Some one on one of my railroading mailgroups posted about solid trains of baggage and mail cars that used to run up the Connecticut river branch to handle the Christmas rush. He closed his post by doubting that anyone had ever modeled such a consist. That sounded like a challenge. Plus such a train, with a heavy steamer pulling it would be sort of cool.
So, next couple of train shows I picked up what baggage cars turned up. I now have a goodly number in the shop awaiting so TLC make them road worthy. Here are the first three out of the shop.This one is a 72 ft Athearn heavyweight. I put wire grab irons on it and painted it for the B&M. The paint is a rattle can red with a top coat of DullCote. It's a little bright, but I have some photos of B&M cars just as red. The consensus opinion among the old B&M hands down at the club was, "It's a little bright, but not so bright as to be beyond the pale." Walthers diaphrams. Some day I'll paint the trucks with grimy black.
This is an IHC heavyweight just out of the box. He came with an envelope of plastic grab irons, you can see the holes, but I didn't install them for this pix. Note the too glossy trucks and under carriage, and the horn hook couplers. It's factory paint. IHC's version of B&M passenger maroon is on the brownish side.
Here we are after painting trucks and undercarriage, weighting up the NMRA standards (6 oz), grab irons installed, and McHenry couplers.
And here is a box stock Athearn 72 ft streamliner. I figured the red and silver would brighten up a train of grimy old heavyweights. I glazed the windows, but other wise he is as delivered.
More are coming. Note also we have ballast down now. Improves the photos a bit.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
dstarr Some one on one of my railroading mailgroups posted about solid trains of baggage and mail cars that used to run up the Connecticut river branch to handle the Christmas rush. He closed his post by doubting that anyone had ever modeled such a consist. That sounded like a challenge. Plus such a train, with a heavy steamer pulling it would be sort of cool.
I thought the same thing, although my version is simply an express train detouring on a secondary line due to a wreck:
Express Horse Car, from a Rivarossi coach:
Baggage/Express from an Athearn Pullman:
Insulated boxcar from an Athearn wood reefer:
Slightly modified Rivarossi RPO:
Accurail boxcar redone as an express car:
Modified Walthers express reefer:
Red Caboose X-29 boxcar re-worked as an express car:
Modified MDC Harriman baggage car:
MDC milk car, re-built as an insulated boxcar:
...and another:
An Athearn wood reefer, re-built as an insulated boxcar:
Modified Train Miniature boxcar:
...and yet another:
Re-detailed Athearn express reefer:
Re-built Athearn Pullman:
...another Athearn ex-Pullman:
...and finally, a Branchline coach:
On my layout, one is more likely to see a train like this, albeit shorter, than a train of coaches. Head-end traffic pays the bills.
Wayne
Hi guy's
Nice work
These all mail trains where more common than you may think particularly between major centerers of population they ran mostly at night
Possibly why not many of this kind of train is represented on model railroads
They may also have be carrying the daily news papers as well.
But every one just has to do there favorite named train even when its uh mm a bit short to look right.
Guilty as charged
regards John
Wayne,
Very nice indeed. I have a long way to go to catch up with you. That's just the sort of train I hope to have when done someday. Plus perhaps that very nice grade crossing scene.
Thanks for your kind words, but I think that you've already got a good start on your train. Quite a few modellers may be unaware that head-end cars didn't always stay on their owners' roads. As mentioned, many of us like to model "name" trains where all the cars match (guilty ) but I've come to appreciate the look of these express trains with cars from just about anywhere. It offers a great opportunity to model roads other than your favourite(s) and even ones with which your favourites didn't interchange directly.
Your'e off to a great start. You might find this of interest; out west (and maybe east as well) PFE reefers were used as mail storage cars during the holiday season, cars so selected had to meet postal standards and were required to display restricted service placards on the car sides to avoid confusion with those employed in produce/citrus service, suffice to say these were the cleanest cars in the fleet, inside & out .
I've never seen this modeled.
Dave
I happened to model a Christmas Mail and Baggage train myself this year for the first time. This Christmas was year one for my under construction model railroad so I don't have great pictures to post. This is M&E #11 leaving the brand new staging yard... From this picture it looks more like a train store
Still a plywood pacific. I seriously doubt the prototypical accuracy of the impack cars but I wanted to get the REA and USPS trailers into the train and this was the easiest way at the time.
Great work David and Doctor Wayne (as always)
John R.
Another Chrishmas tradition in rural Nothern Maine was the Santa train. These trains distributed presents and food baskets to people living along the right of way. Just a locomotive and a couple of passenger cars. IN many cases, the train was the only or the best way to travel to and from some of these remote towns and villages.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
And another project car leaves the shop.
This is another IHC. Factory paint, sheet lead to bring the weight up to 6 oz, Mchenry couplers. Metal wheels. Undercarriage and trucks rattle can painted with dark grey auto primer.
For the next magic trick, one or two NYC baggage cars. I think I will stick with plain Pullman green rather than the fancier two tone gray with light gray window stripe paint scheme. After some net cruising I find all the pix of NYC heavyweight baggages are plain Pullman green except for a single pix of a horse car.
Yes, this is something I am going to hve to get done by Christmas. Over on "Show Me Something" they have been asking for July 4 theme railroading, and I don't have anything. But I have been planning to model Santa Fe #5/6 the former "Ranger" after its lost its name and was displaced by the Texas Chief as the main train on the Texas run.
A mostly baggage and mail. I think I have most of the cars, in "rough form" ie ready to run NOT!
But a heavy Christmas baggage and mail by christmas oughta be doable.
And yet another project car leaves the shop.
This is an Athearn baggage car from a train show. It came in some M-O-W light gray paint scheme. This is rattle can Krylon camouflage olive drab for the body and dark gray auto primer on the roof and undercarriage. Hand made wire grabs, windows glazed with plastic from a transparent apple danish pastry box, and Walther's diaphragms. The diaphragms were old and I had to refold them and clamp them overnight with spring clothespins to restore their shape. According to the paint drawing included with the Microscale decals was a note that NYC heavyweight passenger equipment was painted pullman green until 1953 when they went over to the two tone gray scheme. Which might account for the lack of two tone grey heavyweight baggage cars in pix on the internet.
I've got several Baggage Cars in my roster that certainly could be setup as a long consist...
Darren (BLHS & CRRM Lifetime Member)
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (DHVM), Railroad Adventures (RRAdventures)
My Blog
Nice car. luscious underbody detail. Some of those, mixed in with old and grimy heavy weight cars is the look I am going for
Did you say Heavy Weight got those too...