The Hallmark Silver Charger and the three cars for the GP Zephyr have
been undervalued for years, even by Bobbye Hall who imported them.
I was making a family visit to Dallas in the early '80s and went in
to see Ms. Hall just days after she had received the shipment of
these models. She hauled the Charger out, and pronounced it "no good"
because [her words] "it could hardly haul itself around the layout,
much less any of the cars". Well, I had an immediate love affair with
the set "as is" anyway ("Do not bother me with the facts!), and I
purchased it at a very good price.
Well, these many years later, it is still one of the true
head=turning trains in my collection. What have I done to make it so?
(I am at my office, so you will excuse me if I have forgotten some
details and car names)
Noise reduction: I have replaced *all* gears and worms with NWSL replacements.
Pulling power: The entire front end over the power truck is
**packed** with lead. It works, and furthermore, the lead also
muffles remaining drive sounds. I have also added a standard Pullman
at times, although it struggles with four cars.
Electrical: I first had operating regular and Mars lights with an
Ibenlight unit, but now have the same through a DCC decoder. I also
fabricated all-wheel electrical pick-up.
Sound: I installed a Soundtraxx unit in it several years ago. The
sound is almost magical.
Detailing Silver Charger: I did quite a bit of windshield detailing,
including especially windshield wipers. The crew is especially well
seen through the windshield, nestled well into a black-painted
virtually invisible "cave" cut out of the lead otherwise filling the
cab. I painted black the air screens and filters. A Microscale Alton
Burlngton herald decorates the nose. The trucks are painted silver.
Detailing cars (external): All have fitted Walthers diaphragms
trimmed just as Andy Sperandeo has recently reported in MR. I use
short-shank #40-? KD couplers. The diner=obs has had a lot of
detailing (cut levers, etc.) added to the back end. The coupler has
been properly recessed. MV lenses are in the rear Mars light and in
the markers.The trucks (and underbodies) are painted silver.
Detailing cars (interior): Fairly careful glazing and window
detailing was undertaken. I did not attempt the painted/aluminum
window frames of the prototype. All interiors were installed. The
chair and parlor seats are highlighted with quite visible white
antimacassars, and flowers centered next to the window decorate each
dining table. It looks good.
Improvements yet to be made:
Working observation mars light: This will need a stationary decoder
to activate and turn off.
Improved rolling: These are the cars that I have earmarked for
experimentation with coned bearing inserts. If this works, I can
install Reboxx wheels, and these cars can cease to roll like a stone
sled through deep sand. Failing that, I will put in the ball bearing
wheels.
Truck detailing: As has been pointed out, these trucks are pretty
plain Jane coinings. With some work the car trucks can probably be
adequately detailed, and the absence of deep relief minimized by
weathering. Purchasing the correct new trucks from one of the
importers is another option. As you all know, these trucks were not
either "plated" or "stainless steel" prototypically, so just painting
them improves things a great deal.
Charlie points out the very interesting fact that the A-1-A drive
truck was a unique prototype. Well, interestingly, so were the rest
of the trucks on the train. These were the very first production cars
to employ Budd's new proprietary disc brakes, brakes that went on to
have a very success product life. The trucks were apparently special
designed for the discs, because to my knowledge only the other cars
in that same CBQ Budd order-set ever had the same trucks.
The other interesting fact about this unique train is that the diner
observation, and (I believe) one of the chair cars were 89' long,
until recently perhaps the longest passenger cars built in the
"streamlined" era.
Does anyone know the rationale why the second chair car was built to
an unusual short length (c. ten feet shorter)?
Denny
--
Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento
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