I see Walthers are releasing HO heavyweight passenger cars, ready to run.
I am considering a set of UP when released.
What prototype loco would suit these cars?
Also the HO Walthers budd passenger cars in ATSF, what loco could be recommended for these cars?
Thanks in advance.
Heavyweight steel cars were mostly built from the end of the wood car era, say about 1910, to the streamlined car era, around the time of WWII. And since passenger cars have a useful life of about 40 years, some of them ran into the 1960s. I suspect there were some heavy weight baggage cars right to the Amtrak era. Some survived in work train service longer than that.
So early years would be steam – such as 4-6-2s, 4-8-2, 4-8-4s, – then early diesels, then F and E units, and perhaps some steam generator equipped GP7s or 9s.
The UP really liked streamlined cars for their name trains from the 1930s but I cannot say what lesser trains or mail runs might have used heavyweight cars into the E8/E9 era. Probably at least a few.
Dave Nelson
UP
Personnally, I would go with a BLI MT73 4-8-2 or a LL P1K FM Erie-Built A-A set. But here are some other suitable choices:
Intermountain Railway Company Walthers Mfg # 85
44003 EMD Diesel F7A Phase I Shell Kit – Union Pacific (Armour Yellow & Harbor Mist Gray paint scheme) HO
74.95 Y Disc. when Sold Out
44503 EMD Diesel F7B Shell Kit – Union Pacific HO 64.95 Y Disc. when Sold Out
49003 Assembled Body Shell Only - EMD F7A Phase I – Union Pacific (Armour Yellow, Harbor Mist Gray, red
lettering) HO 84.95 N Spec. Ord.
69203 Assembled Body Shell Only - EMD F7A Phase II – Union Pacific HO TBA N TBA
490031 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7A Phase I Powered, Assembled – Union Pacific (yellow, gray, red lettering)
HO 129.95 N Spec. Ord.
490032 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7A Phase I Smart Dummy - Assembled – Union Pacific HO 89.95 N TBA
491031 Regal Line Diesel EMD F3A Phase II Powered - Assembled – Union Pacific HO 129.95 N TBA
495031 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7B Phase I Powered, Assembled – Union Pacific HO 119.95 N Unknown
495032 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7B Phase I Smart Dummy, Assembled – Union Pacific HO 89.95 N Unknown
496031 Regal Line Diesel EMD F3B Phase II Powered, Assembled – Union Pacific HO 124.95 N TBA
Athearn Inc Walthers Mfg # 140
3213 Diesel EMD F7A Powered - Super w/Flywheel – Union Pacific (yellow, gray, red) HO 39.50 Y Disc. when
Sold Out
3214 Diesel EMD F7B Powered “Super” w/Flywheel – Union Pacific (yellow, gray, red) HO 39.50 Y Disc. when
Sold Out
Athearn-Genesis Walthers Mfg # 141
2606 Diesel EMD F3A-B Set Powered, Assembled – Union Pacific #1449 & 1440 (Freight) HO 239.98 N
For ATSF Personnally, I would go with a BLI 4-8-4 or a LL P1K DL109 A-A set. But here are some other suitable choices:
The FM and Baldwin switchers were used to move the cars around the yards.
Intermountain Railway Company Walthers Mfg # 85
49005 Assembled Body Shell Only - EMD F7A Phase I – Santa Fe “Warbonnet” HO 89.95 N
find it Unknown
69205 Assembled Body Shell Only - EMD F7A Phase II – Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe HO TBA N TBA
490051 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7A Phase I Powered, Assembled – Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Passenger “Warbonnet” (silver, red) HO 134.95 Y
490052 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7A Phase I Smart Dummy - Assembled – Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe “Warbonnet” HO 94.95 N TBA
490211 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7A Phase I Powered, Assembled – Santa Fe (Passenger “Yellowbonnet” silver w/yellow nose) HO 134.95 N Unknown
490221 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7A Phase I Powered, Assembled – Santa Fe “Bluebonnet” (slver, blue, yellow stripes & nose herald) HO 134.95 N
find it Unknown
491051 Regal Line Diesel EMD F3A Phase II Powered, Decorated w/Drive - Assembled – Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe “Warbonnet” HO 129.95 N TBA
491052 EMD F3A “Smart” Dummy - Assembled – Santa Fe Warbonnet HO 94.95 N TBA
495051 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7B Phase I Powered, Assembled – Santa Fe “Warbonnet” HO 124.95 N Unknown
495052 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7B Phase I Smart Dummy, Assembled – Santa Fe “Warbonnet” HO 94.95 N Spec. Ord.
495211 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7B Phase I Powered, Assembled – Santa Fe (Passenger “Yellowbonnet” silver w/yellow nose) HO 124.95 N
find it Spec. Ord.
495212 Regal Line Diesel EMD F7B Phase I Smart Dummy, Assembled – Santa Fe (Passenger “Yellowbonnet” silver w/yellow nose) HO
The best choice for Santa Fe locomotives with the Walthers Budd cars will be F7 diesels. They were used all over the railroad, on nearly all if not all of the road’s passenger trains, from 1949 through the early Amtrak years of the early 1970s. Athearn (regular line) Athearn Genesis and Intermountain all make Santa Fe passenger F7s.
I wouldn’t use a pair of DL109s if you want to be true to the prototype. Santa Fe only had one of these units (#50).
–John
I have seen a picture of Santa Fe DL-109 #50 with a E B-unit.
True, Santa Fe had only one DL109–and a matching DL110 “B” unit. That Lifelike choose the Santa Fe version of the DL109 for their model drives New Haven fans batty. Only 4 DL110s were built–the other three went to Southern–so the odds of it appearing in plastic are extremely remote. You could run it with an E “B”-unit, or a Proto 1000 Erie-Built “B” unit , or you could get a set of the Erie-Builts in Santa Fe, or possibly Proto 2000 E-units, or take fiverings’s advice and get F7s.
Gary
Walthers & Athearn are releasing a new A-B-B-A F7 set to go along with the Walthers Super Chief series of Budd cars, and are due out in September.
The Santa Fe Walthers streamlined Super Chief Car would be most suitably be pulled by an A-B-B-A sets of EMD F7 diesels this is what the prototype was assigned.
As for heavyweight UP cars try a UP F-E-F class 4-8-4 or 4-8-2 or 4-6-2 Pacific all pulled heavyweights on the UP. I’m strictly talking prototype.