More Athearn new...

[wcfn100]

A nice surprise, at least for me.





Jason

[DKS]

A nice surprise, at least for me.





Jason

A nice surprise for a lot of folks, I'll wager! What's the release date for this yummy little guy?

[wcfn100]

"Look for the official announcement of this breakthrough model in only a couple of months:"


So whatever that means.


Jason

[up1950s]

W O W , that IS great news . I thought that hope was gone with Walthers balking at the N scale version . I hope they do Union Pacific and all the major bus company's . Anybody know EXACTLY what type that is ?

[Bob Bufkin]

According to a post over on the Atlas board, it's a Flexible Visicoach.

[up1950s]

According to a post over on the Atlas board, it's a Flexible Visicoach.

Thanks  http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_11746-Flxible-VisiCoach-1950.html

Well UP had at least 2 of the Flexible Visicoach , but unsure if its this exact one , some were longer . This 10 page list shows many railroads that had them .

http://www.flxibleowners.org/SERIALNOS/vis01.htm

[Nato]

   The Flexible Vista Coach is the late final version of the original Flexible intercity bus dsign, whaich was produced late 1940's into mid 1950's, these had rows of smaller paired windows, the vista coach longer fiewer side windows. Some of these busses were offered with curved glass sightseeing roofs for companies like Gray Line Tours. Ultimate N Scale made a resin kit for the exact GM busses operated by Union Pacific and seen in Publicity photos at East Los Angeles California. They looked some what similer to the Walthers bus but not quite the same. I have two of the Ultimate kits in my vehicle collection drawer waiting to be built sometime, there is if I recall a decal sheet that came with them. The Utah Parks Company that ran the lodges at Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and the Grand Canyon North Rim ,also a hotel in Cedar City, Utah at the train station where National Parks Special trains were parked after coming up from Lund, Utah,operated the tour bus service  ,this company was a UP Subsidary they used Flexible Bus's painted in UP colors ,but the lower sides were not fluted so bodies were all yellow with red striping and lettering. UP may have had the newer Vista Coaches as well maybe with fluted sides. I did get to see the older Flexible UP busses on several trips to these parks as a kid, also the East LA busses from the train on several trips. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[up1950s]

So you too have UNS bus kits in a drawer waiting to be finished . I think thats where most wind up , in the some day drawer . I don't think mine came with decals though , or I would have done them .

[cfritschle]

Jason and Richie,

I just "discovered" this thread, and I apologize because it looks like I duplicated much of your efforts in a thread in the N Scale Vehicle Association's Yahoo! group.  All I would have had to do is provide a link to this thread.   

Even though it looks like there were "only" 925 examples of this bus built between July 1950 and January 1958, they appear to have been "distributed" across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Athearn should have no trouble finding suitable paint schemes for multiple runs of this model.   ;D

The only down side is that this could reduce the chances of having Walthers contract with Classic Metal Works to produce an N scale version of the PD 4103 bus.   

Carter

[up1950s]

Jason and Richie,

I just "discovered" this thread, and I apologize because it looks like I duplicated much of your efforts in a thread in the N Scale Vehicle Association's Yahoo! group.  All I would have had to do is provide a link to this thread.   

Even though it looks like there were "only" 925 examples of this bus built between July 1950 and January 1958, they appear to have been "distributed" across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Athearn should have no trouble finding suitable paint schemes for multiple runs of this model.   ;D

The only down side is that this could reduce the chances of having Walthers contract with Classic Metal Works to produce an N scale version of the PD 4103 bus.   

Carter

Walthers would be foolish not to do the PD 4103 , even in light of this great Athearn bus . We need variety . Busses are to passenger trains as trucks are to freight trains . We have a bucket load of trucks and trailers , and clamor for each new offering . The same will happen to busses . Bring them on , its a sure bet they will sell .

[Nato]

 You may be right no decals, maybe I was planning to use passenger car decals.                                  Nate Goodman (Nato).