New Bachmann passenger cars up on MBK

[Nato]

                   I received the four cars that I ordered, the rivet counters and ATSF modelers are correct. The windows are inset not flush on the coaches window divider bars could be made by painting, or using striping tape. The cars have body mounted couplers that pivot to allow use on sharp curves , so I guess you would call them semi-body mounts. Coupling distance is satisfactory. Yes the trucks are models of an uncommon design used on only a few roads, not under most Budd cars. The distinctive two ridges that run the length of the roof on Budd cars is missing Con Cor got this detail right. Paint schemes, lettering and numbering as has been pointed out are not quite right for the type of Santa Fe cars they are numbered for. No I didn't buy the Santa Fe Navajo lettered observation, I have the correct one from Con Cor. I purchased an undecorated La Marada (spell check name) car to paint into the two tone red and silver Golden Rocket/ Golden State color's. The body is silver with black trucks. Yes the fluted roof is wrong, this can be corrected with work and wire roof top grabs added. The mostly smooth letter board which is also wrong was done so Bachmann could easily print road names like B&O or Pennsylvania on. The cars roll freely, the lights work, but they are not worth even the discounted prices offered on the internet. This is also true for the doodle bug trailers AKA Heavy weight coach.                  Nate Goodman (Nato). 

[wcfn100]

Bachmann.


Jason

[Bobster]

Nato,

Thank you for the review.  Since you asked, spelling is La Mirada.   It appears as all capital letters in the car sides in the Pullman Standard Library Volume 8 page 78.  MicroScale makes decals for the car.  The tail sign and upper letter board both say Golden Rocket in pictures that look like they were taken at Pullman.  If you have the opportunity I'd like to see the interior of La Mirada and how it comes apart.

So then the old Rivarossi observation car is closer to (ATSF fans please forgive me) Vista Valley. Or is it Valley Vista?  I knew Navajo on the Rivarossi car was wrong.

Thanks again,
Bobster

[nickelplate759]

The old Rivarossi car represents cars Golden Vista and Golden Divan (Valle Vista was a coach) - but has a few errors.  Here are the ones I know about - they are pretty minor in my opinion.

1. Letterboard fluting was copied from prewar Rock Island coaches and is incorrect for this car.
2. The  skirts between the trucks should be fluted, not smooth.
3. On the right side, the two windows above the car name panel in the center of the car should be approximately half height (bottom of the window is raised).
4. The roof should have a radio antenna
5. There should be vents on both sides of the roof.

George

[thomasjmdavis]

Bobster,

You have the basics down.

The Rivarossi obs is a RI car, but is close (some windows are different) to the prewar Pullman built cars for the ATSF.  One of those was refurbished and renamed as  "Vista Plains" after WWII. when (1948 I think) ATSF re-equipped the Super Chief.  They also had Pullman build new 5 new cars in the "Vista" series - which is the Kato Super Chief car.

Navaho was a Budd car, and there is a Con Cor model correct for that car (and do be careful, I ordered one from a dealer, assuming I would get Navaho when I ordered "Santa Fe" but they sent me one, correct prototype, but lettered "Puye" instead, which in real life was one of those PS cars of 1938).

Nato,
Let me second on the thanks for the review.  I wonder if we could impose upon you to measure the cars' length- would provide info for those of us thinking of using them as Budd cores, although it sounds like the roof isn't correct.

[Bobster]

Thomas,

Thank you for filling in the gaps for me.  I know my Rivarossi is wrong for Navajo even though that is what's currently on the side.  As soon as I get a Kato Super Chief observation the Rivarossi car will be cleaned up and decaled for Rock Island. 

I have a picture and blueprint of ATSF Baggage 3442 a Budd 1942 build. Looks like that's what Bachmann was aiming for.

All for now.
Bobster

[Nato]

                First off here are measurements. Baggage car over coupler pulling faces 5 & 1/8" inches, coach 6 & 1/2" inches over coupler faces, observation car,6 & 1/2" inches over couplers faces. Please note that the two cars that have platform (vestibule) loading doors have the usual error that N scale light weight cars have had for years. The end door is not inset inside the car, like on correctly modeled Rapido (with a folding end gate), Walthers inset door, KATO  open with no door inside, or the old Rivarossi heavy weights like KATO, but with a plastic rear gate. The end door also on the Bachmann Trailer coach is outside surrounded by the diaphragm.         It was just too late at night for me to dig out my "Classic Trains" book by Arthur Duban or my Pullman Standard Reference Library spiral bound book by Randal that covered RI cars so I had to guess at the spelling of the observation car name, thanks for the decal information. The color photo earlier in this thread shows both tinted windows and venetian blinds which could be done with Gold Metal Blinds. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.   

[Nato]

                  When the Atlas Rivarossi  fluted side cars first came out I recognized their heritage right away having Arthur Dubin's large book " Classic Trains" and having read the Rock Island chapter fairly recently. I knew the dorm car was the one of a kind Golden Rocket car, the observation looked like the photo of "Thunder Mountain" and it's twin "Phantom Valley" used on the Rocky Mountain Rocket, the coach was clearly Pre War as the riveting around the window frames matched a close up photo in the book of Pre War sleeper "Garden of The Gods". There were no N Scale RI decals out there then , but I really wanted some RI cars to pull behind an Atlas E-8 repainted into the red RI scheme with speed lettering, so I painted out the letter boards, name or number boards on Santa Fe cars with Testors silver. I then used an HO Rock Island decal set, probably Champ, cut each name apart letter by letter and moved them closer together when I applied the decals. It was not a perfect solution as the road name and car names were still oversize, but now spaced closer together. I used "Thunder Mountain" on my obs car, and the correct number for the dorm car, I think I left the two coaches with their factory Santa Fe numbers. I later painted out the number on another Santa Fe Observation, there were N Scale Santa Fe decals back in the 1970's so I gave it the name of one of the Pre War PS chief cars, of course Con Cor put this name on their Budd Navajo car so they could offer two cars in Santa Fe. The Atlas Rivarossi cars are the only models (unless there are brass ones) that modeled the wide Winged Diaphrams found on many streamlined cars, These of course were non working. Ah for the good old days of N Gauge, now Scale. Nate Goodman (Nato).   

[Cajonpassfan]

[/quote]

Yes, that Budd baggage car appears to be what Bachmann was *aiming* for, and it's a very much needed prototype for us ATSF guys. I broke down today and ordered one, against my better judgment, to see if I can make an acceptable ATSF  baggage car out if it; the missing upper fluting looks like the biggest challenge.
Otto K.

Well, the baggage arrived today, and I'll need to study it a bit to see what to do with it. Here's initial reactions:
The overall dimensions look okay, the car is just riding a tad too high, especially compared to the Kato baggage, to accommodate Bachmann's new spring pickups designed to illuminate these cars. (Just what's want, a baggage car that is illuminated so that the baggage and stored mail wouldn't get scared at night)

An interesting "twist" on the couplers: they are body mounted (nice) and they swivel (see pic). Something useful for tight  radius curves I suppose...

The upper body fluting is missing, and a few other things. To be continued....
Otto K.

[peteski]

Oh, and the very respectable ConCor model of the ATSF observation car is called "Navajo",  even if pronounced Navaho.

Oh, just like that Navaho Indian tribe!   

If someone doesn't know how to spell that correctly, this country is in a lot of trouble. 

[Cajonpassfan]

Yep, like the tribe...
Otto K.

[arbomambo]

...and the taco...

[Bobster]

Greetings,

All right I'm in a lot of trouble.     On the bright side I spelled Navajo right in replies 29 and 32.  I have fixed it on post 35.  In my defense H and J are right next to each other on the keyboard so I plead temporary carelessness and insanity.  I repent of my evil ways and beg forgiveness.

  Happy Modeling
Bobster

[thomasjmdavis]

Oh, and the very respectable ConCor model of the ATSF observation car is called "Navajo",  even if pronounced Navaho. I'd hate to see someone going into the trouble of re lettering their fantasy Puye and misspelling it

Thanks for catching that before I got too far along.

The shame of it is that I knew that, just "spaced" on it, as my kids might say.  The other shame is that while I have several different sets of Microscale decals for ATSF passenger cars, I can't find "Navajo" (or even Navaho) on any of them.  I've had pretty good luck so far with printing my own for darker colors, so unless I can find a set somewhere in my collection, will be resorting to that. 

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, that's bizarre... I just posted a quick review of the Bachmann baggage and it inserted itself several days back
WTH?
OttoK.