Alaska Railroad

[Steven1]

Hi Folks,

 

Brand new member here, first post. Just got back from a trip to Alaska and enjoyed a great ride on the Alaska Railroad. Been poking around to see if anyone makes an HO version of the Gold Dome Car, the one where the dome windows run the full length of the car. Any ideas?

 

Thanks!

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Welcome to the forum .... I agree the Alaska train ride is great. ... Bachmann did make HO models of the ex-Santa Fe full dome cars that operated in Alaska. .... I am not aware of any HO Models of the more modern full dome cars used in Alaska and in the Canadian Rockies. ... 

[mbinsewi]

Welcome to the group.

Rapido makes some thing that is close, the prototype for their car is made by the same manufacurer of the Goldstar cars, I think.

https://rapidotrains.com/ho-rmr-dome-car/

It looks a little different, the outdoor platform is on the lower level, etc. 

Mike.

[RR_Mel]

 

 

Sounds like a neat kitbash project to me, I haven’t kitbashed any Kato products but this looks close enough for a starter.

 

Kato HO Superliner Lounge Amtrak Phase IVb #33019

 

 

I’ve kitbashed several Bachmann and Athearn cars to SP ¾ Dome/Lounge cars and they’re close enough for me, I’m not a rivet counter.

 

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-7-2015-fourth-sp-dome-lounge.html

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[ckape]

Unfortunately, every operator of ultradome cars has a slightly different version, and I am not aware of anyone making the ARR GoldStar domes, so anything would have to be a kitbash or a stand-in.

In addition to the Rapido car (which I understand is only available through Rocky Mountaineer), Bachmann offers the Holland America McKinley Explorer  ultradomes, which are not quite full length.

[ATSFGuy]

Alaska Railroad seems pretty niche, Bachman did release a train set called "The Explorer", but ARR doesn't have that many off the shelf models available.

Are you trying to model one of ARR's unique Bi levels?  If so then you might have to kitbash one.

[Renegade1c]

The cars gold Dome cars on the Alaska Railroad and the Gold Leaf service cars on the Rocky Mountaineer were built by the now defunct, Colorado Railcar Company out of Fort Lupton, CO. They (re)built each car to the client requirements so no two cars are the same. For example the Rocky Mountaineer's open observation deck in on the lower portion of the car, whearas the obversation deck on the Alaska Railroad in on the upper deck. 

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough demand for these typer of "Ultradome" cars and they went out of business back in 2008.