A few people posted questions about Penn-Central passenger trains and how they are searching for cars to create an authentic consist in HO.
I worked for the PC in engine service for several years. I saw much of the passenger equipment.
First off-concerning Walthers. Their B-60-B baggage car in PRR (w/keystone emblem) or PC is right on, as are any of the cars (with one exception)
from the Broadway Ltd set.
The exception is the Budd slab sided 21 roomette car.Those cars were converted to coaches in 1963 by the PRR. The red paint was stripped off down to the shiney metal and remained that way.There were 50 plus of these cars that were used in long distance main line service into the PC era. Two of them were converted into coach-club cars which simply meant that at one end some seats were removed and replaced by a snack bar. Across from the snack bar were about 6 to8 lounge chairs facing the aisle. The presence of the lounge chairs distunguished these cars from simply being a "snack bar coach". Snack bar coaches had a snack bar and across from it was a narrow eating shelf for standing patrons only. Regular snack bar coaches were not made from the 21 roomette converts but other types of cars which Walthers doesn't manufacture.
I have written to Walthers several times bugging them to make a PRR and PC coach, and coach-club car version of their slab-sided 21 roomette cars. Each time they said that they have no plans to do it.I suppose it will take a lot more folks than me to suggest it. Maybe then they will.
The Walthers NYC or PC grille diner is accurate for a PC consist. Don't forget, the PC didn't always repaint every car they inhereted in PC colors or with their name and logo on them. Some cars were left alone as they were. Only the car numbers were changed. So depending on what year you are modelling, if it's early on you could get away with mixing PRR, NYC,and NH cars with their original roadnames and colors.
Joe W.
I worked for the PC in engine service for several years. I saw much of the passenger equipment.
First off-concerning Walthers. Their B-60-B baggage car in PRR (w/keystone emblem) or PC is right on, as are any of the cars (with one exception)
from the Broadway Ltd set.
The exception is the Budd slab sided 21 roomette car.Those cars were converted to coaches in 1963 by the PRR. The red paint was stripped off down to the shiney metal and remained that way.There were 50 plus of these cars that were used in long distance main line service into the PC era. Two of them were converted into coach-club cars which simply meant that at one end some seats were removed and replaced by a snack bar. Across from the snack bar were about 6 to8 lounge chairs facing the aisle. The presence of the lounge chairs distunguished these cars from simply being a "snack bar coach". Snack bar coaches had a snack bar and across from it was a narrow eating shelf for standing patrons only. Regular snack bar coaches were not made from the 21 roomette converts but other types of cars which Walthers doesn't manufacture.
I have written to Walthers several times bugging them to make a PRR and PC coach, and coach-club car version of their slab-sided 21 roomette cars. Each time they said that they have no plans to do it.I suppose it will take a lot more folks than me to suggest it. Maybe then they will.
The Walthers NYC or PC grille diner is accurate for a PC consist. Don't forget, the PC didn't always repaint every car they inhereted in PC colors or with their name and logo on them. Some cars were left alone as they were. Only the car numbers were changed. So depending on what year you are modelling, if it's early on you could get away with mixing PRR, NYC,and NH cars with their original roadnames and colors.
Joe W.
