Well (ahem), glad y'all got that all sorted out. Now, can we get back to talking about modern UP excursion trains? Cheers, -Mark
They are challengers, sorry it might've been more trouble to make a new thread about it. anywho Will anybody be pairing a challenger with any other heritage power like a GS4 and what not?
Wasn't there someone on here who'd done the flag decals for the Council Bluffs car? I did a search but didn't find anything, so maybe I'm misremembering... -Mark
You're not going crazy, Mark. I remember that thread as well. So, is ordering a Kato COLA set my best way to getting an excusion train or can I get something close with some Kato UP sets?
It's a good place to start, although you do wind up with way too few coaches and a bunch of useless sleepers. I'm actually thinking of picking up two sets and then eBaying the leftovers. I wonder if Kato would ever consider doing this train as a set? Y'know, to go with their soon-to-be-announced UP 4-8-4? -Mark
This is the thread the baggage with the flag is located. Baggage was spelled wrong and that may be why you had trouble locating it. [h=1]UP Bagagge car with American Flag[/h]Im also thinking about making an Excursion train for my 3985 Challenger. The main problem we currently have is the lack of the water car. Has anyone considered drawing it up and producing it with shapeways rapid prototyping? Phillip
I have a set of flag decals for the baggage car and the microscale decals to name the others in the cola set. There's also an article in N scale railroading a while back about converting the dome tail end car to a mid train car. I need to tackle that project now.
Oh cool, he's actually selling those decals. Gonna have to drop him an email. FWIW, Con-Cor is saying "late 2013" for the new run of Gas Turbines and tenders - http://www.con-cor.com/033021.html -Mark
they have recently been rebuilt from this to this and the other one has a the flag on it [video=youtube;KZAayYeIPR0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZAayYeIPR0[/video]
Those water tenders are looking less and less like the old Con-Cor model every day. Would definitely love to see somebody take a whack at doing one via Shapeways. -Mark
A few years ago some one made a decent attempt at making the current version here is the thread [h=1]MUST SEE! Union Pacific Aux. Water Cars For Sale[/h]I dont know if he is still producing them or still around for that matter but if he is I'm sure a couple of us would be interested in them. Phillip
I got my challenger 3985 and it won't run but the sound works. The motor just buzzes. I already sent it back to the dealer for a replacement. The lettering and numbers are all silver, is this correct? I thought they should be white.
A fact not known to many non-UP fanatics is that lettering on UP steamers is aluminum. In photos it appears to be white, but it's not...it's aluminum. So...the lettering on Athearn UP Challengers and Big Boys is the correct color, but not necessarily the correct size or placement. Cheerio!! Bob Gilmore
When I talked with the Kato rep at last year's SLC "World's Greatest Hobby Show", that was the plan...a whole U.P. excursion train to go with the FEF-3 (3985), including the appropriate water tender(s) and power cars as well as modern details on otherwise 50's cars, such as antennae and other venting/lettering/names. I was pretty excited about it, and I wasn't the only fellow N-scaler who this particular rep spilled the beans to. However, the train was supposedly due the first quarter of this year (which has come and gone) so who knows if the rumor was spurious or not??? I'd love a few more FEF's to compliment my gaggle of Key FEF-3's and FEF-2's, and knowing Kato, there's a good chance any FEF they decided to manufacture would be more detailed, painted better and run better than any equivalent brass models...and be a LOT cheaper!! Keeping my hopes up! Cheerio!! Bob Gilmore
Thanks for the info on aluminum lettering, research on Utah rails confirmed this but it does look white on the prototype in the bright daylight. I'm hoping my replacement challenger won't be a lemon like the first. I'm also really hoping Kato will make the modern excursion train with accompanying FEF-3 844, that would be awesome but for now my stand in with cars from the cola will have to do.
FWIW, the one I just got is quite amazing. Not a single performance flaw and definitely right up there with the all-time greats of N scale steam. Now I just need something to put behind it -Mark
