Detailing Lionel Great Northern "Empire Builder" 8-car Passenger Train by John Rowlen

A beautiful set that I know you will make even better!

John, this is going to be awesome! I’m hoping you add Kadee couplers to this magnificent train to close all the gaps. Definitely worthy of doing that. You’d love the results without a doubt!

Great looking train, John!  I'll be watching your process with interest!

@John Rowlen, thanks for the video; looking forward to your excellent progress reports.

Question: can you confirm that the full-length dome car has six-wheel trucks?

Carl, The Great Dome has six wheel trucks.

John Rowlen

Beautiful set, John!

I'm quite relieved to see Lionel got the colors on the whole set right.

John, couldn't you just turn the dome cars around so the seats face forward?

Joe,  The answer is a definite "No".

The Main Floor Seats face one way and the Dome Seats face the opposite way.  (You get to decide who rides the train facing backwards: Main Floor or Dome passengers.)  The Dome Floor has an opening in it that allows the steps to poke up through the hole in the Dome Floor.  Please see the two pictures for better clarification.

Joe your question is logical, but the Dome design prevents the simple rotating of the Dome Floor.  The seats in the Dome are raised on support posts that break easily and are glued into the Dome Floor.  I fought with the same issue in my Amtrak 3 Dome Coach.  When the posts broke, I had to Dremel off the post stubs and glue each seat to the Dome Floor, lowering the Seats a little below the windows.

Have a good day.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

@John Rowlen posted:

Carl, The Great Dome has six wheel trucks.

John Rowlen

Thanks for the confirmation AND use of the correct terminology for the car.

EDIT: My subsequent post has been deleted, and possible solution added to John's other thread.

March 26, 2024

I welcome everyone's comments. This thread was intended to show my detailing of the Lionel Great Northern "Empire Builder" eight passenger cars.

Please jump over to the Thread about the "Backwards Seats" in the Dome Coaches.  Lionel is not sponsoring this thread and may not see any comments left here.

Just to clarify, there is a hole in the Dome Floor that if reversed, would show the Seated People sitting in the front short-end of the Dome Coach.  After spending about $4,200.00 for the passenger cars and four engines, I have no intention of doing meatball surgery on these expensive cars.  I might return them to the Dealers if a solution is not found.

Have a good evening.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

I was thinking one would see the dome seats more than the seats below but you are detailing the whole car so it would be obvious that the lower level and upper level seats are facing opposite directions even without the staircase issue.  I should have given it a bit more thought before I made my suggestion.

Beautiful passenger set !!!!👍👍

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

At this time I am waiting to hear what Lionel plans to do about the Backwards Seating in the Dome Floors of the Dome Coach cars before I start detailing the Great Northern "Empire Builder" passenger cars.  If I don't like the answer, they will be going back to the dealers.  I buy from two or more dealers in case  returns are needed so it is not a big financial burden on one train store.

Here are photos of my Great Northern Vista Vision Camera Dome Coach with the Dome Floor going the correct way.  I detailed this car in anticipation of the Great Northern "Empire Builder" passenger cars.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

Awesome! Well done John.

Two hours later and six Excell blades used, I was able to score and then cut the rectangular posts out of the bottom of the 2-Pack Dome Coach Dome Floor in order to begin turning the backwards Seats into the forward-facing position.

Both of my Dealers had green-lighted the return of all of the Great Northern passenger cars and four engines.  It was not the solution I wanted, and I truly felt depression at the prospect at having detailed my last Lionel passenger train with the completion of the New York Central 20th Century Limited set.  My eyesight is rapidly deteriorating with useable vision in only one eye.

I decided to attempt what was impossible on my Amtrak Dome Coach.  Fortunately I had purchased four Excel knives and twenty replacement blades.

I scored around the bottom of the Seat posts and then tapped the sharp knife into the channels around the seat post.  The seats on the 2-pack Dome Coach came out with much less resistance than the Amtrak Dome Coach that had half of the posts break when I turned those seats.  Here is a picture of my progress midway in turning the seats.

I glued the Seats into the Dome Floor correctly facing forward with the steps entering from the rear of the Dome,  I gave the Seats their first coat of tan paint.  Tomorrow I will attempt to rotate the Seats in the Dome Coach in the 4-Pack.

Have a good evening.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

OUTSTANDING work, John! Seats removed without breakage which assures a solid installation when they're facing forward. Truly remarkable IMO.

Perhaps you can provide detailed instructions/video for LIONEL Service.

That’s nice work, John!  I can see it would be rather exacting!  Beautiful.

I stayed up late painting the interior of the 2-pack Dome Coach Car.  Here are a few pictures,  The Dome Seats have 2 coats of paint.  The main floor has only one coat.  I need to paint another coat to hide the streaks caused when the mold releasing oil mixes with the paint on the first coat.  I hope to open the 4-pack Dome Coach tonight and reverse the seats.  The posts are different from the Amtrak posts that puffed up through the floor.  The Great Northern post look like they were embossed with a logo and sink inward, rather than puff up and out.

Have a good evening.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

Very nice painting job, John!