Next Micro-Trains Heavyweight Car?

[ncbqguy]

I'm not sure of the rules for passing on information about new releases that have been published in the magazines....
.....but it appears that the Micro-Trains advertisement in the May 2015 Model Railroad News shows a 3D computer rendering of a 70' Baggage RPO "Coming Summer 2015".
It looks very similar to CB&Q#1933 a ACF-built car with three windows in the Mail Compartment and a single baggage door on the other end.
Charlie Vlk

[peteski]

I don't think this would be problem.  We even have a photo of the test shot of that car in this thread https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=35973.0  in the Product Discussion section of the forum.

[brokemoto]

The MT booth at Springfield had an advert for it and drawings of it.  They told me Summer 2015 was the projected issue time.

I, for one, was happy to see the HW full RPO and a HW RPO/baggage.  My understanding is that most of the RPO cars were, in fact, baggage/mail.

[jmlaboda]

Yep... that thread shows a lot of info on the new car, including the first peak at the new model.  After it is suppose to be the single windowed coach, so as to quite some of us unrepentant who have asked for so very long about them making one.  All we need to know there is what the prototype will be.

[Chris333]

Wasn't there at one time a test shot of the single window coach showing the bowed sides?

[thomasjmdavis]

The baggage mail has not been a secret for a while- see page 3 of the 2015 product guide:
http://micro-trainsline.com/download/mediapack/PG2015.pdf

On the single window coach, I recall there being a discussion about the prototype for that car being CB&Q also, but don't remember it being confirmed by anyone at MT (although that would be a logical selection).  I'll be happy with any relatively generic car- if I do a reasonable paint job, nobody is going to count windows to see if there are 18 or 20 or 22.  Well, ok, some people will count and complain that it is not correct for the one car purchased in 1923 by the East Ipswitch and Northern, and some will complain that 2 of the first 3 road names will be ATSF and PRR, but that is ok with me- it will just mean that cars lettered for those roads will go on sale, and I will buy them up and paint them for Erie and L&N.

[brokemoto]

Did the Pennsylvania run single window coaches?

.........but then, MT did do its paired window coaches in NYCS, which ran single window coaches.   What MT might do is skip the roads that did not run single window coaches and do only those that did.  This might allow for some new roadnames, even.  This might be helpful to modellers of roads for which there are currently no offerings or decals available, such as CNJ or WM.  (Yes, I know, C-C has offered cars lettered for the Blue Comet, but those are specialty.  There are no passenger cars in N lettered for everyday CNJ or WM.  There are no decals available for either road's passenger cars, either.  WM might be a good road for MT's current baggage car--it looks much like WM baggage cars).

I would like to see B-mann four wheel truck coaches available separately and in more roads.  No one does four wheel trucked standard passenger cars in N except B-mann and available only with the doodlebug.

The Lima/MP P-70 is supposed to be four wheel trucked, but the manufacturer issues it with six wheel trucks.  Are Pennsylvania four wheel trucks available for it?

MT might consider four wheel truck coaches, as well, both single and paired window.

[pjm20]

Did the Pennsylvania run single window coaches?

Not really, the P54 was single window coach, but only until the early 20s and they were motorized to become the MP54s we all know and love. Everything else was double window.

[thomasjmdavis]

One of my favorite foobies is based on a foobie prototype.  The MT Santa Fe double window coach #2205.  There IS a prototype for it, even though ATSF never had a similar car- in real life.  There was a photo, that looked for all the world historical- people appeared to be from 40s or 50s as I recall the photo, of a twin window heavyweight coach numbered 2205, that was on Jerry's Passenger Car Photo website until an update or two ago.  My own best guess is that the car was lettered for Santa Fe for use in a film.

[jmlaboda]

.........but then, MT did do its paired window coaches in NYCS, which ran single window coaches.

As was covered a few years ago in Model Railroader, the NYC did indeed have single windowed coaches... NYC 728 - 769, 771 - 799, NYC 1230 - , B&A 446 - 661, and some others.  The article is a good one, covering how to model the car with AC in the clerestory   Unfortunately Kalmbach's magazine search does not bring up the article when a search is done...

Well, I think I found it... it is the May 2004 issue of MR.

Railmodel Journal, the April 2002 issue had an article about these coaches as being NYC and the June 2004 issue of Mainline Modeler also had coverage of the Branchline coach as being NYC.

There was a photo, that looked for all the world historical- people appeared to be from 40s or 50s as I recall the photo, of a twin window heavyweight coach numbered 2205, that was on Jerry's Passenger Car Photo website until an update or two ago.  My own best guess is that the car was lettered for Santa Fe for use in a film.

You have a great memory... but the website the shot was on actually disappeared four years ago, even though some websites still list the link.

[pjm20]

There is a possibility that the PRR sold it to the Santa Fe. They got a few L1s and a few other things I can't remember, but it is possible that they are P70s.

[thomasjmdavis]

Jerry,

At the time I first saw the shot of the mythical 2205, I spent some time researching just to be sure it was not a WWII oddity- ATSF and other railroads had short term leases or odd purchases, but no paired window coaches.

I considered modeling a scene of a film being shot, using the MT car.  That would be 1103rd thing on the things to do list- so I doubt I will ever get to it.

[chicken45]

The Lima/MP P-70 is supposed to be four wheel trucked, but the manufacturer issues it with six wheel trucks.  Are Pennsylvania four wheel trucks available for it?

I think this is partially true. Eastwind/ALM did these trucks (4 wheel). ESM talked about doing a small run. They are also on Shapeways. Some guy in Germany did them.
The six wheeled trucks that come with the cars is a PRR prototype, but I don't think it's correct for the car, unless it's an early combine.

[pjm20]

The baggage mail is correct for a PBM70 with correct trucks. The passenger car is P70 with the wrong trucks.

[chicken45]

The baggage mail is correct for a PBM70 with correct trucks. The passenger car is P70 with the wrong trucks.

It's super close! Just a a wee bit too long. Like 3 or 4 feet.