Micro Trains CN head end car

[central.vermont]

Has Micro Trains stopped putting end reporting marks on their cars? It's been a loooooooooooong time since I purchased anything MT until this CN head end car came out.
I ask this because this car doesn't have any end reporting marks on it? Not disappointed just surprised not too see any or did I get an error car that's now worth lots of money to the collectors crowd. 

Jon

[peteski]

Not that I have noticed. I buy their releases rather regularly and even most of the weathered cars have end reporting marks.

[lock4244]

I don't see any on the end of this car, but can only see one side of the end (it's also a refer, not baggage).

http://www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=51293&g2_imageViewsIndex=2

[nkalanaga]

If it was intended for passenger train service only, would it have end reporting marks?  Most conventional baggage cars don't seem to.

[Big Train]

central.vermont

Sorry to burst your bubble about a potential collector car.....upon checking my MicroTrains, it doesn't have the car number applied on the ends.

<humour>Unless two slipped past QA.....now any potential collector car value is now halved</>

[thomasjmdavis]

The model represents a car used in passenger service.  Many US lines had similar cars, although in the US they would more commonly be called "box express."  I am not sure the car is particularly accurate in terms of ends, roof detail, or dimensions, but the paint and lettering look spot on compared to photos.

http://rr-fallenflags.org/cn/cn11034jpa.jpg

and

http://passcarphotos.info/Indices/CN3.htm (check cars in the 11000 series- some views in newer wet noodle paint).

[Paradise275]

A similar Through Baggage car produced 6 or 7 years ago by Life Like Products Canada (Canadian Hobbycraft Ltd.)
had very small print end reporting numbers on both ends. You have to look very hard to see them though.

Rick

[Puddington]

A similar Through Baggage car produced 6 or 7 years ago by Life Like Products Canada (Canadian Hobbycraft Ltd.)
had very small print end reporting numbers on both ends. You have to look very hard to see them though.

Rick

With due respect to LL, I wouldn't use that release of cars as a creditable reference for anything.

[bbussey]

I wonder why they didn't use BX express trucks instead of slapping on Barber RBs?  The bolster crossbars are the same for all of the four-wheel trucks, so they could have used the short-arm bolster to mold the trucks.

Also, what is the true origin of the prototype?  I know it wasn't PS-1.  Looking at prototype photos it seems as if it was CN home-built.

[Paradise275]

Mike,
 at the time Life Like Canada made it, there was nothing else available.
Rapido still have not made any head end cars for any of their N scale passenger trains, CN included.
You make do with what is available waiting for something better to come along.
The MTL CN through baggage is a great car and can run with my Rapido CN passenger cars.

Rick

[Puddington]

Mike,
 at the time Life Like Canada made it, there was nothing else available.
Rapido still have not made any head end cars for any of their N scale passenger trains, CN included.
You make do with what is available waiting for something better to come along.
The MTL CN through baggage is a great car and can run with my Rapido CN passenger cars.

Rick

Rick: I have a couple and am not saying anything negative except the cars are not to be used as a prototypical reference; they are fine stand ii's without a doubt.

[central.vermont]

I wonder why they didn't use BX express trucks instead of slapping on Barber RBs?  The bolster crossbars are the same for all of the four-wheel trucks, so they could have used the short-arm bolster to mold the trucks.

Also, what is the true origin of the prototype?  I know it wasn't PS-1.  Looking at prototype photos it seems as if it was CN home-built.

Bryan,
Check out this picture. http://www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=32750&g2_serialNumber=6 it's of the very car in a latter paint scheme but from the looks of it anything goes when it comes to the trucks.    As too who built them it was CC&F Canadian Car and Foundry. It works for me as to a very good stand in.

central.vermont

Sorry to burst your bubble about a potential collector car.....upon checking my MicroTrains, it doesn't have the car number applied on the ends.

<humour>Unless two slipped past QA.....now any potential collector car value is now halved</>

And as to the collector value I only brought it up too get the collectors going.   
I also like to visit my LHS open the boxes and let out the factory air.

Jon

[thomasjmdavis]

CV- given the date on the photo (1988) and the rust on the car, I would hazard a guess that it is sitting on shop trucks, and either about to go in for one last major overhaul or it's in the scrap line.  Would not be surprised if there was a prototype out there on Barber trucks (many box express delivered with Allied Full Cushion trucks certainly ended up on freight trucks before all was said and done, maybe some with express trucks did as well), but would be nice to have a photo from MT.  Certainly much more common for CN cars to be on express type trucks, I have not seen a photo of one in 1954 paint scheme on anything else, and since MT markets those trucks, why not put them on this car?

[bbussey]

... Certainly much more common for CN cars to be on express type trucks, I have not seen a photo of one in 1954 paint scheme on anything else, and since MT markets those trucks, why not put them on this car?

Because it's unlikely that there was a prototype in revenue service that ran on Barber RB trucks, AND because they have a truck (BX Express) that is more appropriate.

If they didn't have the BX Express truck frame already, OR if they didn't market the model as being protoypical (via the blurb on the box insert and the Micro-News),  then I would give them a pass.

[nkalanaga]

The GN's "freight car" style BXs had freight roller bearing trucks, although none that I found were listed as Barber.  The two names I found were Hyatt (a little odd, but more like freight trucks than the Allied style) and Timken.

Their lower "passenger style" BX cars had Timken RB passenger trucks, and looked like short wheelbase 4-wheel passenger car trucks.