Passenger Cars You Want, But Are Not Made In HO Scale

[riogrande5761]

Modern Rio grande ski train cars. I’m talking about the cars built by Hawker Siddley originally for the CN’s tempo cars trains. These are the ones that replaced the heavyweights the Rio grande used for a long time. I keep hoping that Rapido will come out with them since they are a Canadian built car.

There is a guy who has modeled the later era ski train cars:

http://actionroad.net/LaPlataDivision/LPD-Equipment-Passenger.htm

I think even more needed are the much longer used ex-NP heavy weight chair cars used on the Ski train for around 30 years up until 1988!

Also the Prospector cars.

[jrbernier]

The new WalthersMainline Budd cars are full length and will run on 18" curves.

To go around 18" radius curves, they use ‘talgo’ coupler mounts. They are next to impossible to back up with this arrangement…

Jim

[ACY_Tom]

Walthers has released versions of the Broadway Limited, but some of that train’s cars were unique and not quite right for other PRR trains. If Walthers would release a P-S plan 4131 “…Falls” 6BR-Lounge, and a plan 4134 “PRR Presidents” 2DR-1Cpt-1BR-Buffet/Observation car, then modelers could correctly represent the Liberty Limited, the Spirit of St. Louis, and the Cincinnati Limited. The latter train would be enhanced with the addition of plan 4140 10-6 sleepers in the unique Tuscan Red livery with L&N lettering for through service to Nashville, Louisville, and Memphis. This car has been released previously, but never in that paint scheme.

Another suggestion is the plan 4153 (A, B, etc.) 14-4 sleeper, with fluted and plain sides.

Tom

(edited with correction 3/12/16)

[DigitalGriffin]

C&O heavyweights in pullman green.

Proper baggage/rpo/observation for the PM also would be nice for many.

C&O and B&O Mixed car trains (B&O cars relabeled)…The C&O became quite a mutt of different cars in her later years. I want an excuse for a dome car.

[doctorwayne]

…a lot of us just want the details and roadname and could care less if our road accually had them, after all, they could have if they wanted and could afford. You also have to relise that a lot don’t have room for 22" radius, let alone anything more and even if they run around an 18" curve, they look real funny doing so. That’s why I said 50’ cars. I have a fair size layout but went with 18" min radius because the freight I run and engines look fine on it and I needed a few return loops without using up too much room. MDC made overtons and overlands in this venue (now produced by someone else) but they didn’t do the same with newer cars.

For those wanting shorter cars (and by extension of that, ones which are not necessarily strictly prototypical), I suggest you look to the older Athearn and Rivarossi passenger cars. Any of those can be shortened fairly easily, and New England Rail Services offer parts to change window arrangements on the Rivarossi heavyweights - some are adaptable to the Athearn cars, too, and may be of use on other manufacturers’ more recent offerings.

Here’s a Rivarossi combine with NERS windows added to make a more commonly seen combine, with the short baggage section and more seating area:

These cars are easily shortened, too, although depending on where you make the cuts, you may need to fabricate a new underbody - none of this work is especially difficult, and you can create many cars which are otherwise unavailable.

An Athearn observation car, shortened and with revised windows:

The MDC Harriman cars can be easily shortened, and the baggage and RPO cars, I t

[mobilman44]

I want a streamlined (lightweight) Walthers Illinois Central tail end car and an RPO. They have these for the heavyweights, why not for the lightweights?

[yougottawanta]

ATSF

I think a lot has to do with cost of developing the product. A larger RR will sell more because it has a broader visibility. Thus the cost to selling ratio leaves room for a profit. That is why of course they arte in teh market.

With that said it also helps to be patient and keeping your ears and eyes open. Eventually meduim sized RR are offered BUT ehn they do become available you must be ready to snatch teh product up.

I would also like to welcome you to the forum and invite you to Jeffries diner where we talk on and off subject, within certain restrictions. If you drop by we will treat you to apiece of Flo’s awsome pies and a cup of joe.

YGW

[RR_Mel]

The Southern Pacific built their own Daylight ¾ Dome/Lounge cars (7 total) so I kitbashed my own.

This was a 72’ Athearn streamlined lounge car before it became an SP 72’ ¾ Dome/Lounge.

Mel

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

My Model Railroad

[De_Luxe]

That SP dome of yours looks great! Love the details!

What I miss in HO scale the most are good and accurate open platform passenger cars from the 1860s to 1880s era. For example an 1870s UP/CP transcontinental passenger train featuring RPOs, baggages, coaches, diners, sleepers and observations featuring full interiors and with the abilty to be lighted would be something I´d buy immediately.

More variation with heavyweight combination cars would be appreciated too. For example baggage coaches, baggage dormitorys, baggage lounges, baggage club cars.

Modernized heavyweight cars are also way underrepresented. There were a lot of modernized heavyweight baggages, coaches, diners and sleepers in operation on many roads, and they surely deserve to be produced as models. I would especially be interested in Southern Railway modernized heavyweight cars because SR owned many of them, and because they are a must-have if you wanna model Southerns excursion trains from their 70s/80s steam excursion program.

[Lone_Wolf_and_Santa]

Athearn actually made the cars I want but not enough of them. Metrolink bombardier coaches. They sell out quickly and then they are gone forever. They cost two or three times retail price to buy them used. Seems like Athearn is losing money! HINT HINT HINT!!! DUH!!! Come on slackers, get with it.

This special edition would be nice too:

I might have to do crowd funding to get them to make a special run of the coach with the California Angels wrap.

[SETH_CRAWFORD]

What we need is for someone to do a specialty run on the NC&StL’s “City of Memphis” I have a feeling Walthers can do it fairly easily. At least they made Southern streamline passenger cars.

But if you wanted my opion on the matter, I’m sick to death of constantly seeing SP and UP and other various western railroads on the market. Being a Southern guy it annoys me to death seeing it all the time and barely any effort on the rest of the nation let alone the southeast. And the people that do are super expensive (take a gander at Rapido’s Central of Georgia baggage cars and that’s all they did smh) or the like. It’s gotten so bad that it’s making me consider starting my own company selling nothing but railroads from the southeast and some from the midwest and specialty runs on northeastern stuff. But that’s just me, I have no idea what I would be doing XD

But yeah the market definately needs more from the dixieland and less from the west coast.

[ATSFGuy]

Who wants to see the “1948 Chessie Streamliner” in HO Scale? Those M1 Steam Turbines pulling 13 Streamlined cars, one of which is the “Moonlight Dome”.

I have seen HO streamliner sets offered by Coachyard, But I think Walthers should lower the prices on the new product releases and produce streamliners that have been on our waiting list for years.

Here’s 15 Streamliners that might sell

1. Norfolk & Western “City of Decatur”

2. Central of Georgia “Nancy Hanks I & II”

3. Erie Lackawanna “Erie Lackawanna Limited” or

“Phoebe Snow”

4. Southern Railway “Crescent Limited”

5. Soo Line “Laker”

6. Louiseville & Nashville “Hummingbird”

7. Rock Island “Californian”

8. Monon “Throughbred”

9. Gulf Mobile & Ohio “Midnight Special”

10. Texas & Pacific “Texas Eagle”

11. Seaboard Air Line “Silver Comet”

12. Pennsylvania Manhattan Limited"

13. Nickel Plate Road “City of Chicago”

14. Delaware & Hudson “Montreal Limited”

15. Santa Fe "California Limited

These streamliners are found in the Roundhouse on trainweb.

1. Type in “the roundhouse train web” on google

2. Where it says www.trainweb.org/mccan/offer.htm, click on the link above

3. Your’e In! Classic Streamliners 1960’s is where I got the names.

[Texas_Zephyr]

15. Santa Fe “California Limited”

What special equipment was used in the California Limited? I thought it was equipped with all manufacturer’s catalog equipment. Mostly PS.

[ATSFGuy]

Hi Texas Zephyr,

There were two Trains,

First Section

1. 4-8-2 Steam Locomotive

2. Baggage-buffet club

3. 10 sect-2 draw

4. 6 comp-3 draw

5. Diner

6. Dorm-Buffet Lounge

7. 8 sect, 1 draw-2 comp

8. 10 sect-2 draw

9. 10 sect-2 draw

10. 10 sect-2 draw

11. Observation-3 Comp-2 draw

Second Section

1. 4-8-2 Steam Locomotive

2. Baggage-buffet-club

3. 10 sect-1 draw-2 comp

4. 10 sect-2 draw

5. 12 sect-1 draw

6. Diner

7. Dorm-Buffet-Lounge

8. 12 sect- 1 draw

9. 10 sect- 1 draw-2 comp

10. 12 sect- 1 draw

11. Observation-3 comp-2 draw

Note: These are the Heavyweight Versions c1928-1938

[Texas_Zephyr]

Instead of hoping that some manufacturer will produce that one-of-a-kind postal/aquarium/solarium/diner owned only by the XY&Z railroad, why not learn how to create it yourself

I don’t think anyone is saying that they can’t or won’t build their own cars. I cannot count how many Rivarossi cars I’ve modified through the years. It is just there is only so much time to do things. Personally I don’t want to spend all of of my modeling time just making passenger cars.

[ATSFGuy]

Does anyone know how those passenger car side kits work? someone earlier in the thread mentioned they are easy to apply to the side of existing walthers passenger cars.

Do you remove the roof from the walthers car, take off the old sides, and install the modified sides you want to the walthers car and then put the roof back on?

Or is it the other way around?

[Texas_Zephyr]

I think you miss the point of my statement, but you answered it indirectly. Of the consist given, most of it has been/is available to the modeler in plastic form. The most notible exception would be the 10-2. Those seem to be only available in brass. I’m surprised no one has made that one, since it was a Pullman catalog car not unique to the Santa Fe. Bachmann claims to have made one but upon inspection it is really a 10-1-2. Then I can’t even find the dorm-buffet-lounge in anywhere. I’m wondering if it is called a dorm-buffet-parlor in the Pullman catalog, or has been rebuilt from some other car making it the odd man out “special equipment” car that needs to be produced. So over all we need two cars from completing this train set.

baggage-buffet club - Rivarossi
10 sect-2 draw
6 comp-3 draw - Branch line
Diner - Con-cor, AHM, Walther’s
Dorm-Buffet Lounge
8 sect, 1 draw-2 comp - Con-cor, IHC, Branchline (now Atlas) & walthers.
10 sect- 1 draw-2 comp - Bachman, Branchline & Walther’s
12 sect- 1 draw - Branchline & Walther’s
Obs-3 comp-2 draw - Branchline

[Soo_Line_fan]

ATSF guy,

I have never seen a SOO streamliner. Where are you getting your information from?

[7j43k]

I’d like to see Athearn re-issue their Palace cars. It’s been 7 years. Myself, I’d like some lettered LS&MS.

And it wouldn’t be totally awful to add a coach/parlor. And a full baggage. Maybe even an RPO.

Ed

[ATSFGuy]

Soo Line Jim

Here is where I got the infromation from,

The Roundhouse on trainweb, look in classic streamliners 1960’s.

Type in the Roundhouse train web on Google.