So I was in the hobby shop the other day and my daughter decided that she really wanted me to get a model of a Budd business car decorated for Southern Pacific's SSW Cottonland. http://www.katousa.com/Zcart/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=390 I don't even know if this was ever a real car, and I didn't have any photo references with me, but it was a cool enough looking model with some optional detail parts (which I have now installed) and I am kind of a soft-touch for anything my daughters find interesting in model railroading, so based on a nine year old's endorsement I bought it. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it comes with metal wheels with pickups that lead to contact springs inside the car, and it could very easily be adapted for track-powered lighting. Right smack in the rear at the top is a large red light. What I don't know is whether this light, on the prototype or on a similar stainless business car (I know they had business cars that looked kind of like this even if they never exactly had a Budd built SSW Cottonland), was a constant red light, or some sort of Gyra or Mars light. I am thinking of lighting this thing up and if it's just the constant light I will go with one scheme but if it's a Gyra or Mars light I may go with an Ngineering module and some LEDs. Thanks in advance for your help. Adam
Adam, The kato business car is a CB&Q prototype http://www.trainweb.org/fredatsf/protopass3.htm but a good looking car. Here is a couple of links for SP Business Cars http://espee.railfan.net/sp-business-cars.html http://passcarphotos.info/Indices/BC12.htm Hope this helps.
Nick, I figured it was probably a foob job, but I figured it's a small sacrifice to make for proto fidelity if this car gets my daughter who hasn't been terribly interested in model railroading interested in model railroading. (The other one found her interests in my little SP "tiger stripe" NW2 and has since gotten more interested in other things.) I love the fact that both my kids picked out Southern Pacific as a favorite road. Adam
I was thinking this one looked a bit like the Sunset business car, though right off I can see some differences. http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/business-car_photos/0150_sp-business-car-sunset-dan_crews.jpg Does anyone know what sort of rear light this car had? Thanks for the links.
The rear clear light if I remember correctly are spot lights for reverse. The red light should be a solid markerlight.
