MTL Bay Window Cab. On time but Two roadnames to start.

[asarge]

We got the June Micro-news a little early this month and on the fron is the New SP B/W Cab. Says the Build date is May 1980 price is at $32.85. The surprise was that they are offering a Conrail cab also. Says the following, "...painted Conrail Blue with white lettering. It was built in 1946, serviced in December 1977.....The caboose was originally built for Southern, aquired by PC and then Conrail."  ex-PC number 18438 is retained and class is N5H. price is less than SP at $26.65.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hmmm

[Dave V]

...and the prototype:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/cr/cr18438akg.jpg

I don't know...  Clearly the prototype had its windows closed off with sheet metal patches whereas the MTL car represents, as the site says, the first caboose delivered without windows.  Then there's the bay window...  not even a close match.  The smoke jack, end ladders, end platform steps, that SP toolbox...

I don't know.  It would be a pretty expensive foobie, and not even all that close a foobie at that.  It's frustrating that BOTH MTL and Athearn went after the SAME SP prototype.  WTF?  Why do manufacturers do that? 

I want a CR bay window cabin car, but I'm not sure if I want one this badly...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Now that I look at it, I know EXACTLY why MTL did that car. There's much more room on the sides for graphics.

Graphics of what? One can only guess. But I'm guessing they weren't that concerned about space for a can opener...

[SkipGear]

Were there pictures? I may have to go into the shop tomorrow and check the mail. From the mockup picture on MT's site, it looks like the bay window may be a seprate part and it could be replaced to more suit the CR style. The tool box could also be an add on part. In a few posts over on Trainboard, Joe mentioned this was a very modular car so that it could be adapted to be close enough for many roads. How close is close enough will be up to you. I know many customers will just be happy to have something other than the Model Power and Concor bay window cab to buy.

For the first time ever, our store has most local road cabooses covered in some form or another. I will never complain about more caboose offerings out there. I have had many customers refuse to buy a loco because they couldn't get a matching caboose to go with it.

[Dave V]

Maybe so.  I hope so.

I appreciate that Joe thought of Conrail given how many bay window cabins CR had...  If the body is different than the pre-production sample and closer to CR, I'll be buying one.  But if it looks distinctively like an SP caboose in CR paint, well...  Others may love it but I'm learning enough about CR that it would bother me.  EL and NYC had gobs of bay window cabooses that also conveyed to both PC and CR.  I hope someone some day figures that out in N.

[up1950s]

Now that I look at it, I know EXACTLY why MTL did that car. There's much more room on the sides for graphics.

Graphics of what? One can only guess. But I'm guessing they weren't that concerned about space for a can opener...

You know I was about to post a complement toward MTL for doing such a limited road name hack , but if the Conrail aficionados are correct , and I would expect they are , the hack is a hack job , at least as far as Conrail is concerned . Then there is the clear as a crystal ball intuitiveness of Ed's graphics comment . Holy cow Ed , this makes more sense than the collective minds of Mensa . MTL must be warming up their easels for Christmas , Circus , Good N Plenty's , and the Arses of Golfers series . Well done Ed .    

[asarge]

Ok, the SP car has a battery box underneath one of the BW's, The CR car is missing it. Can't tell from the picture whether or not MTL at least tried to simulate the plated over windows. The Bay window is more slanted on the proto-photo, so yes it's definately different but could be worse. The reinforced end-post is missing on the CR car. The smokestack is way off but I expected that. Lettering is accurate.

yes it's a "foobie" whateverthe heck else you wanna call it. But it could be a whole lot worse and it probably is a halfway decent stand-in for most people. As David said price is up there but not as bad as the Athearn car at $29.95. I donlt see them tooling up a lot of specialized parts like Athearn does. Especially not a whols Bay Window but it obviously is better than previous Bay Widows of CC and MP.

[asarge]

MTL must be warming up their easels for Christmas , Circus , Good N Plenty's , and the Arses of Golfers series

Well, they are announcing the first of the Ringling Brothers Billboard cars. The first of a 12month series of cars with the actual Poster artwork. They will be here in august.

I was hoping for the HW announcement

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Having painted and hacked a few ER Models and Model Power cabooses (both of which are also an SP prototype), I am glad there is something at least a bit more refined out there. The reinforcing bars on the end handrails can be added or you can swap the part out with an Atlas Wide-vision part. If the bays are removable, it would not take much to file them to the correct profile. The roof is way off. One could scribe the window "plates" into the body.

Its a bit of work, but not imposible. For the money I think I'll just go with the proto-specific TrainCat kit.

[bbussey]

I received the newsletter today.  The SP version is well done - they even tooled up a new truck that includes the generator on the truck frame.  The Conrail version, at first I thought was erroneously based on the ex-NYC N-7 40' bay window which was a very distinctive design obviously, but it turns out to be an ex-Southern car acquired by Penn Central.  Reporting marks CR 18438, with the ex-PC reporting marks in the upper right hand corner.  Probably not close, but a lot better than basing it on the N-7.

bb

[Nato]

  Athearn's upcoming caboose is based on two classes I believe that have or had windows when new.      Nate Goodman (Nato).

[Atlanticflier]

For your reference:





Steven

[up1950s]

From the same class with the same orig owner .

Not that bad , but there are changes
Bay roof slant , bay window shapes , sheet metal covered body windows .
http://www.hebners.net/cr/crN5H.html

[Dave V]

Hmm...  It looks nice enough, but I'll want to get a better idea of how close (or not) Athearn's version comes to an N7E before I choose which to buy.  I do see the detail differences between cars and think that's a step in the right direction.

I would argue, though, that were someone to want to fix the bay window profile (sides AND roof) and scribe in the window patches, on would end up having to repaint the car anyway, kind of obviating the need for MTL to offer it in CR blue.  That is, unless MTL used a widely available version of CR blue paint one could match relatively easily.

You guys are right, though, in that as far as plastic goes, this (and the Athearn car) are much nicer and well-rendered than any existing bay window caboose.  Some one gave me one in PRR (yeah, I know, but he was a friend...  didn't have the heart to tell him) and it still sits in my parts box.  It's pretty crude by today's standards.

I don't expect MTL to come out with two different versions of a bay window caboose, given the cost of tooling.  I just wonder why SP, who was not the only owner of bay window cabooses, gets all the tooling love in N scale when so many other railroads had them as well.

Maybe Walthers will someday come out with their HO bay window caboose in N...  It's a good match for CR cabins.