I preordered the entire 9 car set Walthers Broadway Limited Passenger Train. Factory Direct Trains called me today said they were shipping the first car. I also preordered the E8 AB with DCC/Sound.
Anybody else getting this set?
I “had” this set pre-ordered through my LHS but halfway through the UP set he decided he was giving me too much of a discount on the items I purchased from him and told me I wasn’t going to get it anymore. (Actually he “emailed” this news to me), I guessed that spending about $500 per month with him wasn’t enough or something so I cancelled all of my orders with him at that time and haven’t bothered to do much buying since. Just seemed like a good time stop for awhile but I’m still tempted as I already have the Proto diesels, (straight DC from the old runs), as well as a stack of K-4’s and K-5’s.
If the pictures are anything to go on they sure do look nice, but I’d still love to see some blue and gray MoPac passenger cars as I’m sure some others would as well. Someday maybe…
Mark
Well, since I don’t model the PRR, and I don’t “collect” stuff outside the theme of the layout, and if I paid that much for a passenger car I would expect silly things like diaphragms that touch and stay touching during operation - I guess it’s a “no” for me.
Sheldon
I’ll post some pics, and a review once I get it, sometime next week.
Since I am a non-slobbering Pennsy Follower[;)]; and Retired PRR/PC/CR/Amtrak Engineer; I ordered two sets from two separate suppliers. Out of the box, the cars were basic WKW passenger fare. The paint and lettering are acceptable PRR, although not an exact match for previous WKW, or Centralia/Intermountain cars.
I ran them on my home layout, mixed with Centrailia P85br coaches, and Walthers sleeping cars. The cars performed without incident on curves as tight as 24" radius, including a shoving move, which is better than some previous Walthers cars, which required extensive modification to run on 28" radius curves.
Keep in mind, I don’t count rivets or compare the color it to drift cards, and I’m modeling 1967 when the cars were a bit rattier than when new, so performance is higher on my priority list. The cars appear to be just right for what I’m looking for.
Joe Witcofsky
I’d like to have it, and I am interested in the Pennsy. It would make a great display item for sure. But it’s too much for me. Maybe I’ll be able to pick it up cheap off ebay someday after somebody richer 'n me gets tired of it. 
John
Good point there John, I have a basement full of stuff bought that way, just received a “pair” of Proto undec E8’s this morning bought off of Ebay for $29.95 each. I’ve been wanting a couple more undecs for MoPac Jenks blue but refused to pay the current rediculous prices for them.
Everything comes to those who have the patience to wait for it, wise words from an old time model RR back in the early 1960s.
Mark
The reviews on the PRR boards are that it is spectacular and probably the best PRR passenger car ever produced. The PRRT&HS has a modeling comittee that will work very closely with any manufacturer to help produce the best quality, detail and paint achievable. They also keep things under wraps and do not spread information. Coupled with the fact that there are a lot of us who buy a lot of PRR equipment has started to wake up manufacturers to produce things correctly resulting in bigger sales. An example is the dark green paint on PRR engines which in the past has ranged from olive drab to Southern to all shades of green other than the right color. Currently there is a very high priced F unit with incorrectly placed nose lifting lugs and miscolored green paint. These issues could have been avoided easily by using the free consultation with the PRRT&HS. The nice thing with the Walthers cars is that there are numerous trains that can be made up using most of the cars being produced. I expect there will be numerous runs.
Not being a Pennsylvania modeler, I’ll not be getting this set, though I imagine it’ll be much loved by all but the most nitpicky of SPFs. However though, I am reserving an undecorated BM70m RPO as I’d love to paint one for N&W don’t care if they did not have anything quite resembling it, I just like BM70s that’s all.
Alvie
The cars are truely spectacular for 1953 - 1955, which is where the PRRT&HS appears to emphasise their interest. FWIW; the cars date back to 1948. and many lasted until Amtrak in May 1971.
For 1967, my era of interest, the first WKW Broadway car, the Budd 21 Roomette Pulman, had already been stripped of it’s “Tuscan Red” paint and roomettes, and had been reconfigured as a coach seating 72. No doubt, this will be a future Walthers product. for post 1963 service along the NEC and system wide.
The upcoming 3DB mid train lounges were converted to 5 double bedrooms by 1956, These cars actually spent more service years in the 5DB configuration (1956-1967) than in the origional WKW modeled 3 DB - lounge configuration (1948-1955).
This is not to take away from the efforts of Walthers or the PRRT&HS to produce an accurate trainset for a given period; they did a wonderful job on the first car and I anticipate the balance will be of equal quality. In fact, they lived up to the advertised 24" minimum radius capability (although of course they will look and perform better on broader curves). The two 21 roomettes performed flawlessly on my home layout - unmodified out of the box.
It should be noted that the Broadway cars, are also appropriate for the “Liberty Limited”, “Spirit of St Louis”, “General”, “Pittsburgher” and any other Postwar train bearing the “Blue Ribbon Train” designation. WKW’s slab side PS 4140 10-6 and the old Rivarossi ACF 10-6, as well as the WKW PS 10-5 and Rivarossi 12-5 were also found on these East - West trains, as well as the Centralia/Intermountain P85br coaches, and the Walthers NYC 64 seat coaches, 25 of which were bought by the PRR around 1965 to replace P85br coaches dying of incurable Core 10 steel rot.
The Walthers and Intermountain/BCW B60b baggage cars; BCW M70 and BM70k mail cars, the WKW Budd Parlor and SAL service 52 seat Budd coach and the various custom side/core kit craftsman kits provide a wealth o
The PRRT&HS had no influence on the first release. In fact many were surprised by the era chsoen by Walthers. Before it is over they probably will release versions for the different paint and lettering schemes.
Hope you are right about subsequent releases. However, WKW has not released a follow-up TCL with the more common NYC letterboard vs the “Pullman” Letterboard. They also own the tooling for the NYC coaches, Budd grill lounge and Budd Bag/Dormitory needed to do a modern 1958 - 1966 TCL, except for the 16-10 Sleepercoach.
Getting back to the PRR train, hopefully, for me the coach version of the 21 roomette car will follow this Broadway closely. That version will prove most useful since they ran all over the system, particularly the NEC, and lasted well into the Amtrak era.[:)].
As with any company further releases are probably based on initial sales. From what I have heard which is strictly second hand at best the Broadway was a total sell out. I see Walthers ads showing NYC cars at reduced prices. My money is on further PRR cars over NYC.
I’m inclined to agree with the total sell out, based on what I observed on MB Klein’s web site. That should insure future runs. Again strictly heresay, but certain body types of the TCL were also sellouts, in particular the 12 DB car. FWIW: I also “read” that sales were hurt by the “Pullman” scheme and a question of color accuracy.
On the other hand, P2k and WKW have offered several runs of E units in the five stripe scheme, both DGLE and "Red Passenger color. They have also had an E7 run in the single stripe with large lettering, but have ignored the 1960s “Keystone” schemes, This lack interest in the most “recent” PRR schemes sort of weakens the concept that “Pennsy Sells”.
To my knowledge, only Atlas, Athearn and Bowser have done Keystone scheme locos, mostly of 1960s era locos. I’m not above stripping my stash of P2k Es and redoing them for my era, but it would be nice to have something from the post 1964 era.
Joe Witcofsky
[quote user=“wojosa31”]
The cars are truely spectacular for 1953 - 1955, which is where the PRRT&HS appears to emphasise their interest. FWIW; the cars date back to 1948. and many lasted until Amtrak in May 1971.
For 1967, my era of interest, the first WKW Broadway car, the Budd 21 Roomette Pulman, had already been stripped of it’s “Tuscan Red” paint and roomettes, and had been reconfigured as a coach seating 72. No doubt, this will be a future Walthers product. for post 1963 service along the NEC and system wide.
The upcoming 3DB mid train lounges were converted to 5 double bedrooms by 1956, These cars actually spent more service years in the 5DB configuration (1956-1967) than in the origional WKW modeled 3 DB - lounge configuration (1948-1955).
This is not to take away from the efforts of Walthers or the PRRT&HS to produce an accurate trainset for a given period; they did a wonderful job on the first car and I anticipate the balance will be of equal quality. In fact, they lived up to the advertised 24" minimum radius capability (although of course they will look and perform better on broader curves). The two 21 roomettes performed flawlessly on my home layout - unmodified out of the box.
It should be noted that the Broadway cars, are also appropriate for the “Liberty Limited”, “Spirit of St Louis”, “General”, “Pittsburgher” and any other Postwar train bearing the “Blue Ribbon Train” designation. WKW’s slab side PS 4140 10-6 and the old Rivarossi ACF 10-6, as well as the WKW PS 10-5 and Rivarossi 12-5 were also found on these East - West trains, as well as the Centralia/Intermountain P85br coaches, and the Walthers NYC 64 seat coaches, 25 of which were bought by the PRR around 1965 to replace P85br coaches dying of incurable Core 10 steel rot.
The Walthers and Intermountain/BCW B60b baggage cars; BCW M70 and BM70k mail cars, the WKW Budd Parlor and SAL service 52 seat Budd coach and the various custom side/core kit c
I just received the first car this week, it’s the Budd 21-Roomette Sleeper. And it’s goergeus, and I’m not a huge PRR fan either. But it’s looking to be a very nice train.
