I keep seeing teasers in magazines about this one, along with a nice photo of an undecorated prototype and a release date of October 2009. Does anyone have any evidence of what roads they are planning to release this in? I would even take rumors in this case. It's hard to know whether I want to reserve something where I don't even know the road. What if they all come out with Happy Birthday or Smokey the Bear on them?
How many roadnames will come out at once or how often? MTL don't usually do multiple roadnames/numbers at the same time like Walthers and Rapido Trains are doing with their passenger cars, you could wait years for the one you want. I'm still waiting for an ATSF scale test car, I don't want one badly enough to paint and decal one but I'd buy one if they did them. I'm hoping for undec or at least unlettered versions of the heavyweights to do them for my own road.
I would take a Southern Pacific RPO. I finally got a Cotton Belt (SSW) test car. I figured that it was close enough.
Well since this type of car was almost always painted the same color of green. It shouldn't be too hard to just reletter it.
At the NSC in Portland, Eric said whatever road had that model, that's who'd they do. Take it for what its worth.
Does anyone else think it would have been nice if MTL had done a nice generic looking baggage car instead of an RPO? I for one would have bought 8 or 10 of them to run those typical 1950's mainly head end equipment trains with just a coach or two tacked on the back. Nice work-a-day, grimy, heavyweights in action, with a couple of the WOT arched roofed baggage cars cut in there for variety. I think MTL would have sold more than the RPO's. Perhaps thats just me. Looks a great car though and very welcome of course.
Numerous published photos show the ATSF #7&8 "Fast Mail" with as many as 4-5 RPOs on it. I've seen other roads' mail trains with multiple RPOs as well.
Considering what kept many passenger trains in service well beyond the railroads wishes were mail contracts, RPO are more valuable to later passenger service than baggage cars. Jason
Seems to me that it has already been reported that the RPO is just the first car of eight to be released in 2009-10. Since N Scale doesn't have any Heavyweight RPOs beyond the one only available in the Kato set or the resin kit from Hellgate Models, I'd say releasing the RPO first is okay. The other cars (not in any order of release): 8 Section Pullman 12 Section Pullman (different plan from the Rivarossi) Parlor Baggage Observation Diner Coach I am really looking forward to these cars. The pictures of the RPO promise that this series is going to be a great addition to N Scale!!! Charlie Vlk
Keep in mind many baggage cars were used to store the mail waiting to be sorted in the RPO. So often the railroad would need more baggage cars then RPO 's for mail traffic, throw in the baggage cars used for other types of express on the same train. I agreed a baggage would have been a better frist choice, but as it seems we will get a whole range it doesn't really meatter.
Baggage car is a bit of a misnomer because in the pre-Amtrak era only a few of them actually carried passenger's baggage, the majority carried mail and express shipments. Most mail would have been carried in baggage cars, RPO's main use was to sort mail enroute to expedite delivery at the destination. As long as we are able to buy individual cars and not have to get a set with another observation and diner if we want a coach.
Whatever. But to get back to the subject, the M-T web page still shows Road Name and Price...TBA. http://www.micro-trains.com/cs-N_RPO.php If coming in October they'd better be announcing pretty soon. Ben
I'm looking forward to getting one or two. I have the resin harrimans from WOT, but they are very fragile and take a lot of fiddling to get to run correctly. The SP had several like the one MTL is offering, there is one in downtown Monterey CA, unfortunatly instead of 6 wheel trucks, the prototype had 4 wheel trucks.
You guys are so off the target on roadnames... Think about it.. RPO... "Postmaster Generals of the United States!" I'll get a Ben Franklin car myself.. Art
LOL! Better yet, it could be a tribute to famous postage stamps through history. They could run that series almost indefinitely. Just think how many would jump all over an Elvis stamp RPO car.