Hi, all…
I’m building an HO shelf layout and I’m considering elevated subway tracks as a part of the background scenery. I only have space for about 18" of track, so an operating track is out of the question. I’d like to place some subway cars on the elevated track for photo purposes. Any suggestions as to where I can get two dummy HO subway cars?
Thanks in advance for any replies!
Bruce J.
Life Like sells their subway car sets with one powered car and three dummies. I have seen extra cars sold separatly but i can’t remember where. Look for them on ebay.
If it’s just for photos, maybe you could borrow some. What part of the world do you live in?
Life-Like has been absorbed by Walthers, so they now own the 4-car sets mentioned earlier. You might try calling Walthers (www.walthers.com) and asking if they have any dummy cars left over from earlier production runs or defective returns.
Trainworld (www.trainworld.com) has the best prices on the sets. If nothing else pans out, you could buy a set for under a hundred dollars if you watch the ads in MR. Keep the powered unit for that big dream layout you’re going to build some day.
Bruce, resin subway/elevated cars are available from several niche manufacturers but are far from cheap. However, unless you are overly prototypically oriented, for a simple background stand-in for an evevated car a kitbashed item is much more reasonable then spending big bucks on an accurate model. I followed this route when I needed a static car for my city’s elevated line, pictured below, for which I employed a vintage John English shorty passenger car which I modified. Since the operating trains are the layout’s prime focus, viewers rarely notice any inconsistancies in the elevated car in the background.
CNJ831
http://www.islandmodelworks.com/Chicago.html
another source if you don’t mind finding trucks and painting is here.
Great source for Chicago and other lines