I love how, though reiterated frequently, the history of the Overton cars keeps getting lost. The Roundhouse Overton cars are modeled after Sierra Railway prototypes, built in 1902 (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24429). There were 2 cars - a coach and a combine - built much shorter than normal due to the short tail track lengths on the Angel’s Camp branch switchbacks. The other 2 models in the Roundhouse lineup are fanciful additions. The Sierra Ry typically used a Shay or their sole Heisler on the Angel’s Camp branch, since speeds were very slow, grades were steep, and a short length but powerful engine mattered. All the photos show mixed freight and passenger trains (http://www.angelsbranch.com). In 1922, a new, low-drivered 2-6-2 took over for the geared power. The cars were used in passenger service until 1935. Both cars still exist at California’s Railtown State Historic Park.
FWIW, Selly and later Ulrich made die cast metal models of these cars in HO scale. Roundhouse plastic models in HO and N came much later.
All that said, if you have small steam engines, and a small layout with short trains set in the '40s or earlier, a train of Overton cars looks quite good. Just like running shorty models of 80ft passenger cars often looks better in our compressed model scenes than running full scale passenger models.
Here is my Spectrum 4-6-0 with a pair of the G&D versions. The small steamer is perfect for these cars. I plan to run 4 cars like this on an average ‘train’.
On a present day layout, the Overton cars would be used on a tourist train like the ones at Disneyland or Disney World. The best locomotive would be a repainted Bachmann 4-4-0.
Another possibility would be Thomas the Tank Engine. The Bachmann Thomas can haul a combine and 3 coaches. For a longer train you can add a diesel “helper”, anything from an NW2 to an SD45. In fact, an SD45 was used as the “helper” on the Thomas train at the Illinois Railway Museum (7 coaches) several years ago.
One thing one should keep in mind is that older passenger cars often got into branchline services. I’ve often seen late 1880’s car pulled in small local trains well into the 1950’s, even class 1 railroads. In my area, QRLP&Co kept in service it’s original 1889 Jackson & Sharp until closure in 1959 (one is preserved in Steamtown if I’m not wrong).
As pointed out about the real overton, if it fits the job, then go for it!
Personally, I think Roundhouse Overland cars keep the same flavour as the Overton and can fit much more prototype without taking much more place. Old Mantua coaches and combines are also nice cars to run.
SP retired its last wooden combine in 1962, not bad for over 80 years of service, it was assigned to branchline service in New Mexico, SP had many such conversions, some examples, dating back to construction days remained in non revenue service up into the fifties!
Based on the railroads under your corporate umbrella, I think that a GG-1 would be your best best for those Overton cars, especially if you want to get them out of the station in a hurry. [swg] If you extend the catenary west, you might pick up a deal on Milwaukee and Great Northern routes, too.
Just my two cents here, but I’m surprised that no one has mentioned one of the longest and longest-running tourist trains using overtons, The White Pass & Yukon Railway in Skagway, Alaska!
While working on board cruise ships, I had the opportunity to ride to the summit of White Pass - so when I started back into this hobby about 4 years ago, it was my first train. The passenger cars are available from their ‘train shoppe’ (sic) in various scales but their motive power is usually 4-4-0s -even though in actual practice they use a diesel to push & pull the overtons up the mountain. I of course went with a Bachmann Juptier in HO & it was my fleet leader until I started collecting the Rapido CN Supercontinentals.
I like the smaller engines for these cars also, like this little Bachman 4-4-0
I don’t usually stay strictly proto typical. One day I may be running a much more modern consist pulled by a NS SD70 and the next time it’ll will be something from the steam era. But my little Overtons would sure look funny behind that one… [:)]
I like the overton cars because if I bought Walthers, model power, or any of the other passenger cars I would have to spend hours looking for the affordable cars (undecorated) which would also be too big for my layout.
I like the Overton because they are small, do not take up a lot of space, and come in many colors. I bought all of my Overton from a friend off Ebay and all I have to do it get couplers and wheels. I have a logging camp station, a small town, and a station near city limits and since my layout is freelance I do not have to follow an rules.
My layout has the 1920’s Colorado flavor. I have several United 2-8-0 Ma & Pa Consolidations that closely resemble the “C-19", as well as some Ken Kidder 2-6-0 Porter Mogels. I use the Roundhouse Overtons and some old Mantua 1860 style boxcars and flatcars, and even an Alexander shorty caboose and log cars. They don’t take up much space and on a small layout makes a shorter 3 or 4 car train, look more realistic.
And finally, the overtons coupled behind a 4-4-0 allows for much smaller & tighter curves - so you get more variety to your layout in a smaller area. If you wanted to put in a spiral tunnel (helix), in HO, using a 15" radius you’d only need a 30" area in which to build the helix as opposed to a 6 foot one using 28" curves.