Model Railroading > NWSL brass Stillwell coaches

Attached is a picture of two NWSL brass Erie Stillwell coaches.  I purchased from BrassTrains.com .  The more recent purchase came unpainted and without glazing.  How difficult is it to paint the brass?  Not particuarly interested in getting the color exactly right.  I just want to get it done.

Another question: Both cars came with steam pipes hanging down from the ends of the cars.  What tool do I use to bend these up?

Thank you,
John
 

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Disassemble the cars and wash the tarnish off with a tooth brush and alcohol or strong vinegar.
Paint the inside of the car an interior color. After the paint dries for a couple of days mask off the windows from the inside then paint the outside color. Then the body can be masked so the roof and platforms with steps can be painted.

I found most modern acrylic paints thinned with a 50/50 mix of water and alcohol vwill stich very well on clean brass. Practice on old freight cars or brass scraps if you can.

The steam connections should be sort of a 90-degree Z shape, hanging straight down and then bending parallel to the rails. Those cars appear to couple way too far apart ...

Edit: now I see that the cars are not coupled. Sorry!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/21 11:05 by CPR_4000.

      'Appear' to couple too far apart ???  I would say they definitely couple too far apart.

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> The steam connections should be sort of a
> 90-degree Z shape, hanging straight down and then
> bending parallel to the rails. Those cars appear
> to couple way too far apart ...
Hard to tell for sure as they in the pix have a space between them so they will be quite a bit closer together.  Also something sounds diffrent when masking windows to paint the outside they should be done from the outside at that time not on the inside.

Great!  

  Never thought I'd see models of Stillwells!  Rode them many times on ELRR.



 

Thank you for your replies.  The car on the left had moved away from the one on the right just before I took the picture.  The couplers on both cars need to get replaced and mounted further back on the cars.  Due to space constraints, I have had to go with 24" curves in some spots, and I may not be able to get the cars close enough to look right.

Also, does anyone have a good idea for  the color of paint to use on the exterior of the unpainted car.  Not looking necessarily for an exact match, just a reasonable approximation.  More interested in getting trains running than I am on accurate colors.

John

These cars were released soimetime in the early 70s as I have 2 that I purchased in Tucson sometime in early 1974 or so.

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

I just ordered two more from BrassTrains.com.  They are Orion brand.  That will give me enough for two 2-car trains.  That will be enough to duplicate Saturday service on the Erie's Northern Branch.  Only thing missing is a 1950's vintage Erie caboose.

John

The two additional cars were delivered yesterday. Like the others they were in NWSL boxes. So, now I have three to disassemble, paint, and reassemble with the correct coupler positions so cars will not be so far apart, but will still take 24" radius curves.

John

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