Penn Central passenger cars

[Rich Reinhart]

I have the Kato E8 and PC passenger car set on order, What other cars in N scale would be a good fit to add to the cars Kato is coming out with? Some  PRR or NYC perhaps?

[Bob Bufkin]

Most any post WWII PRR or NYC cars would do.  Most of the cars that come with Kato's Broadway set will work.  Leave as is on some and remove the Pennsylvanis and Pullman names from the sides (I find this easy to remove without potching up the paint underneath) and slap a couple PC emblmes on the side and if you can find decals with the word sleeper - place those where the Pullman used to be.  If you can get a hold of a PC color guide (Morning Sun Books) you can get a general idea of what PC ran before Amtrak took over.  Can't really help with ex NYC cars but I bet there are plenty that could be used.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Were any of the new MTL heavyweights still hanging on in the PC era?

[wm3798]

Here's some ex NYC baggage cars that lingered on in Lancaster into the early 1980's...


I was told the hinged ends were to accommodate the loading and unloading of theater sets for traveling Broadway productions.

Lee

[Sokramiketes]

Were any of the new MTL heavyweights still hanging on in the PC era?

Heavyweights, sure.  Those specific PRR releases, they didn't exist, so you're asking a trick question. 

[Bob Bufkin]

A lot of those heavyweights went into work train use.  Paint them yellow with black markings.  I guess some of those might even been around for Conrail.

[jmlaboda]

"A lot of those heavyweights went into work train use."

Bob's got a good point.  By the time PC was created many of the lesser trains were already discontinued or were about to be so PC would have had surplus equipment, with Pullman sleepers being only left for dead or transferred to MofW service.

As far as what cars could go with your PC E8s... Kato's Budd 21 roomette car could be good, if you want to model a commuter run.  All (or nearly all) were rebuilt into commuter coaches with the paint removed from the sides revealing the stainless steel, with a black rectangle having the Penn Central name in white.

It is also possible to use some of Kato's original Budd coaches in commuter service, representing fairly closely the Budd coaches that were sold to PC by ATSF.  Like the 21-roomette sleepers mentioned above the cars would be stainless steel with the black name panel and black roof, but also having either an MTA or NJDOT herald to represent who actually owned the car for service on PC commuter trains.

You also could effectively use the Kato UP coach since PC acquired some.  UP 5423, 5426, 5429, 5430, 5436 and 5445 were all sold to PC and were placed into service as PC 3000 - 3005.  The cars were painted in PC's passenger green with black roofs.

Walthers 10 roomette - 6 double bedroom sleeper in both the smooth sided and corrugated styles would be appropriate for PC since PRR owned both versions, the stainless steel cars representative of the cars used on Florida trains as well as interline cars with Southern Railway (built for Crescent service).  The same would be true of the Eastern Seaboard Models 10-6 sleeper (if they are still available) as would be the New Haven brass car sides that use to be produced by them.

Laser Horizons offers a number of side kits for both NYC and PRR that would be appropriate for the PC as well.  They are available through Pro Custom Hobbies (a link can be found at the N-scale Varnish List's links page under Manufacturers).

There are other cars but at present I don't have a lot of time to dig them up.  You might want to visit the Penn Central page at the Passenger Car Photo Index website (link below) where you might find some cars that match, yourself.  Once I have a little more time I will dig through what I know of and will try to post these later.

[jmlaboda]

Here are a few more:

PRR 8449 Silver Rapids, a ten roomette - 6 double bedroom car from the Kato California Zephyr set as PC 4378.

NYC 3000-series 64-seat coach from Walthers 64-seat coach (smooth sided for commuter service), PC 1400 - 1424 (ex-PRR, nee-NYC 1967), 3000-series (3004, 3008, 3103, 3106, 3111, 3120, 3121, 3123, 3139, 3146 and 3151), 3600 - 3638, and the 2115 - 2139 (108-seat commuter coaches rebuilt from 64-seat cars).

PRR Imperial-series Kato 4 double bedroom - 4 compartment - 2 drawing room sleepers to PC 4385 - 4399.

One ACF twin-unit diner (Kato Broadway set) to PC 4608 (table car) and 4609 kitchen-dorm).

PS Rapids-series 10 roomette - 6 double bedroom sleepers (Kato Broadway set) to PC 4315 - 4317, 4325, 4332, 4336, 4337, 4346 and 4354.

[Bob Bufkin]

Don't forget the Hellgate B60bs.  Either in tuscan red or Pearlman green.  Considering these cars were built in the late 20's, they led a long and useful life.  Some even made it in Conrail.  A couple of these cars with a lone coach would be a typical train for that era. 

[bbussey]

... The same would be true of the Eastern Seaboard Models 10-6 sleeper (if they are still available) as would be the New Haven brass car sides that use to be produced by them...

The undec plastic 10-6 car sides are still in stock (#3114), as well as the plastic 14-4 car sides already decorated for Penn Central in four car names (#3110).  The etched sides and kits have been discontinued for years.

[Dave V]

Does anyone make N scale PC passenger decals?  In particular I'm interested in the yellow or buff worms that go with the PRR Tuscan paint-outs...

[Rich Reinhart]

Thanks guys, great input, and Bob, I do have a copy of the Penn Central, Dont know why I didnt look there first..

[seusscaboose]

Here's some ex NYC baggage cars that lingered on in Lancaster into the early 1980's...


I was told the hinged ends were to accommodate the loading and unloading of theater sets for traveling Broadway productions.

Lee

There is still one of these cars @ the Mad River museum in Bellevue, Ohio.  Former NYC. 

I know for a fact that automobiles (and pretty much any large custom freight) were also moved via these hinged doors.

EP

[Dave V]

Those two baggage cars were in Lancaster through the 90s and are now at Strasburg.  As of last year I saw them on the tail track beyond the 741 crossing.  I saw them before and after they were primed.

[FrankCampagna]

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Near the start, a good view of heavyweights in work train service. Nice perishable train, also. Gotta get some stock cars. Lots of PC videos on Youtube.

Frank