Source for "balloon" or rounded roofs for heavy weights

Mike, this is a huge thing for us! I know that I will be needing quite a few for the fleet of passenger cars that I have to modify to make them Frisco-ready. I just need to get a better inventory of what my needs will be.

 

Terry, How long is the Pullman Solarium/Observation car? Maybe I can rustle a roof for it, too. ~mike

 

I'm going to try making the longer roof by taking a standard roof casting, and extending it to 83 by casting the extension onto the original. Don't know if it will stick, but it is worth a try. New casting resin arrived along with black dye, so I'll cast them as a dark grey instead of white. ~mike

 

Could you cast the main roof as a continuous piece and use the Walthers ends as patterns? You could cast them separately, cut the roof to the proper length and add the ends. That way it wouldn't matter how long the car is, you'd be covered.

 

Howdy Don,

That is a good idea and a bit beyond our initial plans. I like the idea of making end castings though. Whose got Walther's ends that I could use for a pattern? Hmmm, I have some old Walthers brass side kits. I wonder what kind of roofs they have. I'll go dig them out.

Best,
mike

 

Tom, this is really good information to know. I'd figured I'd try this method (based on an old MR article) to convert some Spectrum monitor roofs into a good enough version. Sounds like I'd be following prototype practice if I did this on the correct classes.

However, I'll likely go the route of trying some pre-made castings if I want to enjoy the finished model in my lifetime.

Best Regards,