That Was Fast...

So, after only having her for a few days, the Electroliner is out of commission!

A bit enamored with my recent acquisition, I've been checking in on the 'Liner frequently at home to either admire its beauty, assure myself that it is in fact in my possession and not some elaborate dream, or—most frequently—to develop a plan of attack as to how to effect repairs and upgrades. Today I was checking out the tavern-lounge section and wondering about the windows. The booklet that came says: " The 2nd car is the diner with all the electronics and sound, the windows have been frosted to simulate pulled shades." This intrigued me as from what I had seen, my windows did not appear to be frosted and I went in for a closer look.

The floors and interior of each section is held to the body by four screws. For the tavern-lounge, three of these are easily accessible and are removed with minimal effort. If the section is held upside down with the truck at the bottom the fourth screw is in the lower right-hand corner, situated to the right of the truck. This screw has obscured access due to the shape of the sideframes. (The screw on the left side of the truck does not have this issue.) To access the screw, I removed the truck and then the screw came out without difficulty.

Upon opening the model, I discovered that indeed, the windows in my model are not frosted. After getting a good look inside and how the windows are constructed (2 "single" panes which go outside of a double pane and a triple pane for the opposite side) I put the section back together starting with the screws. The truck is mounted to the body by a screw which passes through a spring and the bolster. The screw connects with a short threaded tube which is part of the underframe. The threaded tube is also the mounting point for the next section.

When reattaching the truck, I applied too much force to the screw (all I was trying to do was make it snug) and the threaded cylinder came off of the underframe. This is very unfortunate (to put it mildly).

The cylinder (in black) is still attached to the screw for the truck.

As I see it, I have two options. 1) Attempt to solder the cylinder back onto the underframe or if that doesn't work, 2) contact Sunset and see if I can get a replacement underframe for the lounge section.

Either way, the 'Liner is going to look a little funny for a while.

I Won't be Eating Any Time Soon

So I went to a model railroad/railroadiana show today with my father. This was a last minute affair and I had precisely zero expectation of finding anything of interest. For the most part the show lived up to my expectations, but toward the end I saw something and the more I looked, and the more I asked, the higher my interest became. I'll admit it: I actually became light-headed for a while. Then I walked away and finished the show. Upon completion, I promptly came back and bought it.

Now arriving at Adams & Wabash...

At this length, I won't be running her on the North Side embankment any time soon.

This is a two-rail Sunset Electroliner 803-804. (My father has the 801-802—and, as he pointed out, the substitute liner—so now we have a "complete set.") I don't think she was ever taken out of the box. Apparently, she garnered some attention at the show, but kept getting passed up because she isn't the three-rail version. So much the better.

She does have some problems. Almost all of the window glasses have fallen out or are on the verge of falling out. I knocked a few out myself when my fingers barely brushed up against them. The grab irons on one unit are also bent inward. Neither is a major issue. And for $600 I'm in absolutely no position to complain!

The window on the left is still in place, while the two on the right have fallen into the car.

Not a Pulitzer caliber photograph, but it will do to get the point across. The hazy lines running between window openings are the tops of the window glasses which have fallen out. The passenger seated here doesn't seem to have noticed.

The bent grabirons should be easily fixed by teasing them into place with a pair of needle-nose pliers.

Now I've got to get her set up for DCC and overhead operation.