New York Central Action

[R.K. Maroon]

New video posted to YouTube, showing a variety of O-scale New York Central locomotives in freight and passenger service. The models are mostly vintage, but the Bob Hall scratch-built Pacific was completed in June of 2000.

https://youtu.be/pmY1SMFTpVU

It's worth noting that most of the models shown came to me from friends on the west coast, and now they have congregated in Texas. Like the PRR, the NYC gets around.

Jim

[sleepmac]

Jim, very nice!

Dan Weinhold

[ScaleCraft]

I wonder which one is the heaviest. My vote is the last one in the video.

[R.K. Maroon]

I haven't gotten out the scale yet to test Dave's theory, but I am not betting against him: The Scale-Craft Hudson is a beast.

Bob T. asked for "builder's photos" of the Walthers passenger cars in the video. I am posting here in case others are interested:

Walthers referred to RPOs as "postal" cars. This is kit #9134, listed in the catalog as a New Haven prototype:

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/k9w1ywshigxk7tcgf7xsn/Walthers-9134-RPO-NYC-XXXX-_02.jpg?rlkey=mvlo343fny67rja6ygyihims1

Walthers kit #9120, listed as a NYC prototype (among others):

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/uho86q0lfm842zzrgsbkw/Walthers-9120-Baggage-NYC-3987_01.jpg?rlkey=3sy7ertxuy0iltmt6wwi83pae

This car looks at first glance like a standard baggage-coach combine, but kit #9113 is for a baggage-club, also known as a smoker. These were often (always?) operated by Pullman.

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/30i1ne08p7wc6unidr9a2/Walthers-9113-Baggage-Club-Pullman-Empire-State-02.jpg?rlkey=sbd1r9z61awqg889g7zh0d3au

This diner is the kit #3523, listed as a NYC prototype. This car was dropped from the catalogs sometime shortly after the war, which makes this a rare car in Walthers world. All the other cars were offered up at least into the Seventies.

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/s3nrco109kmhzxeg5vio9/Walthers-3523-Diner-NYC-410_02.jpg?rlkey=qir6n6nbm6kw6bdoo3yj0ykde

Kit #9102 is for the ubiquitous 12-1 sleeper:

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5b2or2g2s49bom48f98ut/Walthers-9102-12-sec-Pullman-American-University-01.jpg?rlkey=9qhj9q69yqq7ean6ryiprn2vf

Kit #9118 is a three drawing room, six compartment sleeper:

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6xy5eb7v0htl21bwtgo9j/Walthers-9118-3-DrRm-6-Cmpt-Pullman-Glen-Echo-02.jpg?rlkey=axlwotf6si48j9nldzoci0zng

Kit #9104 is for a two drawing room, three compartment sleeper-observation:

https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xt10pqtjk7oumuu577ogv/Walthers-9104-Observation-3-Cmpt-2-DrRm-Pullman-Central-Plains-01.jpg?rlkey=cm7goh7ehe77y6dgojebczc6c

All cars except the RPO and baggage have interiors, lighting, and passengers. It is a very well built set, but, alas, I do not know who the builder was. A friend offer to trade me this set for a surplus locomotive I had. He delivered the set in a custom wooden carrying case, which was, as I learned, not part of the deal. It turns out my friend had purchased the set only to get the case. That was OK by me -- my interest was in the cars. A win-win deal.

Jim

[Pacific Limited]

Beautiful

[R.K. Maroon]

A inquiry came in regarding the provenance of the cabooses in the New York Central video posted above. There were at least four NYC cabooses appeared on the market before the war. Examples of three of them appear in the video. First we have this Walthers, nicely built and finished by John Fisher.


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xyibmcpi8nhor6le16phm/Walthers-Caboose-NYC-19864_02.jpg?rlkey=ccqfr075egxmu5kcodjkh15d2

The Walthers is distinguished in part by the cast end platforms, wood center sill, and white-metal cross-bears. The Walthers trucks are expected but not by themselves definitive, as they show up on many models.


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2mhhb07fww0vm0ia9ycwb/Walthers-Caboose-NYC-19864_03.jpg?rlkey=og7wv5x9vct941hisxg65x8oh

Next we have a Lionel "semi-scale" caboose. Dave Goodson acquired this to go with his Scale-Craft Hudson, but I can't recall off the top of my head if he two-railed it or if it arrived that way:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/a085z1bbd66zo2yhjrjr3/Lionel-Semi-Scale-Caboose-NYC-19400_02.jpg?rlkey=9p5b7am0utihav1fb29w7cba4

The 2957 mark under the road number is the Lionel model number for this car. Lionel offered this model as the three-rail version of the 700-series scale caboose. This model is in very nice condition, but not so nice that I worry about a collector making me a ridiculous offer for it.

Finally, here is a Scale Model Railways version:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5qb82cls9vu3k1wxxdchr/Scale-Model-Railways-Caboose-NYC-19975_02.jpg?rlkey=m2wqq07k9183p4q2bglvg0wqr

There are several unique features to the SMR version, the most obvious of which is the cast underframe, which was typical of SMR freight cars:


https://dl.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r14onxd97l3lwixgwi4h8/Scale-Model-Railways-Caboose-NYC-19975_03.jpg?rlkey=1tyqkugumw09gib84x2uibybf

"AJK" stands for Al Kamm. I believe, but don't know for a fact, that there were three generations of Al Kamms, all model railroaders. From the 1937 date, I would guess that this was built by the Al Kamm the first. As far as I know, Al Kamm the third is still with us.

I mentioned at the top that there were four pre-war NYC cabooses. Doorstop fans will know that the one missing here is Scale-Craft. I have one, but it is currently sitting on the deadtrack otherwise known as my storeroom, waiting for some service work.

Jim