Hi folks. A common sight on the short B&O locals I am modeling was a combine, usually one of those in the 1430 or 1440 sequence. These combines have six paired windows in the passenger compartment, plus the usual baggage section, and the Bachmann Spectrum car is quite a bit different with its outside braced sides, 5 paired windows, wrong roof, wrong underframe, and baggage door in the wrong place... about the only thing it got right was it is, in fact, a combine. Does anyone know if a model of the type car I am looking for has ever been made, even in brass? Or if sides have been made for one? Or is making one from the Bachmann car my only real choice? Amanda
Could combine an ahm-or-ihc coach with a baggage car. Add some walthers or other manufacturers 6 wheel trucks. Just a thought maybe walthers has a car that might work or could be converted.
Good idea. A kitbash might be a fun way to come up with the car you want. Maybe the Bachmann car would be an adequate stand-in in the meantime.
Do you know the class of the car? NKP Car Company has a D15 combine kit, but no photo of it. This could be the kit you are looking for, but I don’t know the specifics of the B&O to know Car classes. Tenshodo supposedly did combinations for PFM in 1962, according to Brass Guide, but they were streamlined cars. Those look like your two options other than scratch/kitbash. http://www.nkpcarco.com/bo_cars.htm
When it comes to B&O it's normally putting up with stand ins and either scratch building, a heavy heavy kitbash or happening accross one of the few brass models made. If your really lucky a resin kit may be available. I can't be too sure as I haven't fully researched combines yet, but I think the Bachmann unit is as close as you'll get off the shelf. Walthers don't do combines for some reason... I don't think a car has been done in brass of that prototype, if i'm wrong i'd love to know about it but even if it had then finding one would be a lifetime search... I cannot comment about alternative sides, someone has done sides for other B&O prototypes but I can't remember the manufacturer at present. Not sure about Resin, F&C do baggage cars but not combines. if you get a solution I would be keen to know about it!
It looks like the best option is the Bachmann car for now, and maybe I can draw up sides and get them etched sometime. I don't think they were at all uncommon cars on the B&O, but I cannot find anyone having made them, even in brass. The fun!
Who was the carbuilder? Pullman? You might be able to get a Branchline Coach kit and add sides. They are a little bit harder to find on eBay than the sleepers, but they have the clerestory roof you need. If the underframe of the combine is not the regular fishbelly frame, then this might not be the right car, but making sides out of styrene wouldn't be too hard, you just cut out windows, add rivet battens, and that is basically it. Archer Transfers makes a Pullman rivet decal set to detail an entire car. Rivets are pretty much the only surface detail on the car sides, and probably the most expensive part you would need, aside from the actual base kit.
