Freight car models noone makes that you'd like to see...

[dehusman]

Since none of the major plastic car manufacturers have made a new HO wood underframe truss rod car in over 30 years, I'd vote for that.

I would say a 30 or 34' hopper bottom gondola.  Probably 30 or 40,000 of them used used between 1880 and 1910.  Modeling before WW1 without these cars is like modeling the 1950's without twin hoppers.  Has never been made in plastic and only one model in resin.

A 34' wooden truss rod boxcar.  Once again modeling before WW1 without these cars is like modeling the 1950's without 40 foot boxcars.  Has never been made accurately in plastic (except for some train set quality models), only in craftsman wood.

A 30 ft wood truss hopper car.  THE coal car of the 1860-1890 era.  Versions were used by every major coal hauling railroad in that era.  Has never been modeled commercially.

A 4 wheel wooden coal jimmy.  THE coal car of the 1840-1870 era.  Used by virtually every American railroad of the era.  Has never been modeled in plastic.  May have been one metal model made in the 1950's and there is a wood craftsman kit.

A Union tank car from the 1890's, basically a 5-8000 gal iron tank on a wood flatcar.  Has never been modeled in plastic, only as a wood craftsman kit.

All of the above models were built in the thousands during their era and were used by many roads.

Dave H.

[bogp40]

Mine starts with a 61' centerbeam flat.  Noone makes them in HO.  Yet they are far from rare, perhaps not as ubiquitous as 73' centerbeams...but BNSF has 500 61` footers, for instance.  There are plenty of examples in the prototype, hauling green lumber, ties and drywall, and many in use with shortlines for all lumber products.

And those 73' cars just would look hideous rounding my 26" radius.  Why can't a manufacturer make a 61' centerbeam for those of us under a 30+" radius? 

I suggested it to Walthers in a mail with some good justification regarding eras and prototype inventories, but I'm sure it that will go nowhere.   My kitbashing skills with cars are utterly untested, so I don't think i'm going with that...

I would also like to see some of the shorter, early center beams produced. McKean, now long gone, did this particular version, however they were a horrible kit to build. I still try to locate them usually under years of dust on the shelves. Jaeger makes some real nice loads for them.

As it is know, you're propably stuck to using bulkhead flats for a shorter lumber car.

[csmith9474]

These aren't revenue freight cars, but I would like to see some runs of road specific MOW equipment in plastic. I have seen plenty of good stuff in brass, but that can get costly quick. I know that you can get some decent modern stuff from companies like Custom Finishing, but I would like to see some transition era cars.

I am aware that Walther's and a couple of other companies have released generic cars and sets in the past, but I want some new releases.

[wjstix]

A modern Great Lakes iron ore / taconite car, like BNSF has used the last 10 years or so.

 

[shawnee]

Mine starts with a 61' centerbeam flat.  Noone makes them in HO.  Yet they are far from rare, perhaps not as ubiquitous as 73' centerbeams...but BNSF has 500 61` footers, for instance.  There are plenty of examples in the prototype, hauling green lumber, ties and drywall, and many in use with shortlines for all lumber products.

And those 73' cars just would look hideous rounding my 26" radius.  Why can't a manufacturer make a 61' centerbeam for those of us under a 30+" radius? 

I suggested it to Walthers in a mail with some good justification regarding eras and prototype inventories, but I'm sure it that will go nowhere.   My kitbashing skills with cars are utterly untested, so I don't think i'm going with that...