Theatre/Inspection cars

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NYSW F45

NYSW F45

Active Member
Does anyone have any information on theatre/inspection cars that up/bnsf and other railroads use during track inspections, ocs tours? Train station products has 2 listed in the walthes catalog for around $50 or so. On there site they have parts listed to convert cars but you need a bachman dome car.

Has anyone built one without these products or used the TSP products? I'de love to see some in HO.

Heres the link, Theatre/inspection cars
 
Hey, I like that Kato one! :)

My guess is it's probably going to be a sctachbuild project since it seems every one I've seen pics of look different than the rest.

This is the one I was looking at kitbashing...
111cn103-05.jpg


...but decided on this one instead...
111CN1058.jpg


Mark
 
As far a s I remember the Train Station Products kit for the BNSF and BN versions works perfectly for a 95% correct match to the full dome inspection car. I plan to buy one someday, along with a spare to use on a Walthers Pullman bi-level commuter car in the conversion process.
 


i just checked out the bachman car needed for the one conversion, i dont like the full dome. there is no other option to use a partial dome car or just a regular coach?
 
Mark, the second car is much classier. The first one looks like a liquor store closed up for the night. :) I built a UP executive/track inspection car from an AHM kit many years ago. It was a lot easier then since yoo just had to modify a few windows and and add some track inspection lights to the rear of the car. I saw a model of the full dome conversion and it looked really good...but really difficult to kitbash also.
 
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I can't really tell from that picture but I suspect it's the UPP #203, the Idaho. It started life in 1965 as a 4-12 sleeper, one of the last passenger cars built for the UP. It lost about 10 feet off the end of the car when it was converted to theater seating and some windows were added to the side to match the rows of seats. Other than that, the rest of the car is near the original configuration, with the length over buffers being about 75 feet. I haven't been able to find a decent side view of the car but they also added a lot of a/c equipment, battery boxes, and generators to handle the lighting load so almost the entire underside of the car has something hanging from it. It's a pretty straighforward, although by no means easy, kitbash if you want to give it a go.
 
UP2CSX said:
Mark, the second car is much classier. The first one looks like a liquor store closed up for the night. :) I built a UP executive/track inspection car from an AHM kit many years ago. It was a lot easier then since yoo just had to modify a few windows and and add some track inspection lights to the rear of the car. I saw a model of the full dome conversion and it looked really good...but really difficult to kitbash also.
Click to expand...


Couldn't agree more Jim. The open glass back ones are kinda odd looking - really functional but still odd.

I'll post a pic of the kitbash when I get a chance...

Mark
 
well going thru more pics on that site I did end up finding a full dome theatre/inspection car for BNSF. So I guess i might go with that. I may also try and contact train station products to see if they have some sort of catalog to see pics of some of the other parts.
 


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