Re: Silver Vista

Thanks Mike,
As to the flooring, I covered myself by saying some coaches, I should have said Vestibule Coaches got the tile or Linoleum floor, that was standard for the San Juan Coaches. Dodged one bullet.
As to the insulation material, I guess I have to take apart all those coaches I've built and take it out. Just kidding. Didn't know that, I always assumed there was something inside. You got me there.
Nice aside – one of the photo’s in my file show a nice close shot of a Rocky Mountain Special Drumhead, might look nice behind your Alamosa.
OK, back to the Silver Vista.
Back History:
313 was a Duck Billed Coach built by Jackson & Sharp in 1882. It was rebuilt with a bull nose roof in 1904. 1924 it was fitted as a "Bunk and Commissary" Car 0313.
In 1947 retired so that they could build the Silver Vista. One thing to add, it had electric lights also that were trainlined from the car ahead. One can see the plug in socket from a nice end shot of the car.
My "Silver Vista File" doesn't shed any light on the type of inside flooring. Although I may have to take back what I said about the undercarriage. The drawings from Maxwell show that she had "Double Plate Steel Bolster with 4x7 sills. This is not quite typical coach construction. Also there are mini sills running perpendicular between the 4x7 sills. These perpendicular sills are small, only 2x2 and are spaced about every two-feet. The Needlebeams fit into the two foot spacing, example when you get close to the center of the car it spaces out like this, 2x2, 2x2, Needlebeam, 2x2, 2x2, 2x2, Needlebeam, 2x2 etc. The Needlebeams are on 6'2" centers.
I guess what I am getting too is the floor is atypical from a regular coach, but it’s hard to gleen from this information if the frame was completely new
The brake system appears to be standard coach designs.
Sorry I couldn't be more help
Kevin Cook