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In the latest MTH catalog (2015, Vol.II, pages 80-81) there is an impressive New York Central passenger set on page 81. I have never seen these streamlined cars before. Can anyone tell me something about them? I am assuming that they are based on prototypes....what trains did they make up? Any info is appreciated.

 

http://mthtrains.com/20-3584-1

 

Peter

Last edited by Putnam Division
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Okay, these colors appeared in 1940-'41 on the light weight order(s) for long distance coaches.  The color is a dark coach green.  It was used on the MU electric cars from the post war period. The yellow is pale buff color.  The coaches were repainted into the familiar two tone gray after the war.  This scheme is not correct for the other passenger type cars; Pullmans, Diners, etc. Central did have a tiny number of head end lightweights painted this way for a while, but most were solid dark gray.   Too bad these aren't 21" PS smoothside light weights in 1940 Century paint !

If you dump the boat tail obs. car out of that set, it would be pretty close to something you could have seen in the early to mid forties.  I really dig the J1e Hudson 5316, with block style lettering.  I'd buy that Hudson if they did it in 2-3 !  Then mix in some standard heavyweight cars....and you got #35, The Iroquis. !

Followup. I did find a black and white picture on page 269 of Staufer's Thoroughbreds.

He describes the color as olive drab with yellow stripes. 95 cars were built. Some by Pullman, some by ACF, and some by PSCC. No doubt MTH's will be ACF.

I suspect since they were only painted this color during the war, color pics may be rare. At least they existed and not a fantasy paint scheme.

 

Pete

This week I purchased the 5 car set of these cars from Mr Muffin. Now back home I open the set to check them out. Good news is they are nicely done with correct trucks and many figures filling the seats and aisles. The not so good news is while the MTH catalog indicates the numbers on the coaches would be 2650, 2657, and 2665, correct for the cars that ACF built (2645-2669). Instead, they used 2600, 2610, and 2635. The number range 2600-2644 is what were used on the cars built by Pullman. I am not aware that MTH ever made Pullman streamline cars and these definitely are not, rather the same ACF cars they have always made. Too bad as they had a chance to be very close to being protoypically correct. 

I can't really comment on window arrangment as the only picture I have of these cars is one of a Pullman car (2640). The windows are close but not identical but without seeing an ACF car I have no idea if they differed.

Somewhere between the initial research done on these cars and the finished product there was a another failure to communicate. 

 

One last detail MTH should consider doing is using full width diaphragms where called for like Lionel and 3rd Rail do. These cars should have full width diaphragms but, not surprisingly, do not.

 

Pete

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