ride and wave from the back of a 1830 train.
