Many of you think of me as an aficionado of southeastern railroading - and I am. However, I have also always had an affinity for one particular midwestern railroad, the Wabash. I guess the fact that my uncle worked for the Wabash (and later the N&W) had something to do with it. Also, the fact that as a youngster I would stand trackside up the street from my grandparent's house near St. Louis and watch the mighty Wabash locomotives slam by at track speed probably had something to do with it. But the most wonderful sights in the world were the gleaming silver and blue passenger trains that streaked across the Illinois countryside between Chicago and St. Louis. I refer, of course, to the Blue Bird, or as the railroad referred to it: "The Most Beautiful Passenger Train in the World". The Blue Bird was a mostly-dome train with a consist of usually about six cars. Because it was short and the route was mostly flat, it had an E-7 or E-8 as its normal power. In its heyday, most days saw a baggage/coach, three dome coaches, a non-dome lounge, and a dome observation make up the train. The recent release of Budd cars by Kato in the Wabash paint scheme contained a baggage car, two dome coaches and a non-dome observation car in the set. Using a baggage car instead of a baggage coach would be OK; not having a non-dome lounge might work, too; but a Blue Bird isn't a Blue Bird without that distinctive dome observation. What's a guy to do!?!?! I could wait for the ConCor release of the dome observation, but that wasn't going to be done in Wabash colors - and nobody makes a decal set - and the Kato paint job is just soooo beautiful........ OK, have courage. It's time for a cross-kit. The fact that I had an extra observation if I messed the job up made the idea of cutting apart a perfectly good Kato car (or the roof at least) a little more bearable. Photo 1 shows a top view of the project.

Photo 1. Top view of the project. From the top: Kato stock observation car; ConCor stock dome coach; cross-kit dome observation car.

For all photos, click on thumb-nail for full-sized version.

The top car in the photo is the original observation roof. In the middle is the dome roof from a ConCor dome coach. The bottom roof is the finished product. In concept the project is very simple. Cut the smooth end of the observation car's roof off, trim the roof from the dome coach to produce the correct length, glue them together and install. Right! Well, sort of...... The hardest part of the whole project is getting the roof off of the observation car. It is held on by a series of notched tabs and you have to slide the roof toward the back to get it off. Only, there is a lip at the back end, so you have to lift it up and push at the same time. The tabs are held in place by the window glass assembly, which is a single piece of clear plastic bent to fit the contours of each side. To complicate matters further, the components that direct light to the markers and roof rear-end beacon get in the way, too. Bottom line, it takes a little work, but you can be successful. The roof comes off the dome coach much easier. However, you are going to have to cut the clear plastic sides off of this piece before going any further. Also, don't discard the piece with the dome seats - you'll need that, too. Now for the cutting. The observation roof is the easiest. Place a piece of masking tape over the smooth end so that the edge is right along the line between the smooth part and the fluted part of the roof. This will serve as a guide for cutting and also protect the part you want to keep (that's the smooth part). Use a razor saw to make the cut, making sure that you are cutting exactly vertically down through the roof. Replace the smooth part on the observation car chassis. After you have removed the clear plastic sides from the dome coach roof, test fit the roof on to the observation car chassis to determine the exact place you need to cut it to fit. Note the "X" portion on the middle roof in Photo 1. That's about how much you will have to remove. Also note that you want to remove the extra material from the long portion of the roof. This will make a difference later. Test fit and measure carefully several times until you are sure you have the right spot. Give yourself a little extra margin for filing to get a close fit. Then put masking tape on the part you are going to save right at the cut line. Then carefully cut off the unneeded part with a razor saw. Now you need to use your files to get that perfect fit. As you can see in Photo 2, the contour of the ConCor roof is not exactly the same as the Kato roof, but it is real close.

Photo 2. Stock Kato car on left. Note slight shoulder on cross-kit car on right where the ConCor dome roof joins the Kato smooth round end roof.

You will need to work the seam between the smooth and the dome roof, the sides of the dome roof were they fit down into the sides of the observation car chassis, and the "flat" end of the observation car to get the best fit possible. I found that I eventually had to use some modeling putty to smooth the contours. But if you work carefully, you can get a reasonable fit. Once the roof parts fit together, cut off the plastic sides on the piece with the dome seats. Note how this piece fits up into the dome so that the seats are facing toward the short portion of the roof. That should be the front of the dome observation if you cut off the correct end. In keeping with the color scheme of the train, paint the seats on this piece blue, then glue the piece into the dome after the paint dries. You may have to do a little more test fitting and filing after you get this piece in to ensure that the roof sits just right. When you are satisfied, paint the inside of the dome roof silver to cut down on light leaks from the interior lighting. You might also want to take the time to paint the outside struts around the dome windows silver now to preclude handling the model too much after it is assembled. Assembly is easier than disassembly. First put on the smooth tail end roof with the associated lighting components. This is the hardest part. Then apply CA glue to the end of the dome roof and the points at which the roof meets the sides and put the dome in place. After the glue dries, inspect carefully for voids. If you find any, fill them with modeling putty, carefully trim and smooth after the putty dries, and touch up with a dab of silver paint. Photo 3 gives you a side view of this uniquely distinctive model that provides a fitting end for your Blue Bird, "The Most Beautiful Passenger Train in the World."

Photo 3. The finished product. A fitting end to "The Most Beautiful Passenger Train in the World."