Long Island Passenger cars

[Lemosteam]

Hi, since my layout is based on the PRR/Long Island partnership, I am wondering if there is a reasonable N scale stand-in for an LIRR coach.  Very few images out there that I can find.

The LIRR used PRR G5s ten wheelers for motive power in the steam era, and since i plan to kitbash LIRR #39, (about to be rebuilt in 1:1), I am looking for a couple coaches to ride behind it.

I am not concerned  bout total prototype fidelity, just a reasonable stand in that i can paint and decal in LIRR varnish.

I am aware of the custom painted MT products out there, but i think they are more suited for a 60's era layout?

Thoughts and images are most welcome!

[pjm20]

Either by the late 50s or early 60s the LIRR got a ton of Pullman Parlor's from the Pennsy. Micro Trains has their 28-1. N Scale Enthusiast already made a set of LIRR parlors. Also, the good ol' P70 can be bashed from the Lima/Model Power coach.

[Puddington]

Might be too new for you.........

[Dave V]

Might be too new for you.........

Pud, man, does that take me back.  I grew up on Long Island and took the train from Greenlawn to the city too many times to count.  There were over 20 trains a day through Greenlawn on the Port Jefferson branch and those coaches were in every train.  Sometimes there was an Alco FA on one end being used as HEP.

[Bob Bufkin]

A lot o the PRR heavyweight and lightweight sleepers went to LI.  Photos I've seen just have the Pennsylvania painted out with the old numer or name still listed. 

[Lemosteam]

thanks for the responses so far.

Guess I should have mentioned heavyweight. 

Bob, can you share any links to images, can only find lightweights in my searches...

STeam Up LIRR #39 shared this on FB...
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=205607576293314

short video, but the HW look to be P70's painted in blue and white???

[Bob Bufkin]

They were in a book I had and don't remember which one.  Passenger Equipment o the PRR VOL 2, Sleepers lists the name of several heavyweights which went to the LIRR but no photos in that book.

[jmlaboda - RIP]

The Long Island pages at the Passenger Car Photo Index will help to identify a number of suitable cars, including the Plan 3416/3416A parlor cars that came from PRR, which MT makes.  One problem about building of P70 coaches is that, unlike some other subsidiaries of the PRR, Long Island did not have a large number of them.  Island Model Works use to have a resin model of the round roofed P54 coaches that use to be a dominant part of the LI's rosters, but some considered the casting to be too crude... they have been discontinued for a while now.

A train full of MT parlor cars could be a reasonable stand-in, which could be painted in one of the old paint schemes without too much trouble.  While they would not necessarily be the best cars they are nicely detailed and would be reasonable model to use.  There also has been talk that Rapido may be making the Osgood Bradley coach in N, which would be a good coach to use from 1958 to the mid-70s or so... more on the secondhand coaches that LI acquired can be found here.  Below is the link to the first of two Long Island pages mentioned above at the Passenger Car Photo Index...

http://passcarphotos.info/Indices/LIRR1.htm

[bbussey]

Pud, man, does that take me back.  I grew up on Long Island and took the train from Greenlawn to the city too many times to count.  There were over 20 trains a day through Greenlawn on the Port Jefferson branch and those coaches were in every train.  Sometimes there was an Alco FA on one end being used as HEP.

Those Alco FAs were former New Haven units.

... There also has been talk that Rapido may be making the Osgood Bradley coach in N, which would be a good coach to use from 1958 to the mid-70s or so...

Rapido definitely is making the Pullman Bradley coach in N, hopefully by the end of this year, so grabbing some undecs and painting them LIRR is a good option.

[Bob Bufkin]

Wasn't one of those FAs a former WM unit?

[Lemosteam]

Thanks for the link Jerry!

 Since this is shown alongside LIRR steam,I assume that the paint scheme below would apply to most of the cars in that era.  This looks very close to a Lima/MP coach.



It looks as if the vent was raised and turned into a clerestory, comparing it to the car just ahead of I in the pic.

Many of the pics there are well past the steam era.  Not a very documented road I guess!

[up1950s]

A good place for LIRR info http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrcontents.htm

[brokemoto]

Long Island Model Works still has some N scale LIRR passenger equipment, although he is phasing out his N scale line.  He has had, in the past, some of the steam era equipment, although it was the MU equipment.  I understand, although I may be mistaken, that some of the LIRR electric passenger cars were just PRR passenger cars with electric motors added.   I seem to recall reading somewhere that the designers even made allowances for them to receive diesel or gasolene engines so that they could work as doodlebugs, although that never happened.

You could try there and see if he has any clerestory roofed cars left.   The last time that I saw him, he did say that he had some N scale clerestory roofed cars at home.  He had N scale  monitor roofed cars at the show.  I do not know if monitor roofed cars operated in the steam era.

I see him at GREEDberg shows in Jersey.  Funny thing is that he does not accept credit cards at shows, but if you order on line, he does (I suppose that he would have to, if he is going to do business on line).

He did only the MU coach, he never did either of the combines.   He told me that it was just something that he never considered.

......and yes, one of the FA cab cars was a former WM unit.  I forget which one it was.  Another interesting note about LIRR diseasels is that supposedly LIRR liked its B/A-1-A trucked FMs.    "Experts" stated that LIRR demanded the least of its FMs, which is why it had fewer problems.    NYCS' spent most of their time in storage, as they had many problems and were maintenance hungry as it was.   NYCS' practice of deferred maitenance did not help, either.  I do not know if LIRR practiced deferred maintenance.

[up1950s]

http://s244.photobucket.com/user/railfaned/media/BlackRiver0001.jpg.html

http://www.dominionrailvoyages.com/jhd/lirr/page3.html

[Lemosteam]

Richie, that last link is a dang goldmine!

Thank you!  Saw a 1955 passenger extra link that has some color photos with LIRR G5s #39 at the point!  GREAT pics of a K4 tender there- they were spec'd by the LIRR when the PRR built the G5s locomotives for them.

Looks like a lighter shade of my PE cars, with some white on the window frames and an aluminum colored roof?



http://arrts-arrchives.com/JUNE5TRIP.html

Looks like i need to get my hands on some more lima coaches!