Picking up a baggage car for our Santa Fe passenger train that began with no locomotive and only four cars. Now we have a pair of Atlas FP7A in rare yellow and blue plus six cars and an express reefer. The situation is getting out of control on our CPR mainline.
Inside the usual BB “undecorated” box was a stainless steel painted body with the window blanks still in place, only one set of windows unfortunately, but also a pair of Central Valley trucks complete with Kadee #506 coupler conversions. These trucks are the snap in type which are very handy indeed. Plus a pair of Walthers diaphrams…
US$7. For it all. I’m pleased.
Its fun to get those pleasant surprises. Sometimes sellers aren’t modelers and dont know the diff. Or sell under the wrong category. Pays to have a sharp eye! Dan
The other pleasant aspect to these surprises is completing a project conceived by someone else and quite some time ago usually. Model railroading has two historical perspectives: the actual prototype history and the history of modelling itself. Both are interesting.
Improving a BB kit is still a worthwhile project. The originals were very good for the time and a little improvement yields big benefits.
Our Budd, sort of, baggage car fills out the train nicely to seven cars. Just a diner and maybe a RPO or combination car to find now.
Plus one side set of windows…
I like surprises.
Last surprise I got was where I purchased a auction item for the body shell and frame, and ended up with a set of Genesis power trucks, and a A-line motor, neither of which were listed as included.
Bought some unbuilt building kits from the thrift store and when I got home discovered two full sealed packs of HO rail joiners inside of one box. Bingo!