Commemorative & Fantasy Models (Presidents, Events, NMRA, Magazines, Clubs, LHSs, etc.)

Have never seen the Rail Classics or Railroad Modeler cars. Quite a bit more eye-catching than the blue MR&T car but not as gaudy as the old Carstens cars.

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Honoring someone is not deifying him.

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Sorry, I assure you I did not mean to be misleading.

I have been presented various commemorative mementoes over the years, but none of them were models.

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With the exception of a few, generally older items, I really don’t like convention cars. I’m also never a fan of political figureheads (presidents, governors, dictators, politicians, etc) emblazoned on the sides of locomotives and railcars.

I am fond of the early TCA convention cars that were produced in the 1960s by the Lionel corporation, but I doubt I need any of them badly enough to pay the prices they’re worth. I think I just like the look of the postwar cars and the heat stamped lettering.

I have the Lionel HO version of the ‘Three Mile Island’ car… much rarer than the O gauge car but fewer collectors I think. Would like the O gauge one eventually to pose with it. It’s whimsical enough for me, goes great with the blinking AEC radioactive waste cars.
I have an NECTA car from the 1990s which is done up in a New Haven ‘State of Maine’ livery, technically it was offered as a commemorative/convention car, but the graphics represent a real freight car, so it’s not as much in keeping with the theme of this thread.

-El

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This model was a kit manufactured by C&BT Shops. The box contained a receipt from Peach Creek Shops ($8.00 + $0.40 tax, May 29, 1998). The green of the body is the color of the plastic itself.

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They look really impressive BN7 150. I love the colour.

David

The color is certainly unique. But I’m a stickler for brown on my boxcars. Still, I do like those boxcars.

Rich

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Canadian Railway Modeller (CRM) is a quarterly magazine first published in 1989, so the 1st Anniversary was in 1990 (official website). Painting the handbrake wheel in the body color looked good.


H&D Hobby Distributing Inc.? Uneeda Hobby?

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El_Fixes_Things said “…political figureheads (presidents, governors, dictators, politicians, etc) …”

This comment immediately reminded me of the President Class (4-6-2) of B&O. Then I remembered the E9As of BN (Metra), but I can’t find the documents I read about it. I’m pretty sure the letters written on the sides of the cab were the names of local government leaders. Does anyone know? Also, I’d be grateful if you could give me any other examples.

Come to think of it, a long time ago, a store had a freight car with a picture of Mount Rushmore on it, and while I was debating whether to buy it or not, it was sold. I think it was a Show-Me-Lines or Bev-Bel product. Currently, there is a Marklin car on sale on eBay.

Does Christopher Columbus fall into that category?



Show Me Lines/Con-Cor 1992


Page 29 of the Oct. 1992 issue of MR magazine

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The only two I have are an MR 25th anniversary car and an Atlas engine comemerating 9/11.

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An assortment of custom box cars.

A John Allen, Whit Towers Bulline stock car that I modeled.

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MR Anniversary box cars.

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I suppose U.P. 4141 could be considered a ‘commemorative’ model. My SD70 is from the first run and I found it at Train World at a closeout price. I bought it merely because I liked the ‘official’ POTUS colors first introduced by Raymond Loewy.

UP_4141_SD70sm by Edmund, on Flickr

At least it is a model of an actual locomotive. Back when G.W. Bush passed away I staged a little ‘dedication ceremony’. I think model manufacturers were caught unprepared as demand went up for these models and there wasn’t any inventory. U.P. ran the funeral train and the popularity of the engine and cars shot up.

UP_4141d by Edmund, on Flickr

UP_4141 by Edmund, on Flickr

After I staged this impromptu gathering at the time of GW’s passing. I found photos (from Overland Models) of the actual 2005 dedication and, quite surprisingly, it was very similar to my staged scene even with George and Barbara on the walkway!

See the photos here:

Cheers, Ed

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I guess I need to get my Eagles commemorative train.

Only X number of dollars for the first shipment, plus X more dollars for the second shipment that gets me the power pack and some track, plus X more dollars for an unspecified number of additional shipments for unspecified items.

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An Eagles commemorative train? Really? :face_vomiting:

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ow ya they won the superbowl . :face_with_diagonal_mouth:

I’m thinking of picking these up.

Source: Bradford Exchange

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Those are now half-price.

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BN7150: in the center is a framed postcard of the concept art for the Sunsphere. On the right is a guide to Knoxville celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Fair. The Lionel boxcar from Ak-Sar-Ben Hobbies is something I wish I knew about in 1982.

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From your post, I understand that the World’s Fair 1982 was a very memorable event. I’m jealous. On the other hand, Expo 2025 is scheduled to be held in Osaka, near my hometown, starting this April, but it is not getting much attention. For that reason, the government is working hard to promote it, including asking interurban railways for cooperation.

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