New Railsmith P-S Plan 7510 coach in production

[pdx1955]

Lowell Smith and his Railsmith line have announced  a new- never before seen in N coach based on P-S Plan 7510. Multiple schemes for GN, SP&S, NP along with IC, UP & SP. Orders now being taken! I put in for a NP & UP for my Seattle-Portland pool trains and gives me hope with another car for an NCL...

https://lowellsmith.net/newly-tooled-coach/

[Mark5]

New tooling - cool!

[dem34]

Might actually get a couple GN ones. NJ DOT used them in a patched state during their rainbow period. A great excuse for some variety.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Might actually get a couple GN ones. NJ DOT used them in a patched state during their rainbow period. A great excuse for some variety.

Oh *****, I'd be in for a few Jersey Builder cars.

[nkalanaga]

Did the GN actually have any of these?  I know they bought used coaches from the C&NW, but the window arrangement isn't quite the same.

If so, I might buy one, except that the GN link doesn't work - it isn't a link!

[thomasjmdavis]

Did the GN actually have any of these?  I know they bought used coaches from the C&NW, but the window arrangement isn't quite the same.

If so, I might buy one, except that the GN link doesn't work - it isn't a link!

In his description of the cars, Lowell says:

In that first release, the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, and Spokane, Portland & Seattle painted versions are Pullman plan specific with the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific versions being close, or ‘Classic’ versions of those cars.

Which indicates that the answer is "yes" the GN did have some ("Pullman plan specific").   However, the only references I can find (so far) to these cars on GN are that 1 or 2 of the SP&S cars were painted and lettered for the Empire Builder- and my guess is these ran in place of a 48 seat coach, or as a ???-to-Portland coach.  Based on the what I found, I would think that the cars being in Empire Builder paint would be correct, but with small "SP&S" somewhere, rather than GN per se.

[Philip H]

IC is tempting . . . . just cause . . . .

[Mark5]

In his description of the cars, Lowell says: Which indicates that the answer is "yes" the GN did have some ("Pullman plan specific").   However, the only references I can find (so far) to these cars on GN are that 1 or 2 of the SP&S cars were painted and lettered for the Empire Builder- and my guess is these ran in place of a 48 seat coach, or as a ???-to-Portland coach.  Based on the what I found, I would think that the cars being in Empire Builder paint would be correct, but with small "SP&S" somewhere, rather than GN per se.

I think you nailed it.

From another spot on LS site:
In the late 40’s the SP&S updated its passenger fleet with new cars from the Pullman-Standard company. They were: 1 diner (405), 2 sleeper lounges (600 Mt Hood and 601 Mount St. Helens), 1 Baggage Dorm (75), 5 coaches (301-305). All were delivered to the SP&S in 1950. Three coaches (303-305) received the SP&S four stripe scheme and served on trains 3 & 4 or as needed. The other two coaches (301 & 302) along with all these other new cars, arrived in the orange and green Empire Builder scheme.

https://lowellsmith.net/passenger-service-on-sps/

And from RYPN:

P-S, 1950, Lot #6868:

Five Cars, Plan #7510, 1950, 56 seat coach 8 seat smoker:

SP&S #301 to BN #5671 (applied) and stored in 1971. To wreck train service at unknown date and assigned to Northtown. No further disposition information.

SP&S #302 to BN #5672 (applied) and sold in 1971 to NdeM. No further disposition information.

SP&S #303 to BN #5673 (applied) to wreck train service and assigned to Havre. No further disposition information.

SP&S #304 to BN #5674 (applied) and stored in 1971. To wreck train service at unknown date and assigned to Cicero. No further disposition information.

SP&S #305 to BN #5675 (applied) and sold in 1971 to NdeM. No further disposition information.

http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35609&start=15

Mark

[nkalanaga]

OK, thank you, everybody.  So, the GN cars are prototypical, but probably would not have been seen in Montana.  Looks like I won't need them.  Neither made it into Amtrak service, so that options out as well.  For that matter, the other SP&s cars were also gone by 1974.  Oh well.

The NP cars probably did, so I might still buy one.

If he offers an accurate model of Diner 405 "Columbia" I'll definitely buy one.  It did run in Amtrak service, and I have pictures of it on the Empire Builder.

[sirenwerks]

Did the GN actually have any of these?  I know they bought used coaches from the C&NW, but the window arrangement isn't quite the same.

The C&NW cars you're referring to are the 56 seat coaches made by Centralia Car Shops. They're similar but not the same car.  NP had the C&NW 56 seaters too, along with CB&Q.


I think these cars are 48-seaters.

[thomasjmdavis]

Between the various similar "small window coaches" of 44, 48, 56 and 60 seats (and whatever other numbers in between), the multiple connections between Chicago and Seattle/Portland, the mergers of the 1960s, and that from the mid 60s on, some railroads were trading passenger equipment like kids with baseball cards, this all becomes more than a little confusing.  From the point of view of a kid growing up in Chicago, both the GN and NP trains were viewed as CB&Q- that being the carrier between Chicago and St. Paul (well, I think, unless they were moving behind CNW or MILW power at some point).

I think for NP and SP&S modelers these will be a great addition, and Lowell Smith appears to be headed in the direction of (eventually) having a complete, or pretty close, NCL.  And the current offering is certainly an interesting addition to an Empire Builder.   And who ended up with which coach in what paint scheme after 1965 and into the Amtrak era.....well, luckily my own timeframe is 1956 or thereabouts, so I'll leave others to figure out who owned how many of which former UP-CNW-NP-GN-SP&S-MILW-ETC coach.

[nkalanaga]

Sirenwerks:  Yes, I have some of the 56-seat coaches, Brass Car Sides on core kits.  The GN did run them, rarely, in the Empire Builder.

[sirenwerks]

Sirenwerks:  Yes, I have some of the 56-seat coaches, Brass Car Sides on core kits.  The GN did run them, rarely, in the Empire Builder.

Well, yea, they're not really long distance coaches.  I think the GN picked them up for the international, IIRC.

[nkalanaga]

The GN always had a "short-haul" coach of some kind on the streamlined Empire Builder.  Usually it was one of the original 60-seat coaches, which Con-Cor made way back in the late 60s, and probably still sells.  once in a while, for whatever reason, one of the 56-seat cars would be substituted.  Most of the "flat-top" coaches on the EB were 48 seat cars, although the second-hand 44-seat cars may have appeared once in a while.

The EB carried a surprising number of local passengers, usually one who found the schedule more convenient than the Western Star.  Amtrak's EB still has a good local ridership, especially in North Dakota and Montana.

[bbussey]

I received my Mobilgas and Esso trucks today.  Very nice.

The wheels are bare plastic instead of painted.  But they are molded in a weathered-black, as opposed to other components of the model that are molded in true black.  A little flat finish will take care of it.