Does it kill you when an HO only manufacturer makes a car you have been wanting?

[wcfn100]

About the only thing that gets me close is this car:



The level of frustration can elevate when you have documentation of a home road car that interchanged regularly at the exact location you model.  As far as building one, no one makes any of the components except maybe the under frame which I bought a few ESMC cars to use.  The overhang roof can be had from Exactrail, but you need to add the running board supports.  If someone ever offers a R/3/4 ends without molded details, I may take a run at it.


Jason

[thomasjmdavis]

Having been in N scale for almost 40 years now, more HO is the norm.  In almost every hobby shop (there are a few notable exceptions) you will find many times more HO.  And seemingly whatever the HO modeler might want can be purchased if they search the web for a few minutes.  But half the fun has been cutting, pasting, and kitbashing what I want, so I am OK with it.  I think the only envy I feel is over steam locomotives- they do have MANY more steam locomotives.

However, I have noted that the times they are a changing.

Started for me some years ago when an HO friend of mine realized that my Kato Super Chief was the Super Chief.  Not just some shiny cars, but the whole thing.  Walthers hadn't got started.  Watch an HO guy's jaw drop with he realizes that you have several different baggage car sides courtesy of M&R.  Or that a huge selection of traction is available in N scale from Shapeways designer- and we don't have to wait for a production run that may or may not happen in 4 years.  In the early days of N scale, N scale was more expensive ("takes more advanced technology to produce something that small, and the volumes are low....").  Nowadays, you can pay $100 for a PLASTIC passenger car in HO.  And, one other thing, although it may only apply to a few of us- the distance from Polk Street to Roosevelt Road in Chicago is about 10 feet in N scale.  My dream railroad will fit in the 13x27 room I have set aside in the basement.  If I were in HO, Dearborn would be a couple staging tracks.

So, I will sit back, enjoy what I have, and wait for the next cool thing from the resin casters and shapeways designers.  And hope that Roberto gets enough time off to finish the design work on the Tribe car sides.

[CNscale]

Thanks for pointing me to the Fowler kits. I need another project like I need a hole in the head, but these Kaslo Fowler 36' cars are very cool, and I do need more 36' cars for my circa '50 timeframe (at the time, there were as many 36' house cars on the rails as there were 50 footers, and I have probably too many of those).
Where would one get appropriate decals, since the kit comes without them?
Otto K.

CDS dry transfers, available from Ozark Miniatures in the US and TMR Distributing in Canada:

http://www.ozarkminiatures.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=12527
http://www.ozarkminiatures.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=12529

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks!
But ouch, shipping these kits from Canada is a killer
Otto K.

[Scottl]

Welcome to our world.  Suffering in silence. 

[up1950s]

bigger
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0u0Mm37POJmSqfEBwgxxRnx4GrfHV0FGMpfAIfhbMe8clwUIsd3vh6FaMu-tRJHDZb7Yi4IpAay76L6t2GWgUd2VPAbvCK5wfGma-phXPFnwcHMrD3kwdcrkZ0ZL-0o9aYYUGwd0vQoIggTYQrLY6ojXjJomyIprTHWtBw89QjGy4BqK6mvZPAUHSHjTbbVpO0SgwKBgMAYL2ATfnkhh3gapief6s1X6lIYzQdw1obGtd9Ebg6JDhsOGaZequvymboO6BFQ1t55k5JZYpQi516Zyx00IJaVL3JNLUbU74zFUEhIM6wLRaTSdiMRWdUpvQTeRN8aAroYwUWn_FcVuKowQum5obrBgKqqVCMI4Y7jCzLOV_zFNfaqvLi7MfmGxpfjNINDfTbzIvqFLvRMtu5fB1hIDvltacLiUWkxCYGgvYtfEgwbtkfyBRw6OoWEcO_g_TOz0GPx9yPCCPz58ZHCukIP-MgyFEcGKv_OqmAgTzUBNtbeIzrXCK0rr-ro4eH4hIylBhEfss5ZtU81G4GxMSNxW6fMqVnhbwErHoHq-QGnGSmLxhv-raemZs-RIjW1bFA=w1300-h920-no

[Angus Shops]

The True Lines Trains model is a great model of a distinctly Canadian car. Fowler, the Master Car Builder at the CPR in the early 1900's,  sponsored the Dominion Car and Foundry in developing a new steel framed single sheathed 36 foot boxcar in 1908. I understand that the groundbreaking innovation was that the steel frame, including the steel centre sill, took all the structural forces involved and the wood sides, ends, floor and roof provided no additional structural support. This I gather was innovative in an age when most cars used wood in structural functions. Alternately I've read that the 'Fowler Patent' refers to the method attaching the wood boards to the steel frame with enough flexibility that gaps wouldn't develop that either let water in or product (in Canada, prairie grain) leak out in transit.

Nevertheless, the design was popular enough that the CPR built 33,000 cars, and the CNR another 34,000 slightly different cars! They were built with K type brakes and arch bar trucks, but over time many were modified with AB brakes and cast steel trucks, with steel sheathing being added to the roof. In addition, steel doors might have been added, the original 'individual grab iron ladders' replaced with steel ladders, and additional vertical braces added to the ends of the cars. Thousands were also converted to stock cars. They were known unofficially as either 'Dominion' or 'Fowler' cars. They also lasted a long time in service, and even longer in non revenue service.

I understand the 'Fowler Boxcar' may refer to a slightly different car in the US; still a single sheathed, steel framed car, but 40 feet long.

My model (absolutely required for my 1950's CPR), is an AB brakes modification, with steel ladders and wood doors. I can provided either the steel roof or wood roof, and either 2 or 3 end braces. The Kaslo car has the original style of ladders. I also make  the stock car, and a M of W 12 man sleeper modification (I sure wouldn't want to spend a night with 11 other smelly men a modified 36 for boxcar!).

Geoff

[Bobster]

OK I'll play this game,

While it doesn't kill me the releases leave me perplexed.  For example, Walthers does Wabash 650 Baggage-Lounge in HO.  Then doesn't mark it in Wabash colors.   Go figure.  I'd love to see it in N scale.  So close to a Wabash Blue Bird in RTR yet so far.   The E7 and E8 is out there and Kato has 3 domes.  Just need 650, Dining car 51, and 1601 (that dome forward parlor-observation that's alive and well and sitting just outside Atlanta).  I may yet buy  Skytop's CB&Q car and attempt to modify it myself.  So far I'm still not willing to invest that much in a single car that I may screw up with a Dremel.

Mini-rant done,
Thank you for your support,
Bobster

[MrKLUKE]

.

[James Costello]

Still hoping Athearn does the TankTrain cars in N....

[JMaurer1]

I try not to pay much attention to HO. I left that scale 25 years ago and have never looked back. I do continue to wish for some things to come out in N scale (and of course they are available in HO) AS-616a and b units most notably. Heisler and 3 truck shay also come to mind. All were available in HO (except the AS-616b) in HO...25 YEARS ago when I still modeled in it. As I said earlier, I wouldn't mind Atlas rerunning the SP TOFC with the Daylight trailers. Still, this is a hobby that I enjoy and take what is available and don't get angry about what isn't. That defeats the purpose of having a hobby...

[Hamaker]

I agree......be happy with what you get !

[Missaberoad]

No, it actually makes me very happy! ! ! 

Jeff (MrKLUKE)

Snap 

No more coupler advise for you!