I noticed the add in MRR, the MT heavyweights are arriving this spring. They'll have a 21-1 and 10-1-2 sleeper as well as a 28-1 parlor. Plus, they have the AC mods to the roof and steps unlike the CC/rivarossi cars. If they are as good as the RPO (and priced accordingly), my passenger fleet will increase by a few cars.
Bout time.. We been needing some good HW for along time. I noticed the RPO is about $20. I wonder if the rest are going to be the same price point? Or I am wondering if they are gonna command the high dollar price that IM & Rapido hit. If they are worth it, great, but hitting those high prices just because others are, thats what I hope doesnt happen..
Since the regular cars are larger than the RPO, probably somewhat more expensive. Probably less expensive than the others, I would guess. We need coaches. Frank
It is pretty close to one that is in Monterey CA. That one has 4 wheel trucks. I've also seen a few in the SP videos that are close to the MT version. The window arrangement my differ by one window. SP had both celestory and harriman style roofs on their RPOs. So yes it will work if your willing to close one eye and stand 6 feet away. If you are a true rivit counter, then no, you'll have to find a Wheels of Time RPO.
I would second the request for coaches, so that I could compose a commuter train, or some "not so important" secondary trains So I would buy only a few sleepers, but more coaches. Another question is which road to buy. It is a "wait and see" situation for me.
What do ya bet, Rock Island won't be one of them.. Im glad I keep plenty Rock Island decals, and paints on my workbench.. lol
The Pullman 12-1 and 10-1-2(Lake-series?) are a good and familiar choice for me, but I don't know anything about the 28-1 parlor cars. Anyone knowledgeable out there about how and where the 28-1 might have been used? Thanks, Otto
In general, parlor cars were used in daylight trains where the railroads wanted to offer first class passage. It made no sense to get a sleeper in such cases. A parlor seat was much roomier and more comfortable than a coach seat and entitled the holder to dining car privileges similar to sleeping car patrons. Such trains would have run between cities like Chicago and St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit or between major cities along the east coast. On the west coast, the SP Daylight trains between LA and San Francisco offered Parlor accommodations. In Texas, the Houston to Dallas trains such as the Sunbeam had them.
So, we only got some RPO's for just a few railroads, and now we are getting sleepers - again. Where are those coaches and baggage cars in dozens of roadnames???
The New York Central used parlor cars on their West Shore line trains going to the Catskill Mountain resorts up until World War II travel restrictions stopped the practice. They might have been put on again right after the war, but by then cars were taking over, and people were finding other places to go. Frank
More RPO's and baggage cars would be nice, all right. I have a feeling they aren't sexy enough and so won't sell well enough to induce manufacturers to put the time and money into making them. I'm willing to bet that most modelers want long consists of coaches rather than the kind of consist I want to model for the later 50's and early 60's: an RPO, two baggage cars, a combine, and some boxcars.
I'm trying to model the Klamath #19/20 a SP train from Portland-Oakland. So I need baggage cars and RPO's here is the consist in 1954. 9 Baggage, Mail and Express cars (including 1 to Salem, 1 to Albany) Baggage-RPO (30' mail apartment) Coach (News Agent) Chair Car Diner Standard Sleeper 10-1-2 Standard Sleeper 12-1 Coach (Sunday only to K. Falls) Then there is also the coast mail.:tb-biggrin:
If Joe is monitoring the N Scale Forum, please remind us what the Pullman Plan Numbers are for the 12-1, 10-1-2, and 28-1 Parlor. I know you've indicated in the past that the first four cars would be the already shown RPO, 12-1, 10-1-2, and 28-1 and that a Diner, Pullman Observation, Baggage and Coach would be the second four. Any updates or anything you can share regarding the approach to how the cars will be sold? Thanks, Charlie Vlk BTW, the cars look outstanding and I, for one, am really looking forward to them!!!
Hope you stocked up on the Wheels of Time's 60' baggage cars! WOT will also do another run of the 70' baggage-express cars and RPO's in the future...
Sad Sam is easy to model. Just put a Harriman coach at the end and the appropriate locomotive (Mt, GS, PAs, E-7s or 9s[SP only ever had one E-8] or FP-7s) on the front. In between put an SP RPO of some sort and any baggage and express cars from any road in the US, Canada or Mejico and you have Sad Sam. Some deadhead pasenger cars are also allright, in fact, an observation mid-consist would make a convincing deadhead. Sad Sam has to be a leading candidate for the ugliest mail train in the USA. In fact, put GS or diseasels in Daylight colors ,mix with the dogs' breakfast of baggage and express and deadhead passenger cars for the real Sad Sam effect. Oh, and I wonder why the Pullmans over the coaches, as well. Everyone is doing Pullmans, no one is doing coaches. The RPO was a good idea. We need baggage, coaches and even combines more than we need Pullmans, right now.
