Annual MTL Body Style Hunt.

[pjm20]

Sperry Rail Car , in an old dress for the 50's period .

Thank you! It was evil of Walthers to do one in HO and not N, but I don't want to open that can of worms...

[VGN50]

Joe,

First of all, thanks for doing this.

When I started in N Scale 46 years ago I would tell my fellow modelers, " they will never make a ready-to-run battleship gondola."  So far I have been right; but it's really time to prove me wrong.

It's an interesting car.  The Virginian had them in two variations and a number of different schemes.  After the merger the N&W ran them, of course.  I believe the Pennsy had a few which they tested (probably bought or leased from the N&W).  Additionally, about a decade ago I remember seeing a photo and a brief article about battleship gondolas being used by a midwestern road.  Unfortunately that's about all I remember at my age.  Now I can't find that article.  I think it was one of the roads with initials and an ampersand (like C&IM, DT&I, PH&D, etc).  Probably being used to haul ore around the Great Lakes area.   I'm hoping one of our fellow Railwire members can help me out with this.

My point is we are not restricted to just one road name.  Nothing says "rail power" like a string of these hauling 100 to 104 tons each.

Thanks,
Mark K.

[brokemoto]

Brokemoto asked about...
"A better choice would be a 30' mail compartment on either a 60' and 70' length.  Mt could shortcut the process since they could use the mail car and do like a lot of railroads did... plate over one ends' windows and and adding a baggage door, creating a 60' baggage - mail (30' for baggage and express, 30' for mail).  Such would be a good car to consider.  (Might this be the car that Wheels of Time hinted at?)

Wheels of Time did sell a seventy foot Harriman baggage/mail kit.  The mail apartment is thirty feet and the baggage forty.  I suspect that they still have the dies for it, so it would not be difficult for them to issue such a car.

[CBQ Fan]

I am glad to hear MT is making a baggage car.  I am very unhappy with my WOT baggage cars, the 70' cars at least.  My 60' car is ok.

[VonRyan]

Sorry to get all jargony. Merchandice Service (there were three styles)

Purrrrdy. I have one of the middle ones, but made by Red Caboose.

A recurring request ... 19K tank cars that lookie lika dis https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=17936.0

Steam era 2 dome tankcars .

Steam era 6 dome tankcars .

Steam era 50' o/s braced box cars . ( I will settle for a generic one )

Sperry Rail Car , in an old dress for the 50's period .

Anything MOW for transition era .

I second ALL these motions.




-Cody F.

[Frank Amato]

Remember, G39s ran in Penn Central paint too! 

Exactly!  My angle is the ore service to Bethlehem steel, via the LV.  PRR and PC schemes are 70s goodness.

  Frank

[ljudice]

How about re-tooling the PS gondolas for 52' and closer to the ground appearance?????

[jmlaboda - RIP]

"Wheels of Time did sell a seventy foot Harriman baggage/mail kit.  The mail apartment is thirty feet and the baggage forty.  I suspect that they still have the dies for it, so it would not be difficult for them to issue such a car."

Doubtful... they were resin kits.

[unittrain]

How about these quad hoppers http://appalachianrailroadmodeling.com/protophotos/ble100thopperalbion.jpg
with the taller slope sheet. Another car would be a good 1970's Thrall high side gondola. Or a Pipe gondola http://www.kahndog.com/Photogallery/12-2007/7A-08-Neg-PLE-longcar46104G.jpg

[Nato]

     Yes Joe ,Thanks for doing this. How about a Heavyweight Sun Room Lounge car from the late 1930's era . Nate Goodman (Nato).

[pjm20]

    Yes Joe ,Thanks for doing this. How about a Heavyweight Sun Room Lounge car from the late 1930's era . Nate Goodman (Nato).

This is about my thousandth +1 on this thread.

[kalbert]

Another thought maybe would be modern ethanol and LP tanks... pretty sure there'd be some interest in those!

[Rich_S]

More Bay Window cabooses Please....








Rich S.

[peteski]

Looking through these 8 pages of suggestions I had to chuckle.

I hope that Joe wasn't expecting for all TRW members to almost unanimously agree on some specific prototype. Or maybe couple or three specific prototypes. Something that MT could invest in and also make some profit.  While there are few of the same prototypes mentioned by several members, many of the other suggestions are all over the place.  Not that this was unexpected. After all, everybody has their favorites.  I imagine that Joe was looking for a car which could be produced for years to come and under many liveries.

I'm curious as to what Joe gets out of this thread. That maybe researching possible new model by asking participants of online forums probably doesn't work too well? 

[Denver Road Doug]

I hope that Joe wasn't expecting for all TRW members to almost unanimously agree on some specific prototype. Or maybe couple or three specific prototypes. Something that MT could invest in and also make some profit.  While there are few of the same prototypes mentioned by several members, many of the other suggestions are all over the place.  Not that this was unexpected. After all, everybody has their favorites.  I imagine that Joe was looking for a car which could be produced for years to come and under many liveries.

I'm curious as to what Joe gets out of this thread. That maybe researching possible new model by asking participants of online forums probably doesn't work too well? 

I have to say I agree about questioning what Joe gets out of this.   Seems like few, if any, ideas presented in these threads over the years ever reach production (which is to be expected) and I don't think anything that isn't on the "Top 100" list, with a few exceptions.   There's a pretty well defined list of cars and locos that are "needed" and I assume that manufacturers have a more refined version with market data and some extrapolation from HO releases.  I mean, it's fun, but I'm not sure this is much more than a recreational poll.  I guess it might provide some reinforcement of market data and if that's the case then we should be happy to provide that feedback.

I will say that maybe the reason you don't see everyone picking the same is that we automatically filter out previous suggestions.  I know that most of the stuff that Gary H., James C., and a few others have on their lists are also things I would want but don't always request.

Also, I would say that MTL already has some tooling that could be done in multiple liveries (or more road numbers) but weirdly it seems new tooling gets more focus.