GGD 3rd Rail Amtrak

Possible interest, but would also have to include the exATSF High-Level Transition Dorm to complete the consist if a train of Superliner I cars.

 

I would also suggest an SDP40F at some point to pull the High-Level Amtrak cars and other early Amtrak cars.

Yes on the spd40f. That would justify the high prices that ggd charges for diesels. No one has made an sdp40f in O scale.

And why not the FP45 for all the Santa Fe modelers

---

"Yes on the spd40f. That would justify the high prices that ggd charges for diesels."

 

Umm...In my observation, it is the design expense and hands on quality control costs that sets the Sunset pricing.  Who else in the plastic market  really cares that much?

I would be interested in the Superliner IIs in the current paint scheme. Superficially, besides the obvious paint scheme differences, the main difference between Superliner I & II are the trucks. Perhaps, Scott could also offer Superliner I painted in the Superliner II colors & I could replace the German-made trucks from Superliner I with General Steel Castings trucks from Atlas for their Amtrak Horizon passenger cars.

I would also be interested in Amtrak Pacific Surfliner cars & Capitol Corridor Amtrak California cars if any importer offered them.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

 

Also unlike Superliner I which have limited motive power choices (in O-Scale) to go with them, Superliner II, Pacific Surfliner & Capitol corridor passenger cars could be used with the MTH Premier GE P42DC or EMD F59PHi locomotives. If there were scale length passenger cars available, I might get & convert the MTH models to 2-rail.

I had the K-Line 21” Pacific Surfliner cars. The door placement looked right but the window placement wasn’t. Seemed like they used the same window layout from their Superliner II models.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

I would definitely want a Superliner Amtrak set of cars.

Scott does not think there is sufficient interest in Amtrak.

I believe Scott is correct.

Although I'm a steam/diesel era modeler I have a latest AMTRAK (P42 + 6 Superliners) set by Williams to commemorate our recent Coast-to-Coast trip (never again...). I have less than $500  invested, including the ERR electronics. A set such as the one described would have to run close to $2000. Seems a lot for full scale length and interiors (the Williams cars are a tad short). And, why an F40PH, particularly?

Rex,

Why "never again" for the coast-to-coast trip?

Ed

I would have liked the RDCs done in Amtrak, but Scott said he did not believe there would be enough orders.

Stephen

Maybe there is no market for a diesel model that can only be used/styled in one road name?

 

How about three road names: Amtrak, Maersk[ promo], EMD, and Santa Fe

 

 

 

 

and several different paint schemes:

 

Amtrak Phase I

Amtrak Phase II

Amtrak Phase III

 

EMD Test Paint scheme

 

ATSF Blue Bonnet

possible ATSF Super Fleet???

possibly ATSF  SP/SF??? 

Note that those units pictured USED TO BE SDP40F units, but after Amtrak sold some off, the Santa Fe had to add that front porch & grab iron arrangement. When built, the SDP40F units had no "porch" on the front. 

 

I love the Demo scheme and the Maersk but too large fro our railroad.

 

 

The Metra unit is an F40C, owned only by RTA/Metra.

 

Rusty

Same fans, same grills above...  cut some side panels our and insert some louvers...

You got one!   Ah.. maybe different trucks too... and ditch lights.  Could be a different fuel tank too.

 

Not too much work Rusty.

 

I would be in for a set of modern era 2 rail Amtrak! Yes!!!

Don't ask me which scheme as I don't really care. As long as they're near modern and are correct!

 Now are grandson prefers the modern P42 with the wave scheme on it. So that might influence me!

 I'd rally him myself, but if I did, I'd talk him into doing it in G scale!

Let me count the ways...

First, we took AMTRAK from LA to Emeryville to Chicago to Washington; Washington to Chicago to Portland to LA. About 8000 miles.

Not so good food except for breakfast; same menu on all trains, four entrees only. If you don't make diner early call "better" entrees gone...

Upper bunk in bedroom consists of a plank with a thin mattress.

Infuriating delays on every segment.

Some anticipated interesting scenery in the Eastern US hidden by trees along the right-of-way. North Dakota, sitting through delay  after delay is really boring. Looked forward to run through Glacier NP, sched for daytime, occurred during wee hours.

Exhausting trip; better for folks younger than I am, maybe.

Call it our bullet list experience.

If there's 3 rail involved in this project, then yes, I'd buy it. Wouldnt even have to think about it. I'd buy add on extra cars too. 

And the SDP40F too.

Like I've said in past threads, the lack of Amtrak interest can't be gauged in the Phase I hand-me-downs. Just in looking what the K-line superliners still go for, I think there's plenty of interest out there.
Making the high-level transition would be interesting, but you'd have to modify the ends for HEP and Superliner diaphragms of the car, as well as the first 4 windows in it to Amfleet I size windows. The ATSF lounge car, with modified ends, could also be re-popped as the Pacific Parlor, but I doubt those 2 cars wouldnt justify another run of Budd extrusion. 

F40s could easily be a stand-alone project with all the commuter lines and the VIA engines for the Canadian set.

 

I would clearly think there is a demand for high quality passenger equipment in O scale.  In addition to O Scale 2 Rail I also have a sizeable HO railroad.  Interestingly there wasn't much in the HO passenger market until Walthers exploded with scale passenger cars in 1999 or so and the market's never been the same since.  

 

Walthers missed a key element in modeling Amtrak in that they produced nearly 90 cars that are perfect Amtrak prototypes, but no one stepped up to the plate to do the correct power i.e. the SDP40F.  That hurt sales and hurt demand.  On the contrary both Kato and Walthers did nice Superliners and Kato did a nice F40PH and soon Rapido will do the Amtrak F40PH so things in that 1979 to mid 1990s era are good.

 

Atlas O Scale, GGD, and 3rd Rail are doing great stuff and I hope they continue to make scale passenger cars in the future.  The Sunset E units were a home run and I've got a couple more pre-ordered. 

 

I would certainly get a pair of F40PHs and Superliner cars if done right and to scale.  

OK, that's a no.  The only other possibility would be

 

2 ea Superliner sleepers

1 ea Superliner transition sleeper

3 each Superliner coaches

1 ea Superliner diner

1 ea Superliner lounge

 

All phase II Superliners in either Phase IV OR Phase V paint.

 

No locomotives.

Still yes, and add a roll up door baggage car too. Maybe also post in 3rs? I'm currently on the Auto Train on my phone with spotty service and can't link this post to a new one or I'd just do it.

What no???

Yes for me, you decide and I'll go with you Richard.

Yes, I'm interested in GGD Superliners. I actually favor your original proposal (Phase III and FP40PH locomotives). I might go for the Superliner II cars in Phase IV paint, though that's getting to the end of my own preferred modeling era.

 

RM

Scott says not enough interest and this exemplifies that.  If this list has only 5% of the folks interested that is still only around 60 reservations, far short of the 100 necessary.

 

So, thanks everyone who responded.

 

I put something in the 3 rail forum, lets see what pans out. There has to be a market for them, or K-line superliners wouldn't be changing hands for $200+ per car. I dont know how much cost there is in posting a flyer and setting up the system to accept reservations, but given that there have been projects announced then cancelled for lack of interest, it looks to me like no harm in making an announcement and letting the cards fall.

If I really had to choose, I'd prefer the Superliner IIs in Phase V, but I'd be perfectly content with Superliner Is in phase III as well. 

I'm sure convincing Scott to make P42s with bolt on noses is a non-starter, but I'll float it here anyways....

I have to say, and I hope others read this, that the GGD cars would be worth more than the K-line ones. Those are good. GGD does stuff better. I'm shocked to see how much the Amtrak Superliners go for. I would think that would spark more interest from GGD.

 I can understand if they don't wish to dabble in something that may not pan out.

 On a side note, I knew I saw Amtrak releases in the El capitan run the first time. I sure got blasted when I brought it up for the second run.

I understand the current reality that Amtrak cars may not be an attractive project for Golden Gate Depot at this time. From the responses on this thread I understood that some hobbyists want older Amtrak equipment while others want newer equipment. But it is my opinion that Golden Gate Depot has been harvesting the low-hanging fruit with popular projects like the Super Chief, El Capitan & possibly some other older passenger trains that I am not familiar with. In the next few years, if they are still involved with importing O-scale passenger cars then they might get closer to scrapping the bottom of the barrel with these less-popular road names like Amtrak.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

I'd be in for a full set of Phase III paint in three rail version.

You should see what was available a quarter-century ago.  What we have now is startling and stunning in comparison.

 

I don't even do Superliners, and find myself agreeing that these are truly gorgeous models.  I don't suppose painting Amtrak stripes on them is an option?