Hiawatha 4-4-2 Consists

[Anonymous]

I have a streamlined 4-4-2 Hiawatha Atlantic. Does any one know of a good source of information regarding a typical consist? Are there any models available of the passenger cars? I believe brass cars are available, but i don't know if there are any decent plastic models until i can afford brass.

Thanks for the help!

[jrbarney]

Oren,
I hope you get some more answers, but for starters you might want to obtain photocopies of some of the articles cited in this keyword search at the Index of Magazines:
http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=Hiawatha+4-4-2&MAG=ANY&output=3&sort=A
Bob
NMRA Life 0543

[Anonymous]

The initial consist of the Hiawatha train innaugurated in May 1935 was: a Tap-Cafe car; 3 coaches; a parlor car; and a Beavertail parlor observation car. By August 1935 the consist was expanded to 8 cars, with the addition of 2 coaches.

The two best books on the trains are "The Hiawatha Story", by Jim Scribbins, and "Hiawahta: First of the Speedliners", by Milwaukee Shops, Inc. The latter book has HO scale drawings of all of the cars, as well as full-color renditions. Both books are out of print, and command premium prices on the used-book market.

Models of all of the cars have been done in brass by Nickle Plate Products and by Overland in HO, and by Overland in O scale. They have never been done in plastic. (Note that the parlor cars are identical to the coaches on the outside--indeed the straight parlors were rebuilt from coaches on the prototype.)

It wouldn't be out of the question to scratchbuild the cars in wood and brass and/or styrene--in fact one of the nicest models of the 1935 Hiawatha I have seen was scratchbuilt from these materials.

John