Newbie with 1 inquiry


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flaps

New Member
Hello, I said hi on the newbie page and got lots of nice welcomes, thanks for that. Now for my 1st real question, I purchased a PRR GG-1 by Bachmann, in both Brunswick Green with Solid Stripe and Tuscan Red with 5 Stripe, My question has to do with proper passenger cars to go with it. I can not afford nor have the room for a real 8 or 16 car set up, so the plan is to get a Mail Car, a Dining Car, a Passenger Car and maybe an End car, not sure what you call those but they look like passenger with rounded end.

That said, finding affordable cars all by one mfg is not so easy, I am going for the look below, picture I found with Engine and cars, but the cars have two Tuscan Stripes and most that I am locating at a descent price are not even close to looking like these.

GG1-PRR-Tuscan.jpg

Any thoughts ideas, links, deals, info at all would be very helpful. I found some at Walthers for 18.98 on sale, but no stock, even though it says they have them, so moving on :)

Thanks, Flaps / Chris
 
Although it hasn't been produced since about 2005 or so, Bachmann actually had a four-car set of heavyweights with a lighted strip inside each of them. It was in the Spectrum line, too, so good quality with good details. The coupler system was a wonky hybrid, though, causing their couplers to meet at widely disparate heights. I had to shim two of mine. You might still be able to find one of these sets on eBay. Failing that, just look to Walthers and get their modern Pullman smooth-sided coaches or heavyweights, both of which are at reduced prices now and then. Try modeltrainstuff.com or trainworld.com, or hiawathahobbies, or any number of places two pages or more deep in a google search.
 
Hi, thanks for the tips, I did not know about the older Spectrum Bachman or hiawathahobbies, will check those out. So would any silver with Tuscan car be ok, mixed lengths ? or should I stick to 63' 85'.

How do you find the info on what cars would go with this engine in say 1958 or so if anyone has the info. Chris
 
For your "end car" you could use one with an observation dome, some had a rounded end on em.
 
I gotta tell you its not easy finding matching cars in one brand hat might remotely have ever been used with the Engine in the late 50's early 60's. Any wanted kind nice on a budget does not help.

Anyway, I found lots if text links to info on the GG-1 and the cars they normally pulled, kind of a mess , PRR would hook up all kinds of stuff to these things. But two sites said these never pulled Observation cars.

I did find a set of 4 cars by Con Cor, Silver with Tuscan Stripe, no interiors but nice looking overall for $120.00, that seems to be the best deal on something new.

Walthers has this and that but no matching in the same series in stock, so there useless and they want $45 to $55 for the ones they do have?

Looks like this will be quite an adventure after all, I had no idea it would be so hard to find matching passenger cars and for that matter so hard to find accurate info or descent pictures of the trains when they were set up with matching passenger cars. Lots of beat up engine pics but hardly any complete trains from the 50's 60's.

Thanks for all the help so far, Flaps / Chris
 
Anyone know if this is a car the GG-1 would have pulled and what years it would have been used, thanks in advance for any info.

401182839317_1.jpg
 
The # vary, I have a few choices one is 3818 another is 3325, and 4531

Hope that helps, thanks also for you help.
 
Then there are some like this in the 8000's Say Post War, so I would guess 1946 and newer

Bachmann Spectrum Combine PRR(Post War) Car # 9920 Item # 89241
 
flaps said:
The # vary, I have a few choices one is 3818 another is 3325, and 4531

Hope that helps, thanks also for you help.
Click to expand...

Here's 3843 photo dated 12/31/78
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3408498
looks somewhat tired out, may be on it's way to a museum.

If they have 6 wheel trucks they would be what's known as heavyweights and from before the mid 1930's or so. The lightweight streamliners (4 wheel generally) were being introduced after that. That's not to say heavyweights were withdrawn soon after. Many of the later coaches were acquired by AMTRAK in '71.
 
Just as a matter of interest, and to show how cars got what looks like new lives, by being rebuilt, here's another pic by the same photographer on the same date of a Penn Central 6 wheel truck coach with a similar early raised roof that has the later smooth sides and flush windows. Right behind it there appears to be, going by it's color, a PRR ACF lightweight coach
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3408497

Here's a link that'll keep you going http://prr.railfan.net/passenger/
And another http://prr.railfan.net/passenger/GSPEAR/
 
All the info you guys sent was fantastic, good info and most of it good fun reading. That said I still have not had any success finding affordable kind nice / ok cars, so sad :-(

Anyway, I guess its not something that's as easy as I thought it would be, being a beginner again, I figured if the made the GG-1 Engines they would also make some cars to go with it, silly me.

Thanks for all the help , really appreciate it. Flaps / Chris
 
The PRR mainly used square end observation cars in the streamlined era, such as on The Congressional, that ran between NYC & DC (the train on your post card). There are several ways to go, depending on several factors. Did you ever decide about 63' vs 85' cars? In HO, Model Power used to have 'shortie' versions of the Budd cars used on the Congressional, aka the 'Congo', which would go around shorter curves, better. They have interiors, but no lights. They came in Coach, Dinner, Baggage(I think) and Observation. I don't believe they offered a sleeper, although Model Power did import HO shorty sleepers. You could try and find them on ebay.

Another choice would be the same cars, only in 85' versions made by Riverossi, back in the late 90's and early 2000's. Didn't come with interiors, but sometimes you can find molded interiors for them in the clear plastic tubes, or square elongated boxes, that fit older AHM cars. These cars might have been from IHC or had their imprint on them.

Another way to go would be with Walther's 85' cars, only they need 24" radius curves or larger. They have interiors, and I believe you can also light them.

Good luck!
 
flaps said:
All the info you guys sent was fantastic, good info and most of it good fun reading. That said I still have not had any success finding affordable kind nice / ok cars, so sad :-(

Anyway, I guess its not something that's as easy as I thought it would be, being a beginner again, I figured if the made the GG-1 Engines they would also make some cars to go with it, silly me.

Thanks for all the help , really appreciate it. Flaps / Chris
Click to expand...

What you've actually come up against is the trend (well, it's past being a trend, now is the "Norm") of makers producing limited runs of something. The old days of building stuff and have it sitting in inventory have well and truly gone. Produce a number, sell 'em quick, make a profit, minimise losses. What happens now when it comes to passenger trains in particular, the maker announces a train, makes the coaches and sells out of them, then does the locomotives. They know how many to make and that's it, until maybe several years later if there's been sufficient interest and they might do another run. And just to P you off, they make the re-releases more detailed or something than the previous run.
 
flaps said:
That said I still have not had any success finding affordable kind nice / ok cars, so sad :-(

Anyway, I guess its not something that's as easy as I thought it would be, being a beginner again, I figured if the made the GG-1 Engines they would also make some cars to go with it, silly me.
Click to expand...
The GG1 locomotives ran from 1934 through the end of the Pennsy Railroad, and continued to serve with the Penn Central and Contrail. So I am certain at some time in their life they pulled about any passenger car you can find painted Pennsy except for the oldest 1880's open platform cars. I really like the Bachmann cars that someone recommended. Walther's has made two sets of cars for the train named "Broadway Limited" that would be perfect, but they are 85' full scale cars that do not like going around tight corners and on top of that they are expensive.

Walther's cars (1950s version)- http://www.ebay.com/itm/201758221262?ul_noapp=true

Walther's cars (1960s version deluxe set -lighted -people) - http://www.ebay.com/itm/381567287111?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Bachmann cars - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pennsylvania-Railroad-Passenger-Train-Engine-Passenger-Cars-Caboose-8-pc-LOT-/322359724917?hash=item4b0e230b75:g:svYAAOSwCEdYUFAs

Broadway Limited cars - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pennsylvania-Railroad-4-P70-Passenger-Cars-Broadway-Limited-4361-Buff-with-A-C-/381901165763?hash=item58eb1554c3:g:U-cAAOSwA3dYYzKK

And of course the AHM / Rivarossi / IHC type cars - I don't see any sets but they are plentiful on ebay. They are 85' cars but they have truck mounted couplers so they will go around sharp curves. Unfortunately I'm guessing they all have horn hook couplers that would have to be replace with McHenry brand knuckle couplers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-scale-2-AHM-85-Coach-cars-NIB-Pennsylvania-Rail-Road-/332073603203?hash=item4d51211083:g:whkAAOSwwPhWj~K7

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AHM-RIVAROSSI-HO-SCALE-1920S-STYLE-PENNSYLVANIA-OBSERVATION-CAR-ITEM-6202-NIB-/232189330850?hash=item360f9005a2:g:qrIAAOSw44BYXELX

Oh, No dome cars. The Pennsy never owned a dome as they would not fit through tunnels on the eastern corridor. Any manufacturer who has painted a dome car for Pennsy is pulling your leg.
 
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