I’d like to run 85 footers, but not with mainline curves rarely better than 30" - 33", and down to 24" on a few short arcs of hidden track. Would like a couple coaches, a baggage/RPO, maybe a diner and definitely a rear platform observation. Road names not important, as I want Wabash and I’ll probably have to custom paint and decal them. Info on Wabash pax decals appreciated also.
might take a little fiddling, though the Walthers 80’ (85’?) heavyweights run OK on 24" curves.
These are Rivarossi coaches:
I have 3 coaches and a baggage car. I’m not sure what else they come with. These came undecorated, in the green color shown. They will work on 18-inch radius right out of the box. They have an unpainted interior and are not illuminated. I added lighting, and while I was at it I painted the seats and added a few figures.
Your curves would be large enough to handle the full length cars especially the ones that have couplers mounted on the trucks, such as AHM/Rivarossi. There would be overhang however, and in a sense full length cars tend to make 30" radius curves look tighter than they need to look.
Rather than ratchet all the way down to 60’ cars, why not try to locate the old Athearn passenger cars that were typically in the 73 foot range? They tend to look full length unless and until they are near a true full length 80’ to 85’ car. They can handle your tightest curve with ease and would make your maxiumum curves look very good indeed.
Dave Nelson
The Athearn heavywights will handle 18 inch curves, no sweat. If memory serves they measure 72 HO feet long. And they really look like what a heavyweight car oughta look like.
I have mainly 26 to 32ish radius curves on my layout with one area that goes down to 24. I bought Athearn heavyweights for two reasons. One, they wouldn’t have the overhang like full length, and two, they were cheap cheap cheap! I bought six cars off of ebay for $40 plus shipping. I stripped and repainted them Pullman green, then decaled for CNW. I added Kadee couplers, metal wheels and cheap diaphragms. All in all I have under $100 into six cars. I elected to keep the truck mounted couplers, which I’ve never had a problem with. I know they don’t have near the detail as Walthers or others, but they made for some fun modeling and learning.
Here they are after new paint but without the diaphragms.
The Athearn Ready to Roll cars are the same as the old Blue Box kits. If you can not locate the BB on the train show “used” sale tables, the RTR ones would be a choice since BF&RD will have to strip and custom paint to get Wabash.
Walthers produced 60’ cars in their Trainline series a few years ago. I believe they were former Rivirossi Cars. You can find them on ebay frequently.
Jay
Rivarossi has re-released the 60’ coaches in a limited number of road names.
Con-cor has also recently released a series of 65’ coaches in sets of 4, a baggage/mail, a combine, a coach and a solarium car.
These coaches come in a wide variety of roadnames, they are very well detailed and have interiors and lighting.