Oscar and Piker. Real, or a figment of Walther's imagination?

[7j43k]

ACY

There was mention of a Sierra combine by Ulrich. I think the reference should actually be to Selley. They may have had a matching coach, but I'm not sure.

 

 

 

from 1974 catalog:

 

http://hoseeker.net/selley/selleycatalog1974pg05.jpg

 

 

 

Ed

[ACY Tom]

This is a really old thread and I'm not sure why it was resurrected. I suppose there are folks who are amused by such improbabilities, but I've never thought the Oscar or Piker were amusing, much less worthy of consideration for purchase. I guess that's just a matter of taste. 

There was mention of a Sierra combine by Ulrich. I think the reference should actually be to Selley. They may have had a matching coach, but I'm not sure. Ads from the 1950's showed a car that was very appealing, although I always thought the white metal construction probably meant a very heavy car. I never actually saw one of these models. Since Bowser is the successor to Selley, I wonder whether they have any of the old tooling and could produce the kits in something lke resin. If so, there may be a good market. 

Tom

[chutton01]

Not sure why Ted Finkbohner bounced this thread, but for the heck of it I looked and Walthers has a catalog page for the 'Oscar', so people who didn't see this thread a decade ago can now check out the official image and ad copy for the model.
BTW, sorry folks: "Availability: Discontinued"

And Ted is incorrect, these passenger cars should be pulled by units like this TP model 56

[TED FINKBOHNER]

They were designed to be pulled by a Penn Central Husdon or K-4 pacific.  They had the decals for the engines avalible, don't forget to add your Jailbox car.

[fwright]

... one of the smaller western railroads I think it may have been the Sierra had some really very short passenger cars (25 footers I think). They rode on two four wheel trucks though ... MRR published a photo of them not that long ago.

Correct. Those were the basis for the MDC shorty "Overton" cars, which laBelle did better as a wood kit. MR also published plans/construction drawings for at least the coach, way back when in the 1950's.

CNJ831

I didn't know about the LaBelle wood version (always good to learn something new), but Ulrich made a metal version of the Sierra Ry Overton cars.  The cars (both combines and coaches were built, but no observation or business as MDC made) were about 34ft long, and built to fit a specific switchback branch with a short tail track on the Sierra Ry.  I believe the Sierra used a Shay to pull the passenger train up and down the branch - a slow trip by any standard.

Fred W

[CNJ831]

... one of the smaller western railroads I think it may have been the Sierra had some really very short passenger cars (25 footers I think). They rode on two four wheel trucks though ... MRR published a photo of them not that long ago.

 

Correct. Those were the basis for the MDC shorty "Overton" cars, which laBelle did better as a wood kit. MR also published plans/construction drawings for at least the coach, way back when in the 1950's.

CNJ831

 

[AntonioFP45]

I've just been going through late '70s issues of MR and the ads for these (and the beer can tankers, and the Jimmy Carter peanut car) were in their "Tongue in Cheek" series, so they weren't real.

KL

Yes, you're correct but they're really neat as attention getters!  Imagine having a train of these cars, including the JailBox, running on a club layout on an "Open House" or "Visitor" day.  Visitors, young and seasoned would get a real kick out of them.

[boxcar_jim]

While everyone here is dead right about Oscar and Piker being whimsy, whoever it was at Walthers that dreamed them up wasn't competely off his rocker ...

... one of the smaller western railroads I think it may have been the Sierra had some really very short passenger cars (25 footers I think). They rode on two four wheel trucks though ... MRR published a photo of them not that long ago.

[Kurt_Laughlin]

I've just been going through late '70s issues of MR and the ads for these (and the beer can tankers, and the Jimmy Carter peanut car) were in their "Tongue in Cheek" series, so they weren't real.

 

KL

[AntonioFP45]

Well, I'm going to add this to my "Want to get" list.  If I can't find one on ebay, I'm hoping I can find an old photo so I can repaint a 50ft. boxcar and rebuild it into a "Jail Box".

Ironically I did a dumb thing. I had two Walthers Catalogs from the late 1970s-early 1980s and one of them had the JailBox Car in it. I threw one away and gave the other away........Dumb move!

If anyone has a photo of a "Jail Box" please post the link!

Thanks!

[BRAKIE]

LOL, for those of you that have never seen it, Walther's "JailBox car" was a riot!  I regret never getting one.  I vaguely remember it's slogan:

 "Next Crime, Anytime!"

For today.....I wish there were prototype versions of this car that could be put to actual use.   Would be great if those graffitti-train-trashing vandals  could be locked up in them for a few weeks.

(Of course the political correctness twinkies  would be up in arms)

 

Antonio,I had one of those J-Boxes..I glued 5 figures in that car and proceeded to switch that car into a train at the club from time to time..It always got a lot of laughs and odd looks from our visitors during open houses..

[AntonioFP45]

LOL, for those of you that have never seen it, Walther's "JailBox car" was a riot!  I regret never getting one.  I vaguely remember it's slogan:

 "Next Crime, Anytime!"

For today.....I wish there were prototype versions of this car that could be put to actual use.   Would be great if those graffitti-train-trashing vandals  could be locked up in them for a few weeks.

(Of course the political correctness twinkies  would be up in arms)

[SP4449]

[8D] Got my Oscar and Piker at a train show last fall. Walthers item numbers are 932-11 for Oscar and 932-12 for Piker, both in Union Pacific colors. They are ready to roll with wire grabs and working diaphrams to be added by the purchaser and the EZ-Mate couplers can be changed to Kadee # 5s. Both cars are detailed inside but without people so a "girl in the shower" could definitely be added. The UP shields on the sides has the older "Union Pacific Railroad" printing in them. Look for a blue and black box with multi-color lettering and the term "Walthers HO Scale 2000" on the top and ends. Paid 16.75 USD, each. [8D] [8D]

[BR60103]

I've had the Piker for over 40 years. I have an Oscar in the box.
I finally got a beer can tank car kit that I plan to use on a CP Rail water can that I found.

[msowsun]

[msowsun]

There ia one on Ebay right now......

http://cgi.ebay.ca/DTD-HO-Scale-Walthers-7899-The-Oscar-Craftsman-Kit_W0QQitemZ6058155811QQcategoryZ19141QQcmdZViewItem

[Anonymous]

Hey, 8500HPGASTURBINE,

Did you read the turbine piece left you on the TURBINE survey topic page ???
I about got knocked off a bridge by one of those once.
Thought you might enjoy the story.

Mike

[amtrakjackson]

I had both of them; kits I assembled in the 70s. They were neat from a craftsman perspective- well, compared to stuff available nowadays. I think the sides were tin; roofs wood, ends were pot metal. Maybe. But they were fun as heck to build!!

And who can forget the "Beer Can" Tank Cars??

Ian Smith

[Texas Zepher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 8500HPGASTURBINE
I guy at the club actually has these in Brass.

Wow, the kits have aluminum or tin sides, but I've never seen one in brass.

[dinwitty]

I think one of the model mags had some article about the Penn Central Steam decals, who knows, it shoulda happened buutt... you know....
yeh the piker was just a fun thing like the Dockside Cab Forward kit even adding a tender. But there really was an early small cab forward steamer.

[cacole]

I hope Walthers releases them again in diferent road names, because I missed out on the last run.

[METRO]

You know it came down to a decision a couple years ago, an Oscar and Piker or a Kato business car in CP. Sorry Walthers but I chose the beautiful Kato, 80 feet of Burlington-prototyped perfection right there.

Cheers!
~METRO

[Anonymous]

http://www.all-model-railroading.co.uk/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=049637810b44585b8a16d2562bdcee17&topic=1532.msg19534

For everyone who wants to see these dandy's. Just scroll through. There's a couple of pictures.

Kevin

[jeffrey-wimberly]

After an extensive internet search I can post my findings on the Oscar and Piker Passenger cars. Zero, Zilch, Bop-kiss, Da-nada, Never existed in prototype form.

Somebody definitly had thier imagination running on overload when they thought those up.

[Anonymous]

They are whimsy. They were originally produced in kit form metal in the 50s. Walthers had a run in kit form in plastic about 7 years ago, and I bought a pair. Nice kit. I didn't know they were ever done in RTR, but you would still need to paint and populate the interiors.

[DrummingTrainfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mike McBreen

Similarly inspired my friend Bob Montag once kit-bashed a "pass-a-fridg-a-gond-a-flox". You've heard of a 'one man band' ? Well this thing was a one car railroad !! You've probably seen a real 'flox' car in MofW service, a short section of boxcar occupying one end of a flat car. Well Bob decided to make a passenger-refrigerator-gondola-flat-boxcar all on one set of trucks! Looked pretty neat, but then again we were in high school at the time !
Mike

The ultimate for the space-limited modeler! [:o)][;)]

[emdgp92]

Hehe I've seen those cars! I thought about getting them, painting them up in PRR, just to drive the Penn Central guys nuts :P

BTW, does anyone remember the furor over the PC steam decals in MR awhile back? Those too were "unprototypical," yet they caused an uproar.

[river_eagle]

IIRC, they were last in the Walthers catalog in 2001 or 2002.

[Anonymous]

Similarly inspired my friend Bob Montag once kit-bashed a "pass-a-fridg-a-gond-a-flox". You've heard of a 'one man band' ? Well this thing was a one car railroad !! You've probably seen a real 'flox' car in MofW service, a short section of boxcar occupying one end of a flat car. Well Bob decided to make a passenger-refrigerator-gondola-flat-boxcar all on one set of trucks! Looked pretty neat, but then again we were in high school at the time !
Mike