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LIRR Commuter car

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  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: North Central Connecticut
  • 320 posts
LIRR Commuter car
Posted by Bob.M on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:16 AM

 Does any manufacturer make an O-Gauge version of the Long Island Railroad Commuter car?

I have heard them referred to as "MU" or MP-75. I have seen the PRR self propelled cars with the pantographs, the Budd cars, and the Lionel M-7 (With the wierd couplers), but I would like to see something like this:  (Only smaller) Smile

 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Colchester, Vermont
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Posted by Kooljock1 on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 12:51 PM

 The Long Island had whole fleets of different cars over the years.  They had PRR designed MP54 MU cars(unlike the Lionel model had no pantograph but 3rd rail shoe instead), MP54 unpowered "ping-pong" coaches, Pullman-Standard 3rd rail cars, re-built coach versions of all of these, M-1 through the current M-7 MU cars, and an assortment of longer distance cars used in East End service.  During the PRR era, you might also see an actual Pullman in through service from off-Island, as well as baggage and mail cars. 

 The gray car pictured appears to be an un-rebuilt MP54 MU car.  

So far, Lionel has made an inaccurate model of this with pantographs on the roof as well as long-distance coaches.  M-T-H has also made inaccurate LIRR cars, as well as K-Line's aluminum cars.  Perhaps the most accurate train was made using K-Line's former MARX O-27 streamliner tooling, an ALCo FA-2 power-pack and MP-15 to create a 1980's era East End Push-pull set.  This was sold as the Greenport Scoot set.

Jon Cool

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  • Member since
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  • From: East End of Long Island
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Posted by krapug1 on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 6:04 PM
Kooljock1

 The Long Island had whole fleets of different cars over the years.  They had PRR designed MP54 MU cars(unlike the Lionel model had no pantograph but 3rd rail shoe instead), MP54 unpowered "ping-pong" coaches, Pullman-Standard 3rd rail cars, re-built coach versions of all of these, M-1 through the current M-7 MU cars, and an assortment of longer distance cars used in East End service.  During the PRR era, you might also see an actual Pullman in through service from off-Island, as well as baggage and mail cars. 

 The gray car pictured appears to be an un-rebuilt MP54 MU car.  

So far, Lionel has made an inaccurate model of this with pantographs on the roof as well as long-distance coaches.  M-T-H has also made inaccurate LIRR cars, as well as K-Line's aluminum cars.  Perhaps the most accurate train was made using K-Line's former MARX O-27 streamliner tooling, an ALCo FA-2 power-pack and MP-15 to create a 1980's era East End Push-pull set.  This was sold as the Greenport Scoot set.

Jon Cool

The K-Line Streamliners were NOT a Marx Mold product, they were newly designed by K-Line, the Marx Streamliners are MUCH smaller in scope. That said, the LIRR K-Line Streamliner fleet is very prototypical, and The Greenport Scoot set first ran in 1997 and then again around '04. The "blue stripe" cars are "coach class" with the correct interior seating, the "red stripe" cars are "palor cars" with the correct 2-1 seating. This equipment continued in daily use until 1999. K-Line also made O scale versions of LIRR cars, including the club cars. Ken
Moderator, K-Line Yahoo Group. KLinetrains@yahoogroups.com and LionelMPC Group (new) LionelMPC@yahoogroups.com
  • Member since
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  • From: North Central Connecticut
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Posted by Bob.M on Saturday, February 14, 2009 10:24 AM

 OK. After much searching, I found the LIRR MU commuter car. It is in the MTH 2005 V2 catalog. But there is much confusion: The catalog shows a 4 car set with pantographs, but the detail sheet:

http://www.mth-railking.com/detail.asp?item=30-2648-1

does not show pantographs. The reddish color is not to my liking, but I could buy the NYC version and get some LIRR decals. The possible show-stopper is the note about how it needs O-42 curves. The 2008 catalog, Version 1 page 40 or so, says O-31 for similar MU sets. Does anyone know which is true? The cars are 17" long. My Lionel PW passenger car is 16" long, and is OK w/ O-31.

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