SP Blunt End Sleeper from Railsmith

[hegstad1]

Just got an email from Railsmith. I don't have a dog in this hunt but pretty cool.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Well that's hardly what I'd call an "observation" car. 

[C855B]

Well that's hardly what I'd call an "observation" car. 

Yup. UP also plated over the rear windows on their existing tail cars when they went to the combined-train operating model circa 1960. My MRR observes an alternate reality, however. 

[Mark5]

Well that's hardly what I'd call an "observation" car. 

They replaced the windows with a touch screen. 

[Maletrain]

Since he is doing train specific car models, I wonder if I dare hope that he gets around to some of those eclectic B&O name train consists that no mass manufacturer is ever going to make because those cars were usually just 1, 2 or 3 of a kind.  I will be long-dead before I could finish appropriately modeling the B&O passenger trains that went up Sand Patch.

[Englewood]

I see a couple of these in my future. I'm hoping he gets around to the 3/4 dome cars SP had.

[CBQ Fan]

I see a couple of these in my future. I'm hoping he gets around to the 3/4 dome cars SP had.

Did you watch his Facebook webcast tonight. Not a yes, but not a no either.

[sirenwerks]

Glad to see Railsmith moving beyond the tooling it purchased.  I can see a '58 Cascade car in my future.

[thomasjmdavis]

Glad to see Railsmith moving beyond the tooling it purchased.  I can see a '58 Cascade car in my future.

Well, Railsmith's move beyond the purchased tooling was really the NP 56 seat coach.  In this case, they made a new end for the 4140 that was part of the Walthers tooling.  Granted, from the history of the prototype they present on the website, that is essentially what SP had Pullman do in construction of the cars- fabricate a blunt obs end and attach it to plan 4140 cars.

I do like this sort of minor modification that results in a new (and unique) car.  And while there were only a few of these cars, they appeared on the tail end of several trains over the years.  So kudos to Railsmith.  Although I have no need for this particular car in my own modeling, hopefully we will see more modifications of existing tooling, along with more new cars, as time goes on. The 6 bedroom-lounge cars that ran on Florida trains are (IIRC) only one window off from the 4140 10-6 (along with some underbody detail and an interior, of course).

I was surprised a few years ago, when Kato produced the ATSF rebuilt "Indian" cars (24 dup rmt rebuilt to 11 bdr cars) and skirtless Budd 10-6 for a mid-60s Super Chief that they did not do a blunt end version of the Super Chief obs, which was a signature car for the Super Chief in the late 50s through 1971 (I don't know if they survived to serve Amtrak, but since a lot of ATSF equipment did, would not be surprised).  It would have been more complicated than just replacing an end, probably a complete set of tooling, but they did go to the trouble to tool the 11 bedroom car.

[nkalanaga]

He has said he plans to make the Budd "smoothside" GN/NP domes, and "hopes" to make the GN Great Dome Lounge, so the SP's 3/4 domes would be a logical model for him.

[GhengisKong]

Well I can definitely get one of these to paint up for the Golden State.

[Mark5]

The NP North Coast Limited (1954 in this case) is #1 on the list of trains that I want (and don't have). I keep hoping Kato will do it, but that is a gamble at best.

I've been watching the RailSmith releases nervously: https://lowellsmith.net/product-category/railsmith/northern-pacifics-north-coast-limited/

My fear is that the signature domes will never get made, though I'm probably just being paranoid. 

Mark 

[CBQ Fan]

I think Kato will do both the NCL and an accurate EB at some point.  There are only a handful of major name trains that would be on their radar and these two are major names. My opinion only and your mileage may vary.

I know Lowell wants to do the accurate domes and now that he is bringing never done before models I feel very confident in their eventual arrival.

I just did my count, I need at least 5 diners from him so far.  GN, NP, SP, IC & RI.

[nickelplate759]

Well I can definitely get one of these to paint up for the Golden State.

Me too.    I've asked about undec cars, and will post an update when I get a response.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wait. Shouldn't a "blunt end" car be numbered 420?

I'll see myself out...