Where are the combine’s and RPOs? RPO was a big revenue generator. And combine’s were essential for all those first class passengers and their extra baggage.
The only other one I can find is made by IHC, and it’s…“lacking”
ABSOLUTELY!!!
Some days ago I emailed them and asked if they at least plan a rerun of their TRAINLINE RPOs. These were VERY NICE models! I never understand why they offered it for such a short time. No reply up to date.
But perhaps they are even RETOOLING it…?
I don’t know whats missing. But for $44.95 list price, they could include the lights in the price!
I did manage to find a Trainline RPO, in the Union Pacific scheme, which I plan to repaint in another road. If you check some of the online discounters, you may find some Trainline RPOs. I would suggest buying whatever roads you can get, and repainting them. You may find a couple, in the less popular and slower selling roads.
Sadly, while my assembly skills are great, my airbrush painting skills are pathetic.
One has to wonder what the manufacturers are thinking. PRR R50b express cars are unavailable also after a great run. Why sink all that money into diework and not keep the sales going. Making everything a limited run hurts the hobby in my opinion. Not everyone has the time or money when something is first released or announced. Irv Athearn is probably puking in his grave. He was personally responsible for keeping the hobby afordable and well stocked. Maybe not accurately but you knew you could always get it.
I agree. Baggage, rpo, diners and parlor cars are sadly lacking from both Walthers and Branchline.
If they don’t get on the band wagon soon, one day all of us old timers who model the Heavy Weight era will have gone to that great model railroad club in the sky and the market for HW cars will go there with them.
What is wrong with the Walthers diner?
Walthers Pullman Heavyweight Parlor Car:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-10301
Walthers Pullman-built Heavyweight Diner:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-10150
Walthers ACF 70’ Baggage-Express:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-10549
[:)]
Perhaps they don’t have enough styles? Personally I think they have a fair amount of choices… though it could always be improved I guess [:)]
And how about an 85’ ATSF style HW baggage? Available in N, but have not been able to find a single one in HO from any manufacturer.
I bought two Mail Storage cars (Baggage car) and called it good enough.
They have LOTS of RPO’s in other kinds of passenger cars but none for the Heavyweights.
I dont think a 60’ RPO trainline model is going to cut it either…they really need to finish up the Heavyweights with the RPO.
If it’s the length you’re objecting to, that’s an accurate length for the RPO they modeled it after. 60 feet was a common maximum length for heavyweight full RPOs. While a few roads had 70-foot full RPOs (Pennsy, for one), the photos I’ve seen over the years have the roads with 60-foot heavyweight full RPOs far outnumbering those with longer ones.
Now if you start talking RPO/baggages and RPO/baggage/coaches, then yeah, 70 feet and up makes sense. I’d like to see a RPO/baggage/coach made available, and maybe a baggage/RPO with two baggage doors on each side, along with the RPO section. Several roads in the Midwest had those. The baggage/RPO/coach would be a natural for small layouts.
And how about some head-end equipment with arch roofs? The Walthers modernized version of their paired window coach has an arch roof, but an arch roof baggage/RPO would sure be nice. Or a 60 to 64-foot arch-roof baggage car. The Pennsy B60’s shape doesn’t quite cut it as a stand-in for many other roads’ arch roof cars.
Depending on how fussy you are, or how much work you care to put into it, the old Rivarossi RPO can be made into an acceptable car.
Likewise for a combine. I added a few New England Rail Services windows to mine.
You can also kitbash Athearn baggage cars: this one is made from two cars, using the ends with the larger doors, although the car could be left as-is, with just a new, scratchbuilt floor added. The same goes for their RPO. I added some windows from an Athearn Pullman, as I converted a number of them into wood-sided cars. In the era that I model, the '30s, windows in baggage cars were quite common.
This car is a Rivarossi coach with most of the windows blanked (a common practice on the prototype), and new scratchbuilt doors added. You could do the same with the Athearn arched-roof coach, creating either a baggage car or an RPO. These would need a new floor/underframe, too, an easy task.
Wayne
Athearn, Ready to Roll, has some decent RPOs. I have a couple.
http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH78772
What about Bachman Spectrum for combines?
What about Bethlehem Car Works for RPOs?
Walthers has a baggage car as part of it’s heavyweight line now too, with two different door styles for different time periods.
Cheers!
~METRO
What is wrong with the Walthers diner?
Well GandyDancer, I just ordered two of them so I won’t be able to answer your question until I see them.
I probably will have to chop them up and kitbash the two of them to New Havenize them. Hopefully, not. Being in Mill Walkie, Walther’s has always tilted strongly in favor of local buildings and mid west roads.[:)]
I remember the older Walthers cars (metal and wood) and they had a wonderful myriad of head-end equipment (still have a couple). Like a lot of you, I’m wondering why they’re so skimpy on this equipment in their new plastic ready-to-run heavyweight cars? Heck, they even had a really COOL Pennsylvania ‘horse’-car baggage (one of which I have). Someone needs to remind Walthers that passenger trains during the ‘golden era’ weren’t all Pullmans. Some trains had almost as many head-end cars as they had passenger cars, that’s what helped make passenger trains so darned fascinating back then.
Tom
One possible reason for the dearth of RPOs and combines is that, typically, a given train would only have one of each, limiting the likelihood of multiple sales (although the same thing could be said for diners which they have brought out)
There is definitely a shortage of baggage/express cars. It is a particular shame because that was where the profit-generating revenue (in addition to the bar in the club car) came from…and express trains offer lots of switching opportunities.
Mark
You can kitbash headend cars fairly easily by using readily available passenger cars. Here’s a link to thread that gives a brief outline of the work involved. If you’re on dial-up, be forewarned: lots of pictures.
or, if you just want to look at thumbnails (they’ll enlarge if you click on them), try here:
For those who can’t be bothered to look, here are a few examples:
The first four of these wood-sided cars were built from Athearn Pullmans, the horse express car is from a Rivarrossi coach, and the free-lanced combine is an ex-Rivarossi diner.
Wayne