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Written by Cliff Enz

all photos by the author

You’ve probably seen my Bachmann Brills running around from time to time, but I really didn’t plan to run them in that garb. These are what the mechanisms are destined for…an assortment of Father Nature resin cast shells, and some imported metal shells.

Photo 1:  A line-up of the various shells I used.

I am not the world’s greatest painter or modeler, so it’s nice to be able to use advertising dry transfers like those on the right and below to distract or cover up some of the inadequacies of my attentions.

Photos 2 and 3: Examples of window-glazing and advertising transfers.

The three shells on the left in Photo 1, above, are just being prepared which will include being de-sprued, washed, and the windows and headlights being unclogged, drilled out or cleared, and a base coat being painted on them. I also fit them for a mechanism. After that, they are painted, micro-glazed windows installed, a pole or pantograph installed, dry transfers applied, and a coat of dull coat sprayed on. Photos 2, 3, and 4 show car bodies further along in the process...

Photo 4: Car bodies nearing the end of the assembly-line!

Next I plan to dry brush them with some weathering chalks. Down the road- the pantographs will be live, and the feed will go to a DCC decoder. The investment in the Bachmann will by that time, not counting labor, will be over $100.

Photo 5: Non-working Pantograph, to be replaced with the real thing!