I would like to ask for help with UP passenger cars. I have some passenger train sets - Great Northern Empire Builder and Santa Fe Super Chief.
I am thinking about one modern passenger train now. I like yellow UP cars which I found in the last Walthers Flyer (page 3.) but I am not sure it they are modern cars which are used
these days and how should be a proper consist for these cars. There are six cars in a new announcement from Walthers. Is this a complet set or maybe it is an extension of existing cars ?
I found some other UP cars (City Scheme) but they seems to be cars in 1950-60.
Could you help me with setting up a proper consist please? Which cars should I buy to have quite real train? Which locomotives runs with these cars?
I own both engines (MTH models) but these trains seems to be special train - Operation Lifesaver, SFWTY-28, SOAWC 22. I am again not sure which cars are used for these trains.
Which models should I buy?
There is no sign of the leading car (which I think is a dormitory car modified to provide head end power) nor the trailing observation car, which I think is a business car.
It doesn’t look much like either business car in the posted photo, but it would be suitable for UP Heritage trains. I have a Kato Business car in ATSF colours and it is excellent.
Most of UP’s business fleet have been reworked. The rooms modified and windows added/subtracted from the walls as needed. Here is a list of most of UP’s business fleet form the Union Pacific website
That last car is the Theate car, the one with the glass end on that. The omly HO car is Brass, ot you can get the fittings to make one.
Those Heritage engines that you asre seeing are popular for public(ity) trains, but it really doesn’t matter. 1996 (The Southern Pacific engine) has shown up on freight trasins in Avon IN a number fo times (usually at dark and when I don’t know about it… grr…) and when it coems down to it, an SD70 is an SD70. I’ve seen the D&RGW engine on a business train before, and I’ve seen the typical UP flag engine up front. So you’re just fine with usung whichever you want to that day.
The UP train I’m buinding will be basically the Walthers fleet, plus a Rpaido coach, Kato’s Cheyenne (which is in no way accurate, nor is the color even close, but it sure looks nice) and a Spectrum heavyweight sleeper. (At one time, a few of those were still around). I’ll also be including a Walthers baggage car, and modifying one of the Dorm sleepers to look like a power car. There’s no real rhyme or reason to the trains, the trains to Cheyenne for the rodeo will be longer than s few executives going to an FRA meeting. And, I’m going to throw this behind a Big Boy with Elephant Ear deflectors on it, so I’m not going to go too crazy about consist. Your best bet would be to hunt down some pics of the train you want that will fit your layout, and compare windows to the Walthers catalog, and the list of cars on UP’s site, and go from there.
Overland Models has just announced the “flag” scheme car and the ‘theater’ observation car in the august issue of MRR- Brian hasn’t responded ot my email yet but you’re probably looking at about $900 each retail, so I would expect to pay around $790.00.
Walthers is also introducing some ‘Heritage’ cars this fall based on existing ‘Cities’ series cars recently released, but with printed names of the Heritage cars.
Overland has offered several differnet runs of the UP Business train ovet the years but they are very expensive and hard to come by.
There’s 844, a UP SD70 or something, then a tool car, a baggage, a crew dorm, and a baggage. That last car looks like an RPO filled in. If you look through the detail parts section, I think you can find enough louvers and exhaust stacks to make a convincing power car.
