Ebay Auction spawns new N Scale Product & Company

[SandyEggoJake]

Well, that confirms it.  An old '70's era ABM poultry car kit just sold on ebay for over $85, partially assembled, missing parts and with no truck & couplers. http://therailwire.net/forum/Smileys/classic/shocked.gif



I guess it's a good time to tease something I've been working on in my cave: The return of the Cackle Car to N Scale.

For over a year now, I've been doing research on these cars, as for my layout and era, poultry was big business.  Ramona CA was known as the Turkey Capital of the World.  And special cuts of these cars were run to all points over the AT&SF, Espee and beyond.  Now I doubt many Ramona Turkeys made it to the east coast (as Turkeys suffer significant weight loss from the stress of long travel) but the records show at least one did....President Woodrow Wilson pardoned a Ramona turkey bound for White House Thanksgiving dinner plates.  The local heyday was the late 30's, which included large Turkey drives and a multi-day Turkey festivals.  But the advent of frozen shipping "put the ice" on all this foul fun.  These cars were also used for other things - one was the huge SoCal melon season.   And SoCal was not the only place these cars ran.  Live chickens were big business year around to the urban ethnic markets of the Rust Belt cities.  And so was squab... yep pigeons.

So as a work-out model, I've developed a scratch built sides of this car's superstructure, even toyed with the idea of finishing it for entry into the NSE '15 contest.  But rather, ultimately choose to focus to doing a PE version right.  After over 400 hrs of research including talking with all the remained experts I could find and getting key details off the remaining example of these cars, I'm 90% there with a denovo PE design, which has far more detail than the AMB version.  The major hang up was been the chicken mesh.  Most PE houses I spoke with were not confident that they could reliably produce something that approximates scale.  But in the last few months, I've found a place willing to give it a try, and with a bit of compromise, we are tweaking design for a test run.

So no promises, but I'd like to get feed back to learn if there would be demand for a RTR poultry car done (primarily) in brass, w/ paint & decal. 

This would be my first commercial product, and likely only be a limited run priced near cost.  The advice that has been given to me is to take statements of interest now (PM if interested with comments and questions) and use such to size the run, which will yield estimates of price per unit.  My aim is to complete a test version for initial exhibit at this summer's NSE as well as the AT&SF annual, after which time, to close the pre-order, set the price and size of the run, and then call for payments to escrow, which would be released in two tranches of A) kit stage (to cover cost to produce parts) and B) delivery.  Priority will of course be given to pre-orders.  I doubt that I will make extras this first run save, a few reserved for spare parts. 

So.... any interest out there in a prototypical RTR Cackle Car?  And yes, mine will have (optional for extra) birds AND SOUND.  All comments welcome.

[up1950s]

I would like one depending on price and does it have decals .

[peteski]

Why not sell it in a kit form (and save you from the hassle of assembly and painting, and save modelers some money by selling a kit, not RTR model)?

[sd45elect2000]

I'd be interested. Cars that you don't normally see on model railroads are great conversation starters. I have a few "rare" birds myself that get quite a lot of attention like the Traincat Chlorine bottle car and the Atlas helium car (not that rare but still).

It would be fun to have all of those neat old kits updated and made available !

Randy

[up1950s]

Just imagine a whole train of these at Thanksgiving exiting a tunnel and at the same time play a recording of a stuffed turkey house .

Combine all 6 of these http://www.soundboard.com/sb/RyanRB6493

[Bob Bufkin]

Would not mind having one of those watermelon cars also.

[dnhouston]

I'd be interested depending on price, RTR or kit, as long as it came with decals.

[VonRyan]

If I can get a kit (less trucks and couplers) for a good price, and I don't care if it comes with decals or not since I can't decal, I'll be in for one.
I was bidding on that eBay one (backed out at $35). Someone I know has two of them, already painted yellow, but he wants my brass PRR R50 in trade for one, but I quite like my R50, even though it doesn't work.

[sd45elect2000]

I'd really like to have some vinegar tank cars, I think Red Ball or Wabash Valley made them.

There is a plastic one available but I think its out of scale, the thing is much larger than an atlas 11,000 gallon tank. I want something a little smaller and more true to a prototype.

Randy

[carlso]

Sandy,

Here is one I gave a few bucks for. It is complete with "Kadee" brand trucks with metal wheels and truck mounted couplers. I can not decide if it is brass or some sort of white metal with a gold paint. No area on the car will attract a magnet. I am leaning towards the later. As you can see it is complete and ready to run, which I have note done. I checked Google and found only two companies that were major shippers of fowl. Sure would be nice to know more and come up with decals for it.

Just my 2 cents. As always have fun running trains,

Carl




Another image


FYI, you need to log into Trainboard to see these images. -gfh

[draskouasshat]

I'd be interested in one or a few. Where are you from? I'm in Kansas city so I'll be at the convention. I'm also going to hit the Santa fe convention also.

Adam Draskovich

[Showme]

  I might have some of the original American N Brass poultry car decals. I know I have a stack of the watermelon car decals. I have parts from several of those cars but no complete kits left other than a stock car and flatcar. There was a watermelon car, poultry car, stock car, flatcar and gondola. I had purchased a big box of the kits from a hobby shop that had closed doors 25-30 years ago.

Bob

[SandyEggoJake]

Wow, between PMs and the public post, I can really tell there is at least enough interest for the initial run. 

So to answer Q: 

@up1950s  That's the spirit!  I know I plan to keep at least 6 for just such a cut: especially as some of them had amazing names, color and personality:  Mudd, Chanticleer, Speedy, Livesay, Palace, etc.   

@dnhouston Yes - totally plan to have highly accurate custom decals.  Already working out the artwork - which is tough as some have rather unique fonts. 

@peteski  RTR will be offered as that is where the majority of the market is today.  And I know from personal experience of having far too many "projects" that many will never get built.  Also, this one will be a very advanced PE effort.  Lot of mesh and small cross bracing.  And to have cost effective assembly, it needs to be done in bulk.  So I can't promise there will be many kits, likely extremely limited, but I will reserve some for those that pay all up front on a first come / first serve.  (Remember, the only units I will produce for this first run will be those where the buyers agree to place in escrow the cost of production.  I've no interest to also take the risk of financing this project.)

@draskouasshat Where am I from?  Take another look at my USERID.  Now say it....sloooowwwly.  AT&SF original west coast terminus, baby! And only one still in existence.

@carlso seems your pics are broken links?  Would be interested in seeing them, so please try again or PM them to me.

@Showme I would be interested in an example of these old AMB decals.  I have a completed poultry car (very poor job - tracks like a rock tied on a string) plus photos of an used set.  But I do not have an actual set.  How can we do this?

[sirenwerks]

Would not mind having one of those watermelon cars also.

Um, chicken and watermelon together is getting a little politically dicey if you ask me.

[carlso]

Here is another attempt





Here is an image of one of the real cars:



Carl