Head end cars we would like to see

[Angus Shops]

Pud,

You are a fine human being. Thanks.

Geoff

[CBQ Fan]

I would buy gn and np steam cars. Maybe mr also.

[dougnelson]

Any chance there will be more B-60s from Hell Gate?

Yes, hopefully we will do another run of B60b baggage cars. The seems to be pent up demand. One of the issues is trucks, but we will hopefully have that resolved.

[thomasjmdavis]

Doug- good news indeed.  Trucks or no trucks.

Geoff, mea culpa, I will admit I did not even think about your wood cars.  Some, no doubt, could be detailed for modeling other road's cars as well.  Are there any ready resources on interchange of CP passenger and express cars with US roads?  For example, did the rebuilt silk cars make it to Chicago, or California, or ?  (I don't know why, but passenger equipped boxcars and reefers hold a special fascination for me). And while a bit off topic, in a cursory glance at the Class A diner, it certainly bears a resemblance to many heavyweight diners in use in the thirties and forties (and some, no doubt into the 50's and maybe 60's) throughout North America.  At risk of another mea culpa, that is the only split window heavyweight diner I am aware of in N scale.

[SandyEggoJake]

I'd like to see some wooden ( baggage) cars with truss rods. They lasted forever , some well into the 50s-60s.

Amen to truss rods. 

Speaking of which, at the NSE, Chuck Short has pile of the undec Overland 50' car bodies on the cheap.  Snagged a few even as I'm not sure yet what I may do with them.  Perhaps I'll bash them up into these:

[Angus Shops]

No mea culpa needed. To be honest I do not have a shred of knowledge about the possible use of CPR express cars in the United States. I'll have to leave it to someone with greater knowledge on the subject to provide any additional input.

Incidentally, the wood baggage is actually a 'steel reinforced' car. A steel under frame and ends were added to allow the cars to continue in use well beyond their best before date. They lasted well into the 50's in Canada, maybe even the 60's.

Geoff

[nickelplate759]

No mea culpa needed. To be honest I do not have a shred of knowledge about the possible use of CPR express cars in the United States. I'll have to leave it to someone with greater knowledge on the subject to provide any additional input.

Incidentally, the wood baggage is actually a 'steel reinforced' car. A steel under frame and ends were added to allow the cars to continue in use well beyond their best before date. They lasted well into the 50's in Canada, maybe even the 60's.

Geoff

CP baggage cars were used on the joint B&M/CP Alouette between Montreal and Boston.  I've seen a picture of the train with a car similar to the wooden (steel reinforced) car in it.

George

[EspeeGoldenState]

Not sure if they would count as head end cars, but I wouldn't mind seeing a batch of Union Pacific BE-70-1 Express Cars. Depends on what head end consist you are talking about.

Chris

[gelboy45]

Converted troop cars?

Gerry

[thomasjmdavis]

Gerry- as Jerry Laboda pointed out (when I myself asked about it) earlier in the discussion, there are several troop car conversions available from Skytop models if you are willing to do some painting and decal work.  But like the 60' baggage car (which is now also available from Skytop), I am surprised that MT never took advantage, since they had the "raw material" for both in their troop cars and RPO.

I kind of suspect that both Kato some years ago, and MT more recently, have been pleasantly surprised by how large the N scale market is for passenger cars.  Kato has done several releases of their Super Chief cars, and MT can't seem to make HW fast enough to keep them in stock.  Hopefully this trend is continuing with the recent baggage car and mail baggage releases- 'cause that means we will see more head end equipment.

Now, there is STILL the lack of a single window coach that we can gripe about.

[Cajonpassfan]

Gerry, our very own Bill Denton (Skytop) has beautiful castings of those that fit on MT trooper frames. I bought some, but last I heard there wasn't as much interest as one would think....most guys just seem to like to buy finished models.
Otto K.

[jmlaboda]

...most guys just seem to like to buy finished models.

Such has been true for all of N-scale's life but there are those who wouldn't let having to cut and paste or paint and letter a model to gain what they want stand in their way.  Can't fault them... they know their finances and abilities... for me, though, a little extra work makes all the difference.

Right now I am planning on kitbashing the GN 5, the heat car that was rebuilt from a wood dining car.  As originally rebuilt the car had a vestibule on one end, unlike any of the other cars, and this intrigues me greatly... hope to have cars in hand by December to start cutting... just wish a photo or two was around to check details but I will make due...

[thomasjmdavis]

but last I heard there wasn't as much interest as one would think

For my part, it is not lack of interest, but backlog.  I have more or less decided that there can be no new projects until I finish some of the existing projects.

I think I have currently 125 projects that are somewhere between "found an old car that has the right window pattern" and "re-assembled after sealing decals."  I don't think I've had any project make it to "weathering complete" since 1995.  Hopefully, by the end of the week, I will have sealer on Monon 75 (modified MT parlor) and maybe, if all goes well, a "GTW coach" (actually, just a MT parlor with coach seats dropped into it- not an exact model, but in a way quite similar to what the GTW actually did after WWII).  There are also a couple C&EI cars coming along. 

My problem is that psychologically, I "own" the car after I find enough donor parts or buy the sides or shell. 

[Rasputen]

Converted troop cars?

Gerry

Someone offered etched brass sides to convert the MT Troop Sleeper cars, but they quickly disappeared and I haven't seen them advertized since.  I was lucky that I purchased two sets from them at a National Train Show some years ago:

[Cajonpassfan]

@Rasputen, sweet!