Hi guys,
I found a derelict USA Trains vista dome car on eBay about a month ago and decided to try to rescucitate it into a fictitious Rio Grande car. Here’s how it looked in the listing:
It looks like it was left outside somewhere back east for several years. Rusty screws, and sand and dirt everywhere. I took it apart and took the body outside to wash it. Three times it took, the third time using wheel and tire cleaner. Finally got it down to an acceptable level of clean. I’m shooting for something with a paint scheme that looks similar to this:
Last weekend I began to put it back together. I bought new trucks, a dome, and diaphragms from USAT. I removed all of the old windows. I painted the interior with Rust-oleum Satin Ivory Silk to mimic the few interior pics I’ve been able to find. The outside got a thin layer of Krylon Glow orange. Halfway re-assembled it looked like this:
Late Sunday I decided it was a tad too orange for Grande Gold. I took it completely apart and re-masked it and gave it a thin layer of Caterpillar Yellow. Now it looks like this:
Next it’s gonna get new windows and couplers. The dome glass will be tinted blue. Custom dry transfer lettering is on order.
Cheers,
Matt
