Another terrific project, "how-to" thread with plenty of detail, @T.Albers.
Question: why did you feel it necessary to put a gloss coat on the SCII paint? The mfr. says SCII paints are decal ready--no need for a separate gloss coat. I ask because I am going to air brush four NP North Coast Limited dome cars soon using SCII paint and hadn't planned to apply a gloss coat prior to decal application per SCII's directions.
Question: You didn't use SCII's gloss because...?
By the way, I feel your pain. I thought I was about finished with two of the four NP NCL dome cars until I was trying to apply the white separation stripe and realized I'd be better served to paint the stripe. At that point, I also realized I wasn't satisfied with the dark green paint application. So those two cars were stripped; more accurately, are in the process of being stripped and prepped for a "do-over."
