When were they in service? Have anyone tried them , are they any good? Any advice?
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/932-10110
Thanks for your time, Magnus
In general, heavy weight coaches were used from the early 1900’s up to the fifties. I am not sure how accurate that one is, but it looks like a typical heavy weight coach. Most of them went out of favor since they did not have air conditioning when built and this had to be added.
On a model railroad, it should fit into the steam and diesel era with the light weight streamline cars being used for the name trains most of the time.
B&O ran cars very much like this – if not identical – from the Thirties to the end of passenger service. I don’t think this particular paint scheme was used until right after WW II but I’m not sure of that. Also, coaches like this would have been relegated to local and branch line service before the end of passenger service. Some ended their days in Maintenance of Way (work) train service with heavy modifications.
I have a couple of Walthers’ Pullmans from this series and they appear to be excellent cars. I’m assuming the coaches would be just as good.
My biggest problem with the Pullmans (lettered PULLMAN) is that Walthers gave them a fairly dull finish and suggests that the handrails should be painted to match the finish. George M Pullman is spinning in his grave! He insisted that the green of these cars be shiny and kept that way. Pullman porters were expected to polish handrails at every opportunity. Heaven forbid that madam should get a speck of dirt on her gloves from touching a Pullman handrail.
You might be right if it was a ‘Pullman Sleeper’ owned by Pullman with Pullman’s Porters - as opposed to a Pullman built COACH (as pictured). Pullman lost their ‘sleeper exclusivity’ in a landmark Anti-trust case, I believe in the early 40’s, and also built freight and passenger cars.
Santa Fe’s Pullman Sleepers reverted to Santa Fe ownership and management. I would imagine that the unionized Porters just switched over.
But cefinkjr’s basic point remains – even in the declining years of pre Amtrak passenger service, cars were generally shiny. I am convinced that that hardest thing to model convincingly is a gloss finish. When I see all these automobiles on layouts in MR or RMC and see the dead flat finish – face it, how often do you see a car or even a truck look like that? Even in junk yards most cars still shine. A dead chalky finish is the exception but on most layouts it is the rule because a gloss finish rarely looks convincing on a model, either automobiles or passenger cars.
I do now know why this is so, it just is.
Dave Nelson
Be`aware that Walthers 85’ passenger cars require at least 24" radius. You will likely be disappointed with their tracking on anything smaller.
One thing about automobiles and trucks, when your standing close to them, like a parking lot. the finish is shiny, but look at the in a scale perspective, like at 70 to 100 yards away and the shine diminishes. Look at vehicles way across the parking lot, especially from a higher vantage point, a third or fourth story for instance and the color is dull, most of the shine is off of the windsheilds…
Getting back on topic 
Some railroads used their older heavyweight cars in commuter service. For example, the Pennsy had a fleet of P70 coaches that were ‘downgraded’ as newer long-haul cars were purchased. These P70s, some of which had been rebuilt a few times, were later fitted with sealed windows and air conditioning. Several lasted into Penn Central commuter service. By then though, they were in pretty bad shape!
I think that passenger cars shouldn’t be overly shiny. A clear “semigloss” finish might look better, than the flat finishes on many model cars.
Guys,
Actually heavy weight cars survived into the 1960s. You can see photos of them in Don Ball books.
The CB&Q deliberately downgraded its service on one its popular lines. President Lou Menk wanted passenger trains gone from “his railroad” so he did what he could to hurt the patronage. One of his actions was to remove streamlined cars from two of the trains and substitue them with older heavyweight coaches.
Pennsy also used heavyweight coaches on some of its local runs in the northeast corridor, including the famous “Clocker” service trains. The cars, though, were kept in decent shape up until the Penn Central merger.
New York Central mixed heavyweight and streamlined cars on its 2nd class passenger runs.
If I had to guess, I would say in the 1930s. Just like the description says.
“Based on a Baltimore & Ohio prototype (Pullman plan #2882-B), this car is typical of coaches rebuilt by many roads for all types of service during the 1930s.”
As noted above many (most?) RRs used heavywieght coaches until the 1971 inception of Amtrak. The Soo Line for one never owned a lightwieght coach. Many roads downgraded heavywieght coaches and (w/ rebuilt interiors) Pullmans for commuter service. The time frame for the dimunition of Pullman owned and operated sleepers was 1947or 1948. The drill in most cases was for the RR to buy the Pullmans assigned to it and then lease them to Pullman for operation.
As for exterior finish, since I use Scalecoat paint almost exclusively, I get a high gloss finish which, while great for decals, doesn’t work for a car that’s seen any service beyond the trip from the paint shop to the coach yard. I find that a final coat of 1 part Dullcoat to 4 parts Glosscoat does a good job of representing a car in service and well maintained
Well that is rather obvious? What I wanted to know is during wich time where they in use? Assuming that on 1 January 1940 they didn’t pull them out on all lines.
Thanks everyone who answered the question for me, I will now see if I can get a hold of a few to run on my late 50´s RR.
Magnus
Oh, ok. Maybe you should’ve said that the first time, then.
Chill a bit. It wasn’t an unreasonable question. The guy’s in Sweden besides!
Now, I don’t want to get in to an argument of something as trivial as this, especially not an internet argument. But, if you re-read my initial question it was :
Wich for me atleast asks the question of wich time these were in use, not when they were built? I do hope my English is not so crappy that I can’t make myself understood at all? The other seems to have understood it? Also as noted, being from Sweden, I didn’t even know what a Pullman heawyweight was two months ago, if I would have had to guess I would have guessed on a giant cheeseburger from Milwaukee.
Anyways, it’s childish to start an argument I hope that we can leave this behind us now and go on with more impotant stuff, like MRR.
Love peace and the rest, Magnus
Lillen,
Is there a particular American railroad that you’re going to model? For that time period there is a huge variety.
Heavyweight cars were often painted in plain, drab colors, but a few railroads dressed up theirs in snappy eye-catching schemes. Check out the Walther’s website for their heavyweight car selection.
I have not yet decided on a specific RR, I keep going back and forth between diferent RR. So I think I will frelance and get what I like based on looks rather then what is right. I do want the time factor to be right though but make up a story about why certain rolling stock is there or not. I think I will choose som B&O passanger cars since I think they are stunning in there aperance. Any other sugestions about good looking passenger car painting styles?
Oh, another question, what engine should pull them? I want a steamer for this one, perhaps not the most logical but certainly the most apealing to me.
Magnus
Some railroads used steam engines on their passenger trains. During the late 1940s to early 1950s, diesels started showing up instead. For example, the PRR liked to use their K4 steam engines…until they were replaced with E7 and E8 passenger units. These were their standard passenger power until the end of the PRR in 1968. The B&O had E units as well, unfortunately I don’t know much about that road.
If you really want to have fun though, move your timeframe ahead to the early 1970s. Amtrak trains were pretty colorful then–Penn Central E units, cars from PC, Santa Fe, Great Northern, Union Pacific, and others were commonly in the same train as equipment was shuffled around.
No, no. I wasn’t arguing. I merely was saying that I misunderstood. I took for granted you meant the question as literally as I took it in the original post. That’s why I posted the item discription from Walthers. I thought maybe you had missed it. Once you expounded a bit, I understood what you meant.
Then I understand, I thought you were being smart with me! Sorry for the missunderstanding on my part aswell.
On the subject of modelling the 70’s, I have been thinking about it, or rather the 80’s but it’s the steam engines that pulls me to the 50’s. Otherwise I would love to do all kind of crazy 80’s billboard and advertisement on the stations and buildings. Oh, the decisions!
Magnus