Fun with Foobies...defending the not quite right

[Dave V]

Finally got the Micro Trains Pennsylvania Express Mail Train Runner Pack.



Honestly, the only perfectly prototypical car in the pack is the X29 express boxcar. The five baggage cars do look a lot like an early B70 (and Keystone Details makes etched brass doors to replace those doors with porthole window doors). The RPO is fantasy, and the rider coach is somewhat similar to a P70 (even though I have exact prototype P70s from BLI). I have B60bs and BM70Ms I could mix in with this set to make it look less foobie. I also have more express X29 boxcars and I even have an R50B express reefer.





Regardless, they’re MTL and they look (and run) great. Pennsy had a ridiculous number of mail and express only trains on the Middle Division and they tend to be under-modeled. I had fun hauling them around my T-TRAK layout with a single Bachmann K4, which hardly seemed challenged by the load.



I built the HOn3 RGS First District as close to prototypical as I've ever attempted. Meanwhile, this T-TRAK layout is far closer to what I'd consider "mainstream model railroading." Running stuff because I like the way it looks.

JFTRM!

[mark.hinds]

Sounds good to me. 

I stopped working on my layout because I decided that the code 70 Shinohara trackwork which was about 70% complete wasn't good enough any more.  I probably should have just stuck with it. 

MH

[delamaize]

Foobie or not, Still a sharp looking Train!
I've been working on a Foobie ATSF Fast Mail, It's another one of my "Close enough is good enough" Projects from me, After I ended up with a Kato PA1 PB1 set, and had no real use for them, but loved how they looked, and decided to make a reason to keep them. I'll be honest, it's surprising more people don't model mail trains more often, they are interesting trains.

[N Scale Train Boy]

Agreed Mike! I've fallen in love with how interesting M&E consists can be, and have started saving searches on EvilBay to begin building a New Haven M&E. I'll eventually need at least a couple of those X29s marked for REA service, and an R50B and B60 or two to really fill out the consist if you ever decide you want to part with any of yours Dave!

[NorsemanJack]

Ironically, I find the most offensive non-prototypical (foobie) aspect of this to be the 15 foot gap between cars due to the ridiculous coupler configuration.

[Dave V]

Ironically, I find the most offensive non-prototypical (foobie) aspect of this to be the 15 foot gap between cars due to the ridiculous coupler configuration.

It is a big gap, NGL. But given that the inside curves on a standard T-TRAK layout are a mere 11", it's a necessary evil.

Another option is adding operating American Limited diaphragms.

[KSTXFLID]

Does American Limited or anyone else offer diaphragms for Kato Superliners? I see ConCor offered by AL but am curious if anyone has used them for Kato or what options are available.

[randgust]

I've got my own ATSF "Fast Mail Express" that has plenty of foobies, some from MT, some from Rivarossi, although at least they did some ATSF cars fairly well.   

I'm powering mine with a Life-Like PA set, and it's for Ttrak, and that locomotive has no issues at all with 11", and pulls like a mule.   I did convert it to DCC, and put full sound into the trailing B unit for this year's effort.   But I've got both NYC and MP baggage cars in it, dating back to Con-Cor, that can't possibly be right other than color.   So it starts out well with re-detailed PA's, and goes downhill from there.

In the usual battle between accuracy and performance, my maxim has always been that it's much easier to count rivets if the train is stalled or derailed.

[Iain]

I'm putting together a bit of a foob SAL train; couple of more or less accurate coaches, some basically accurate baggage-express, a pretty close observation, and still to acquire an rpo or two.

[Maletrain]

Of course, I am putting together a B&O mail train.   

I am lucky in that there are prototypical baggage, coach and B&O wagon top express box cars readily available.  And the Atlas "shorty" mail cars have the later window arrangement. But, I still need to make some express conversions of military sleeper cars, and scratch build some of those odd B&O 1-door express baggage cars with their arched rooves and unique trucks. 

[OldEastRR]

Agreed Mike! I've fallen in love with how interesting M&E consists can be, and have started saving searches on EvilBay to begin building a New Haven M&E. I'll eventually need at least a couple of those X29s marked for REA service, and an R50B and B60 or two to really fill out the consist if you ever decide you want to part with any of yours Dave!

Don't forget NH's converted troop cars, repurposed for REA service. MTL made prototypically correct versions of the cars -- you'll need to plug the windows and cut an opening for 6' doors w/square windows. MicroScale does made passenger NH decals. You can get a pretty good heavyweight NH 70' baggage car from a Wheels of Time car if you switch positions of the door openings on one side. The NH car sides were identical to each other; the model sides are not.

[N Scale Train Boy]

Don't forget NH's converted troop cars, repurposed for REA service. MTL made prototypically correct versions of the cars -- you'll need to plug the windows and cut an opening for 6' doors w/square windows. MicroScale does made passenger NH decals. You can get a pretty good heavyweight NH 70' baggage car from a Wheels of Time car if you switch positions of the door openings on one side. The NH car sides were identical to each other; the model sides are not.

Way ahead of you on that one, already in the process of converting one MTL Troop car, and have my eye on a couple WOT cars on eBay... As a challenge for myself I also want to try my hand at scratchbuilding one of the converted troop sleepers at some point as well.

[Dave V]

I've yet to do the porthole modification on one of my now six MTL baggage cars. Fortunately years ago @JoeD sent me a jar of MTL's Tuscan paint that has miraculously survived the Colorado climate (that has killed almost every other jar of paint I saved). So, if one car goes well, I may do the rest.

That certainly would kill the resale value of this set, but I weather all my runner packs anyway. That's why they're called "runner packs" and not "sitter on the shelf packs."

[apudelek]

Dave, just an idea for that MTL coach...  I also have plenty of BLI P70s...

What if you put in a KD balloon roof and added KD 2D-P5 trucks so you have a quasi-modernized P70?  The closest match to that might be the P70hR per Jerry Britton's fantastic research.

[thomasjmdavis]

To me, foobies are things like... "Blue goose blue" ATSF passenger sets,  Monon dome cars,  GP-9s painted in Warbonnet scheme.  And... I'll add to that, the cases where manufacturers intentionally misrepresent models as accurate, when they aren't.  Or, intentionally omit the details of the model that they have painted and lettered as something that it isn't. 

I don't think of most of what I see in this thread as "foobies".  A long time ago, in my own modeling, I drew a distinction between a "stand in" and a "foobie." 

A stand in is a car that I knowingly run in the place of a car that is unavailable, or too expensive, or I don't have the time to build from scratch or side kits.  Generally, I use the closest manufactured car available.  Or, I take the closest thing I have in my junk box, or retired cars (like, the cars I ran as a pseudo-Super Chief until Kato brought out accurate models of the 1953 version of the train), maybe make minor modifications, and paint and decal them.  Not accurate- but most of the people who would know the difference are probably Railwire members, or members of the modeled road's historical society.

So... right now, I have a bunch of old Walthers fluted coaches that will get dark blue paint and decals as L&N.  Yes, I know Lowell did a pair... but I need more than 2, and want them all to match, and I bought a bunch in a junk box of Kato and Walthers cars on eBay years ago for less than $10 each.  Someday I may rebuild them with USP sides, or print some, but for now... stand ins.  Likewise, I've built some M&R ATSF baggage cars, but... never enough... so I have 4 MTL that are "stand ins"- some day, they may become cores for more ATSF baggage car sides, but for now, I need to work on building a layout big enough to make having all these passenger cars worthwhile.