Passenger Cars 2021

[E7]

The GM&O train that opens "In the Heat of the Night" is a beauty, though somewhat of an anachronism for the time frame (GM&O had discontinued service south of St. Louis in the late 50's) Likewise the fictional "Sparta MS" would have only seen Alco and Baldwins on varnish as the EMD's were kept on the Chi-St.Louis runs. The town in the film is actually Sparta, Illinois on the GM&O line to Mobile.

Pete, We won't breathe a word about it to anyone!

Rich

[R.K. Maroon]

I have two consists with truss-rod cars. One is a five or six car set of Labelle cars painted in SP Lines. The other is a single baggage car that is part of my Milwaukee Road Columbian, which was the post-war secondary transcon behind the Olympian Hiawatha. The other cars are in nice shape, but the age, wear, and handling of the baggage car gives it the natural look of an old and worn out car. To my complete surprise, it gets all the attention. I will post photos somewhere down the line.

It appears this thread could go on for quite some time before we all run out of pics.

Jim

[up148]

I love these paint jobs you and Carey come up with. I am a fan of the GMO, but not familiar with this gorgeous scheme. I love the red and maroon, but like this better!

I agree Bob, I like these maroon, brown, red, yellow and orange paint schemes and they have become my second favorite color/schemes of all time. I know the IC, CGW and GM&O all shared similar paint colors and schemes in the 50's and there is a lot of controversy by enthusiasts as to the correct colors offered by many importers. The 3rd Rail CGW GP9 run (this year) was contested on color choice (and missing stanchion), as was the run of F3's (same color used) from 2 years ago. Scott says they used the actual color chip for these locos and Tru-color or one of the other paint mfg. supplied the paint that matched.

As they aged the maroons and the browns lighted up and the yellow/orange faded too, I'd just add some weathering and call it a day.

[bob turner]

I have artistic license - I just mix until I am personally happy (except for yellows, which I cannot seem to match). I did a GMO PA a couple decades ago, but was not happy, so it is now my version of Brunswick. That is Scalecoat with enough CNW green to make it actually look not black.

I am going to try a GMO scheme on one of my E7s. The maroon looks a bit like Tuscan, and the red seems to have a hint of orange in it. I can mix those.

[up148]

I guess I've always been enamored with the GM&O, ever since seeing it run on the high line, paralleling the river in St. Louis, when I was under 8-9 years old. Watching the trains run across the high line, cross the Eads bridge and catch some street running every once in a while was a real treat for me....along with going to Union Station with my Grandfather once a year. Once a summer we would ride the Admiral excursion boat (school trips as I remember) and standing on the observation deck watching trains was the highlight for me.

I bought a 1st run (the ones with the tether between A and B) of the GGD E7's in GM&O scheme way back when. They were bad, paint looked more pink and purple than maroon and brown. I sold them.

Look forward to seeing your E7 Bob.

[bob turner]

Have to be really careful with orange reds - pink is a heartbeat away. And purple is a heartbeat away from maroon.
Ah, the advantage of a cast E7 - stripper and bead blast, and start over.

Another advantage is that each repaint gets better, and smoothes out the casting chill marks.

[R.K. Maroon]

Here is another car from the GM&O consist:



This car is problematic for two reasons, both of which will be obvious to many. First, the car is a PRR scenery/horse car. There is no evidence that the GM&O had any car vaguely resembling it. In addition, the maroon is way too red. Either one of these shortcomings alone would be a deal-breaker for many, but it's part of an operating set and the car is otherwise well-built, painted, and in excellent condition. It works for me within the consist.

Jim

[ScaleCraft]

Put it out in the sun for a month, rotating 180 every day to fade the red!

[Joseph Frank1]

Here is another car from the GM&O consist:



This car is problematic for two reasons, both of which will be obvious to many. First, the car is a PRR scenery/horse car. There is no evidence that the GM&O had any car vaguely resembling it. In addition, the maroon is way too red. Either one of these shortcomings alone would be a deal-breaker for many, but it's part of an operating set and the car is otherwise well-built, painted, and in excellent condition. It works for me within the consist.

Jim

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Jim ---- Regardless - It is STILL a beautiful looking and unique heavyweight car and a very nicely and realistically detailed and finished model! That cuts it in my book !

Joe F

[Joseph Frank1]

I bet my percentage of wheels off the track compared to wheels actually posted is right on up there with the best of photo posters here.

On the E7 v E8, my affections are irrational, just like between bronze and plastic. I like the E7 number boards, and do not like those on the E8/9. Do not care for portholes. Just me. As a kid, I saw only E7s, PAs, and steam.

Back to JC for a minute. Not sure these were JC, but I got them from a local guy named Miller, and sold them to Allan Wehrle (both RIP). I think these are now in the capable hands of Maroon. Exquisite work for the 1930s, but not exactly what I wanted on my roster:

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Another example of a beautifully built and detailed O Scale Car !! (Joe F)

[R.K. Maroon]

Put it out in the sun for a month, rotating 180 every day to fade the red!

Or put it on display in a room with fluorescent lights. And yes, still need to turn the car around every now and then so that both sides fade.

It is STILL a beautiful looking and unique heavyweight car and a very nicely and realistically detailed and finished model! That cuts it in my book!

Yes, I agree, but I will say this: It is easier to accept a non-prototypical car in a passenger consist when, say, it's just a bread-and-butter coach or sleeper. However, when a car is strongly associated with one or two roads -- as the three-door horse-scenery car is -- it's out-of-place nature in GM&O colors is a bit harder to ignore. It's not quite like a GG1 in New Haven colors, but it's the same idea:



Here next is a paired-window coach:



The GM&O indeed had paired-window coaches, so this may be the best match to prototype of all the cars in the set. I wouldn't mind having another. Modelers tend to ignore the fact that there were often multiple coaches in even short trains.

Jim

[De Bruin]

Ouch, the GG1 is painful to look at
I agree that coach is a very good match for the GM&o's, really good looking train there, do recall the name of the guy in Alabama who allegedly got it from Smith? it wasn't Joe Fiore was it?

Ok, so this is a stretch as it’s not per se a passenger car, but if we’re doing RPO and baggage-express cars let’s broaden the topic to other head end equipment, as in it’s got steam lines.

Weaver troop sleeper with what I think is NYNH&H’s or maybe B&M's door configuration, whichever Weaver apparently thought would be the most representative for the post-war troop-pullman conversions to insulated express cars. They(weaver) did a bunch of them in a variety of REA and common carrier schemes.
This one has been painted into a late era REA scheme, one of a 100 car series REA leased from Chicago Freightcar Leasing, hence the CRDX reporting marks. I saw a lot of these cars on the IC’s secondary express trains with this big X REA scheme, actually pretty commonplace in the 60’s everywhere until Amtrak. As I recall this one got done with Floquil BN Green and a late model Walthers decal set.

There was quite a variety of variations around the side doors, windows etc. depending on the railroad. I have a similar NYC car in black that has torn itself in half thanks to the zinc pest issue common to their die-cast chassis. I got a replacement for this one from Atlas about five years ago, alas their last one in stock at the time, so the NYC car remains bisected. I have to see about getting two more as well. Switching out the cast floor was a bigger challenge than I expected as well.

[sarge]

I’ll play for as few passenger cars I have here; few because if it doesn’t fit the ops schemes it doesn’t stay. This was a “covid-build”, a classic KTM steel express reefer painted with Trucolor and lettered with Microscale. The trucks were a kit made up back in the ‘80s, I think Mashburn cast them up at the old Philly crowd’s behest.

[R.K. Maroon]

I have two or three sets of those brass express trucks -- I want to say they are called "B20" trucks. At least one set is a kit, new in the package, but I can't remember the name brand. PSC, maybe? They are nice, and just what the steel REA cars need.

[bob turner]

I vote for express cars to be included as passenger consists.

In 1949 and 1950 I visited, and then lived in, the old EPSW depot in Fairbank. In my back yard often passed double-shotted GS-4s in full Daylight dress hauling long strings of passenger cars. In between we could see either a Cab Forward or a PA set hauling long strings of Railway Express cars and baggage cars, with one or two coaches on the rear.

These things came by practically every hour. Things were different then.