Recently bitten by the Southern bug and I’d like to model the an all-streamlined car rendition of the Crescent as it appeared around 1950-1954. But what I haven’t figured out yet is what a typical consist might have been. Any help with this, and additional resources for one to better understand modelling this passenger train will be much appreciated. With any luck, I’ll have my kitbashed/scratchbuilt/repainted rendition done before a manufacturer releases a really nice RTR rendition
I am not sure how much the below links will help you, but the first link will give you some prototype photos of cars to work from, and the second link will at least tell you what type of cars were in the train. Between the two, you may be able to figure out the consist.
If you are modeling HO or N scale, the third link down (Union Station Products) produces road specific passenger car sides. When used with Train Station Products core kits and detail parts, you can put together one heck of a nice passenger car.
Perhaps one of the two Southern Yahoo groups can supply information.
Extracting from “Car Names Numbers and Consists” and combining with info from Smitty’s sources:
It appears that it would have been something like:
baggage-mail
baggage-dorm
52 seat chair
58 seat chair
48 seat diner
2-1 buffet lounge
four 10-6 sleepers
5 db buffet lounge obs
You might consider using a Walthers Budd diner and 52-seat coach (or two) in the above consist. And maybe their 10-6 smoothside sleepers. Anyway, good luck on this–should be a beautiful train!!!
Thank you for your post. For the models, between kitbashing Walthers cars and the NKP Car Co. models I should be set for models at least. What sites I do find seem to have consists having little in common though they all list the diner, 2-1 lounge buffet and 5-DB, lounge observation. For the sleepers, Walthers Pullman Standard 4140 10-6 will do the job as it represents the River series pretty well (seemingly).
I completely forgot about NKP’s stuff. I have built a couple of cars using their sides, and they are really nice. Rounding off the skirting can be a pain, but I used a small rubber mallet and a wooden dowel rod, and they came out alright.
Whoa…the Walthers 4140 car is smoothside…all of SOUTHERN’s streamlined equipment was fluted (or corrugated as some call it) whether BUDD or PULLMAN STANDARD. You’ll need to add the fluting to be correct. Also, don’t forget SOUTHERN also used 14-4’s on the Crescent…
And
The train was operated with joint equipment from the PRR, A&WP, W of A, and L&N in various times and places.
Walthers has a P/S 4140 with fluted sides too listed on their website. I assume it’s the same car as the smooth-side sleeper but with fluted sides instead. That said, I compared photos of the two sides and IIRC they match.
I’ll be modelling the 14-4s, a couple, at some point as I like them much too.
I’ll definitely be including some PRR equipment here and the like a sleeper or two.
