[fredlub]

The ships-modelkitmaker Amati from Italy made a kit for a CIWL 1 gauge LX type sleeping car as it ran in the Orient Express and the Train Bleu. I bought one that arrived today. It is a kit with many, many parts which will result (when correctly build) in a very detailed CIWL car with detailed interior.

When completed I will post some pictures; by googling Amati Orient Express you wil find pictures of the Amati made model.

Regards
Fred

 

[placitassteam]

Looks like it will be a beautiful model.

 

[Totalwrecker]

Is that a wood kit?

I just watched another similar car build... incredible detail possible.

 

[fredlub]

It is a kit with indeed lots of wood, but also many brass, other metal and plastic parts. There is a good review of the contents here: https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/18617-132-1929-orient-express-sleeping-car-no3533-lx-amati/
Regards
Fred

 

[Totalwrecker]

This will be fun to watch. Please post pictures as you build.

 

[du-bousquetaire]

I took a serious look at this kit, and I don't like to spoil peoples pleasure but there are a lot of things that are strange about it. So here is a bit of warning:

1) I have built three coaches from wood including an LX sleeper which was my very first Gauge one coach that I scratchbuilt. It was wood with styreen overlay for solving the problem of sealing the wood grain. I stopped building cars in wood as they have one weak point: The end to which the weight of the train is attached through the coupling (continental screw, chain and hook) takes all the weight of a heavy train through a very thin band of wood about 1cm x 6cm, this can pry off the end of the car (I am speaking from experience... And have since heavily reinforced this portion of said cars)

2) The wheels for the trucks are made of aluminum ditto for the axles... Well I guess you can always buy four wheelsets to replace those but at that kind of price...?


3) The roof seems to have a completly wrong turn under at the ends, this is likely due to the construction technique used of rolled thin brass sheet, nevertheless this "highly detailed model" has a wrong roof profile! By the way the prototype used an aluminum casting for that part of the roof. This is most important.


4) I am very curious as to what sort of sheeting is used for the sides? I just hope for the potential buyer that it is not printed paper like the inside.


5) The diaphragms seem to be an aluminum or white metal casting. making them useles from an operating standpoint.



There are other less obvious issues like the thickness of the different componments of the interior which seem way oversize. Plus what seems to be an overly complex building sequence: Building and completing this car seems to be an act of patience...
Two other odd factors for me are the relatively high price for the kit, which doesn't really offer an alternative to finding a J & M one on the second hand market. And the fact that it is designed as a shelve queen that is a static model.
Mind you I am personally in the market for one or two Lx sleepers myself, to make up the Paris Nord- Calais cars of the blue train (which often carried three); but this just didn't seem to me to be a viable alternative, alas. Just a word of warning.

 

[placitassteam]

Sorry it turned out to be a disappointment.

 

[fredlub]

Sorry it turned out to be a disappointment.

Thank you, but it did not turn out a disappointment at all. I do not agree at all with everything "du-bousquetaire" (no first-name but nickname: grumpy) mentions and I will see for myself when I build the kit. When finished I will post pictures and share my experience.

Regards
Fred

 

[du-bousquetaire]

Dont confuse being grumpy with trying to inform people not familiar with this equipment in the USA about some of the pitfals of this kit. Which at that price are just not acceptable; the manufacturer should do his homework at those kinds of prices.
I was raised to scale model railroading in the USA in the sixties, and feel that some of the conquest modelers made in those years should be upheld.

It has nothing to do with grumpiness. I am not a rivet counter, But I feel a roof's shape is an important part of the proportions of the whole. If that isn't right than it should be corrected, especially at those kinds of prices.
Perhaps my post will encourage the manufacturer to correct this fault in which case it will be a positive contribution.
Enough said, Simon

 

[fredlub]

To show the roof shape problem here a picture of a J&M LX and the plan (I have not yet finished the roof, but it should look according to plan when finished ) of the Amati model:

Regards
Fred

 

[du-bousquetaire]

The roof end is a curved shape whereas on the Amati it is a straight line. However this can be made the correct shape by just forming a wood part for that last section. There is a step on this portion at least on pre WW2 units, which tends to hide this but you can see the curve very neatly. We in Europe knew these cars when they were still running and remember the curve because at that time that step had been removed as well as the end ladders.
Of course this kit could also be used to make a finely detailed interior for a J&M car (although the thickness of the doors for instance is too great). But that would put that car at a formidable price wouldn't it...
But don't get me wrong I certainly didn't want to ruin yours or anybodies pleasure in buying this kit. I just feel that for me who is familiar with these for having seen them a good deal, I felt it would be my duty to warn people from oversea about these discrepancies. It probably can be made into an operating unit.

 

[du-bousquetaire]

Here are some pictures I just made of that LX I built back in 1987 it is made of aviation plywood and styreen overlay (to have a smooth steel like finish). It is a bit beaten by time and storage on my old railroad terminal shed. It is giving me the idea that I should fit in a complete restoration sometimes soon. The interior is plywood (of apropriate thickness) and some photo overlays of WL interiors however these inlaid wood decoration are from a car from a diferent series than the Lx and is therefore not correct (At the time there was so little around in gauge one I was satisfied with it).


It has a few passengers about to tuck in including if I remmeber Marie Antoinette, a gentelman, a ballerina on her toes and tutu, the Pope in robe and the maréchal Foch. (the historic caracters were plastic collections sold in France with coffe jars in the sixties that I painted. Mokarex I think was the firm's name)



The trucks which are brass sprung and posses swing action bolsters came with modifications from a Stewart Hines kit for "American" GW bogies. The nearest thing then available to make WL bogies. The journal boxes have correct WL lids, as well as the lettering and insigna etched by a printer friend of mine. At the time I was interested in the PLM and it was for my Rome Express, hence the Pope's presence...


The roof is made from samba wood (or Poplar) you make a rectangle the right width heigt and length, then you plane it to the correct roof contour. Afterwhich you file the end shape (I now use a belt sander on stand to do this much quicker and very good results) then you seal it and putty up any defects, add evergreen ribs (today I would use brass as the evergreen expands to quikly in the sun),and spray grey!
I used a jig saw to cut out the windows interior partitions and doors.

 

[fredlub]

Thank you for posting these pictures; you selfmade LX looks very good.
Regards
Fred

 

[du-bousquetaire]

Thank you Fred; it is about 32 years old and shows that quite a bit. It certainly needs a restoration effort one of these days.

 

[fredlub]

After finishing the interior of my Amati kit of the CIWL LX sleeping car I realised that when adding the
carriage sides the interior, even if the roof is removable, will not be easily seen: so here are some
views of the interior on compartment and corridor side.

Regards
Fred

 

[David Leech]

Fred,
That interior looks spectacular.
You have done a magnificent job.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada

 

[Totalwrecker]

Magnificent!

 

[placitassteam]

Beautiful job! Thanks for posting the unobstructed interior shots. I like to do interiors and love seeing what other people do with theirs. Always something new to learn. Congratulations on a splendid creation.

 

[fredlub]

I restarted working on the Amati sleeping car. I finished the corridor wall and installed this:

The conductor is closing the window:

View on the conductor desk in the corridor:

View through a compartment door on the corridor; the windows could be cleaner:

Regards
Fred

 

[fredlub]

I also added the compartment side wall:

More pictures on my website here: http://sncf231e.nl/amati-kit-for-a-ciwl-lx-sleeping-car/

Regards
Fred