New N&W passenger cars

[TVRR]

I have been looking for N&W passenger cars, specifically the Bachmann and MicroTrains current models. Have you had any hands on experience with these models and what do you like or dislike about them?   

[jmlaboda - RIP]

MT cars are absolutely great, nothing short of it.  Bachmann, well, unless you just want something to run I would not waste my time with them, they just aren't really all that accurate for N&W.

[Mark5]

I have the new MTL 12-1 pullman, will try to post pics with some other N&W crap I have (when at home).

Personally, I would not waste my money on the Bachmann release - for starters, the color is noticeably off.

Mark

[TVRR]

Sitting here with one of each in front of me, the choice is obvious. I had really expected more from Bmannn on these cars, they are certainly capable of it.
The interior lighting is a nice touch, but the color and lack of detail just doesn't quite make it. The Bachmann will be going back.

Do we know what other cars MT plans to release in Norfolk & Western livery?

[brokemoto]

Do we know what other cars MT plans to release in Norfolk & Western livery?

One of MT's September releases is its seventy foot baggage car in N&W lettering.  Too bad that it is lopsided, similar to the B&O baggage it released.  At least there was one prototype for the B&O car, although in reality, the B&O car that had lopsided lettering was a three door baggage car.  It was not one of the three doors that B&O had ordered that way, it was a three door that looked like it had been rebuilt from an RPO/baggage.

Still, never have I seen a photograph of an N&W HW baggage car with lopsided lettering.  There is  a discussion on it in the MT September releases topic on this particular Board.

C-C sold RR's GN smoothsides in N&W lettering.  I never saw the full baggage, but I did see the baggage/mail, coach, diner, observation and sleeper.  C-C also sold the RR HWs in N&W lettering.  I never saw the combine, but I did see the full baggage, coach, diner, sleeper and open deck observation.

The RR HW coach is inaccurate because N&W's own HW coaches were single window, while the RR HW coaches are paired window.  They are fine if you run B&O or Penn (which I do), but if you want NYCS, CNJ or DL&W, they ain't so fine.  N&W might have bought some paired windows used from the Penn, but I am not sure.

I have not seen the Bachpersonns.  I know that they are out there, but, as they do not interest me, I have not looked at them too closely.

[Point353]

C-C sold RR's GN smoothsides in N&W lettering.  I never saw the full baggage, ...

... A   N   D now you have seen it:


Later releases, with MTL couplers, had the "AND" closer together, along with the addition of a roadnumber and "railway express agency" lettering.

[brokemoto]

... A   N   D now you have seen it:

A        N         D, indeed.  Someone at C-C or RR must have had a curious sense of aesthetics.  I wonder how many N&W guys bought one of these and re-lettered it from the Microscale steam sheet (I do not know if Microscale sells a sheet for N&W passenger cars.  In fact, I do not even know if N&W had any LW baggage cars).  I would expect that you could not get away with simply erasing the A    N    D,  a         n         d replacing it with simply the "AND" from the Microscale steam sheet. Likely you would have to erase the whole thing and replace it in entirety.   Microscale lettering size is always different from those of the manufacturers.  Microscale must employ some guy named Murphy in its design department who stays up nights measuring lettering sizes on the manufacturers' products.


That must be an early issue C-C in the photograph, as there is no road number.  Many of the early release C-C smoothsides lacked a road number.  The later ones, for the most part, had one.

[thomasjmdavis]

Now, now, you can't blame those particular GN smoothsides on Rivarossi, those are pure Con-Cor.  I think they sent the drawings off to Sensui (later Kato) originally for manufacture, and due to some mixup, some of the drawings were reversed, which resulted in the windows of the diner being backwards relative to the prototype.  At one point I think they actually moved the production back to the US, and nowadays I think they have them made in China- although the most recent ones I have are 20-30 years old.  They redid the tooling to go from a metal underframe detail part (that doubled as a weight) to a plastic casting, but never fixed the backwards diner.

The Rivarossi smoothsides were the Monon modified hospital car baggage-RPO, the 10-6 sleeper with incorrect bedroom windows (prototype were spaced as 3 pairs closer together, rather than 6 evenly spaced), and a PRR blunt end obs (View series?). Con-Cor also marketed these early on, and included them in some of their passenger car sets when they were closer than their own cars.

[Mark5]

  In fact, I do not even know if N&W had any LW baggage cars).

Nope. At least not until the 1964 merger with NKP, WAB, P&WV, etc.

[Mark5]

The Microscale N&W passenger car decals are incorrect. Get the Shellscale decals - these were done from official N&W materials: http://www.shellscale.com

[Mark5]

Some photos of a few decently done N Scale N&W cars.

N&W Cuttyhunk by MTL:


MTL cutty on the left, Walthers 64 seat on the right

Walthers has done the best job on matching N&W red (up to 1964) in my opinion.

MTL car with Wheels of Time baggage:

The Wheels of Time red matches the 1950s faded red well. The Wheels of time car is in the same number series class as this month's MTL release.

Full view of Wheels of Time baggage:


Rapido also did their SS coach in N&W - I will post some pics if requested.

Mark

[Mark5]

N&W might have bought some paired windows used from the Penn, but I am not sure.

Nope.

[thomasjmdavis]

Some of the Wabash coaches were paired window with a single window in the center on each side (5 pairs, 1 single, 5 pairs) and even some of their modernized coaches retained that pattern.  At least one made it through the merger, but with some modifications
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/nw522.jpg

[thomasjmdavis]

N&W also rebuilt some 2416 Parlor cars (although the MT 3416 parlor car might be a better starting point than their coach)
https://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/NS2671.jpeg

[Mark5]

N&W also rebuilt some 2416 Parlor cars (although the MT 3416 parlor car might be a better starting point than their coach)
https://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/NS2671.jpeg

Purchased from Pullman in 1941 and converted to coaches. These went to MOW starting in 1946 - with all but 6 converted to MOW by 1950. The remaining six lasted until 1954, when they too were converted to MOW use.