I recently picked up a copy of Pere Marquette power and became intrested in modeling the C&O PM district 1948-1951, if anyone could help me with some information i would greatly apreciate it, I plan to model Grand Ledge, Michigan on the Detroit - Grand Rapids line. the line saw the Berk’s and the famous streamlined Pere Marquette passenger trains. if anyone has any information on any of thease topics it would be greatly appreciated.
Here’s a start
I have visited the PM historical website many times, I am now looking for the cars needed to model an accurate Pere Marquette passenger train.
Modeling the Pere Marquette streamliner isn’t terribly easy in any scale.
In HO, accurate plated brass car sides were made by NKP Car Co. about ten years ago. The coaches and a very close diner are still available, as Western Maryland and D&RGW sides (respectively), though the D&RGW side set has a couple of D&RGW-specific details. Railway Classics announced plans to release this train in HO brass eight or so years ago, but apparently never got enough preorders to proceed.
In N scale, there isn’t much that’s even close as a starting point.
In O scale, American Standard Car Company produced a few kits for PM-appropriate streamlined cars, but these only show up rarely in the used market.
It’s far easier to model the heavyweight cars, or the post-merger C&O streamlined cars.
A book that its a really good overview of the PM is “The Pere Marquette in 1945”, a book produced and sold by the C&O Historical Society. They took a booklet the PM prepared for its officers and sales staff and added photos, an introduction and some summary information. It was originally published in 1990, but was re-released as a much nicer-looking second edition during 2008. It covers each of the PM’s routes and lists major features, interchanges and customers. It is available through the C&OHS’ web site
Here you go:
Pere Marquette Passenger Car Pictorial by Arthur B. Million published by the Pere Marquette Historical Society. c 2002. ISBN 0-9724876-0-3
/s/ Doc