Hello All My next project is a heater car for my Great Northern Railway. Does anyone know if there is a manufactured car out there or is the somebody producing a shell. My starting point is a f3 or f7 locomotive chassis. Any thoughts would be most helpful and appreciated Thanks Larry
Cannot help with the shell search, but if you need an alternative, there's also GN 3, a heater car based on a passenger car: http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.c...eater_Car_3_Minneapolis_Jct_MN.jpg&redirect=1 Here's two you probably already have noted: http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?february10/02-18-10/BN_HC17_Fargo_ND_APR1972.jpg&redirect=1 http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/gn11.jpg This site has some BN-era cars, if the lineage is known, will give alternatives as well. http://www.northeast.railfan.net/equipment1.html
That'd be a "Great" idea, lol! The later heater cars that GN built would be easier to model, just use an F-unit chassis and a 3-D shell. Could even use a powered chassis for better pulling.
Larry, Like others I'm not able to be of much help with the info you requested. I think it was Rapido that did a heater car + or - ten years ago. A plain and simple box style. If you were to produce and sell one of these I'd buy 2 or 3, http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.c...eater_Car_3_Minneapolis_Jct_MN.jpg&redirect=1 I model the Western Pacific which acquired some of these from the GN to use on the CA Zephyr.
Back when I modeled the Hill Lines I created a couple of heater cars from B units and at least one from a boxcar. I believe l also used a Bmann combine car with the coach part cut off making a 40 foot car. For the steam generators I used Detail Associates and Sunrise parts.
I'm considering making one. I found the drive system in the scrap box. Unfortunately it's DC and HO. I do have HO stuff but DCC.
REALLY liking Heater Car #3 for my Turtle Creek Central !!! A few stupid questions, though: They usually ride behind the power, right ??? Exactly WHAT is inside these things ??? Mid-December... 40 miles SW of Chicago... think landlord would mind if I parked one in the driveway ???
Boilers to create steam to heat the passenger cars...replaced boilers in the engines, that way any engine could be used in passenger service...
One other use for the steam heater car was in the far North occasionally the locomotive steam generators could not keep up with demand in the diesel era. The solution was either lash another steam gen equipped loco in the consist or add a heater car. The heater car was cheaper. There were instances were the heater car was placed on the end of the consist supplying steam now from both ends. Not a frequent happening but it did once in a while. Saved disconnecting the power from the train and the car was easily dropped off when not needed anymore. As HEP power came into use the cars were often transferred to the ore docks to thaw frozen ore cars replacing surplus steam engines. On the GN the heater cars saw the most use up in the Cascades on the electrified lines. Saved modifying the electrics for steam generators. The first steam generator cars were boxcars fitted with water tanks and fuel tanks and usually passenger trucks.
