MTL September releases

[bbussey]

https://www.micro-trains.com/publicfiles/monthly/MN1709.pdf

[towl1996]

Alot Pennsy goodness for the Z crowd, but none for N. I guess MTL is waiting until Christmas time to release the PRR X23. And I'm ok with that.

[Missaberoad]

That GTW auto car is hawt... will have to grab one...

[mu26aeh]

@Shipsure PDF flyer for the ADM 3 pack shows image of 3 cars with 29xxx numbers, but the number listing has a 29xxx, 49xxx, 29xxx.  Typo.

[brokemoto]

Can anyone explain the lopsided lettering on the N&W baggage car?  Or was someone at MT so impressed with the lopsided lettering on the B&O car that he just had to have one in N&W, as well?  At least there was ONE prototype for the B&O car.  I searched J.M. LaBoda's site and G. Elwood's site as well as a brief GOOGLE search and could not find a photograph of an N&W baggage car with lopsided lettering.  I did see:

NORFOLK AND WESTERN (above the doors)

NORFOLK & WESTERN (above the doors)

NORFOLK [DOOR] AND [DOOR] WESTERN

NOR [DOOR] FOLK AND WEST [DOOR] ERN

I did NOT see:

NORFOLK [DOOR] AND WESTERN [DOOR] blank.

[Point353]

Can anyone explain the lopsided lettering on the N&W baggage car?  Or was someone at MT so impressed with the lopsided lettering on the B&O car that he just had to have one in N&W, as well?  At least there was ONE prototype for the B&O car.  I searched J.M. LaBoda's site and G. Elwood's site as well as a brief GOOGLE search and could not find a photograph of an N&W baggage car with lopsided lettering.  I did see:

NORFOLK AND WESTERN (above the doors)

NORFOLK & WESTERN (above the doors)

NORFOLK [DOOR] AND [DOOR] WESTERN

NOR [DOOR] FOLK AND WEST [DOOR] ERN

I did NOT see:

NORFOLK [DOOR] AND WESTERN [DOOR] blank.

The issue with the B&O car was raised in the August MTL thread, with no further updates from Shipsure as to whether or not the lettering arrangement would be changed before production commenced. I also sent a follow-up PM to Shipsure, but have yet to receive any response.

The N&W car  with roadnumber 1334 is from the series 1320-1336. Photos of those cars seem remarkably scarce.
1338 looked like this: https://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns1729.jpeg
1340 looked like this: http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/thumbs/photos/NW04715.jpg

Those cars have both doors entirely inboard of the trucks, whereas one of the doors on the MTL model overlaps the truck, so there is less space to have "Norfolk" or "Western" without breaking it up. A better configuration would seem to be either "NOR [DOOR] FOLK & WEST [DOOR] ERN" or "NOR [DOOR] FOLK AND WEST [DOOR] ERN" as shown here: https://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns2054.jpeg
http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/nw1407.jpg

[orionfield]

I'm in for some of those composite hoppers.

[thomasjmdavis]

Here is N&W 1306, from the series just before
https://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/image_viewer.php?q=ns1730

I wonder if they took the lettering from a baggage-mail car and that it will show up later on that model
https://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/image_viewer.php?q=ns2046

Of course, Joe may be along at some point with a photo of a car lettered just like the model. 

Note on using the Virginia Tech database above- there is a separate listing for "baggage" cars, but most are cataloged in "mail and express" as "express" cars.

[mcjaco]

Those SP hoppers are hawt.  Saw many of those on the NWP Branch.

[brokemoto]

The issue with the B&O car was raised in the August MTL thread,

Those cars have both doors entirely inboard of the trucks, whereas one of the doors on the MTL model overlaps the truck, so there is less space to have "Norfolk" or "Western" without breaking it up. A better configuration would seem to be either "NOR [DOOR] FOLK & WEST [DOOR] ERN" or "NOR [DOOR] FOLK AND WEST [DOOR] ERN"

I recall that there was discussion on several boards about the B&O car.  There is, at least, a prototype for it, although now I forget exactly what kind of car it was on the B&O.  I can not remember if it was a three door car, a baggage/RPO rebuilt with a one window RPO compartment or a baggage/RPO rebuilt to a baggage only.  It was a one of a kind car, though and the lettering placement was unique to that car on the B&O.

There was a rumour that MT was going to re-issue the B&O baggage car with the more typical lettering placement, but the car has yet to appear.

When I saw the photograph of the N&W car, I went and retrieved one of my examples of the MT seventy foot baggage.  I considered the possibility of space's being a factor, but, once I saw the NOR [DOOR] FOLK AND WEST [DOOR] ERN, I wondered why MT did not use that arrangement, as it would fit.

I buy baggage cars for almost any road, as long as the road had something like it.  I like to run mail trains, so baggage cars from any road will fit.  I avoid things that a road might not have had, such as smooth side baggage cars for the B&O, as the B&O either did not have any or had only one before C&O control (I forget which).  I have never seen a service photograph of an SP corrugated baggage car, so I do not buy those, either.  I have seen service photographs of SP corrugated baggage/Passenger, baggage/dorm and baggage/mail, but never have I seen a service photograph of a SP corrugated full baggage.  There are several models out there of them, as there are of B&O smooth side baggage. Since I have not seen service photographs of either and am aware that B&O either had only one or none before C&O control, I do not buy them.   In the early days, I did buy B&O smooth side baggage cars as there was not much else available or they came in the sets (Kato).  Now that WOT has issued B&O HWs, it is rare that I run the B&O LW baggage cars any more.

[Gozer the Gozerian]

it will be.

[brokemoto]

it will be.

What will be?

[Mark5]

Can anyone explain the lopsided lettering on the N&W baggage car?

I'm guessing that either they could'nt make the lettering work with their device or they goofed.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/nw/nw-baggage.jpg

[Mark5]

The N&W car  with roadnumber 1334 is from the series 1320-1336.

The MTL car is from the BEg class 1300-1336. This class was built to the same design by 4 different builders. 1320-1336 were built by Bethlehem.

[jargonlet]

I guess MTL is waiting until Christmas time to release the PRR X23.

Did I miss something here?