Late 1800s early 1900s passenger cars and mail cars

How "good" are you looking for???

Best you will probably find are from SMR models.

Thanks, I hadn't heard of them. Those are excellent looking models. I'll keep an eye on the secondary market for them, but new they are more than I want to spend. So I suppose the answer is not that good but better than like what Lionel puts out in a ready to run set.

There are all the old Walthers, Rail Chief, and other kits of open and closed platform

passenger cars from that era, but they are KITS.

Next option down would be kits of open platform passenger cars from La Belle.

 

They build up very nicely.

The MTH Cars are beautiful cars. I have the Pennsy set. Some of my club members also have these sets.

 

 

I agree with Pat, I would look for the MTH cars in various road names. They may be much closer to what you want to spend.

The kits look great, thanks guys. I'll keep an eye out for those. 

 

Thanks for that MTH link Pat. I knew they made some but I wasn't able to find them. I'll check these out too. Glad there is a good selection!

Ah those MTH ones are the new ones. Anyone know when the previous run was done?

If you're lucky, you might be able to find one of these...

 

 

Alexander Scale Models kit

I cannot believe MTH did not sell an entire freighter full of these cars.  I have one, and would have more but generally my hobby is not plastic.  They are simply spectacular.  They may not be showing up on the used market because they are prized by their owners.

 

Surely MTH will re-run them.  When they do, stock up.

 

The Alexander cars are probably going to cost more than the SMR cars at some point.  Remember, Alexander practically started TCA, and this might be a World's Fair model.

Probably not - I did a total rebuild of that car from the ground up - it arrived in pieces in stripped down aluminum with a floor section so bad that it ended up in the trash.

 

Biggest mistake I've made in years was not pausing in that rebuild to make a couple of RTV molds of the sides and ends.   I've seen another of these cars but it was sold in a lot of 3 other cars for what the other 3 were worth; far more than I was willing to spend to then have to turn those other 3 around.

I too have the prr set. For the $$ they are hard to beat. The smr prr set is impossible to find in 3 rail! I may have to get "Brother Love" to build me a set.

I purchased the MTH PRR cars last summer. They are very nice cars. A bit on the long side for my layout, though. The do operate on O-36 curves, or at least mine do.

 

Here are a couple LaBelle kits that I've built:

 

 

I prefer the LaBelle kits both according to size and detail, but, of course, when the box arrives it's a little different than when the MTH box arrives...

 

MTH previous runs 2006 qnd 2009  Do a search on MTH site or catalogs. They did some of the same roads as in the new 2015 V2 catalog but also some different ones as well. Which road are you looking for

 

I'm not tied to any particular road. The new run has the PRR and Jersey Central which I'm interested in. I've never preordered from MTH so this might be worth it shouldn't be any surprises since these are reruns with some slight improvements. Thanks for all the info all.

These look great, nice job building and painting

These are the basic MTH cars that work well for my needs.

  Well, since we're providing pictures of the various possibilities here's what SMR has offered for the 1880's time period.

Those are, of course, gorgeous, and expensive.

 

I have one MTH and two La Belle, of the same general configuration and length.  The La Belle are beautiful, but fragile, and nowhere near as crisp and detailed as the MTH.  They are, however, not plastic, and thus favored around here.  But not by much; the MTH cars are stunning!

 

Yes, I can testify that the SMR cars are deluxe in every way.  I am glad that I got mine.

I also have a stack of Le Belle open platform cars to build that I intend to create something passably representative of a PRR Yellow Kid train.

 

 

MTH made some woodside cabooses as well for the late 1800's. I have the Philadelphia & Reading woodside caboose, it looks very nice for the money I spent for it.

 

Other companies may have a more detailed model but you will spend more money as well.

 

Lee Fritz

what kits does Le Belle offer that would make an accurate model of the PRR Yellow Kid train. the only accurate yellow kid train i ever saw was the one the late John Addis did in the late 70's, or will this be a 20 footer(close enough)

Westerfield had the entire set in resin kit form in HO available at one time - I've seen that set for sale a few times and been tempted to buy it just for all of the information that it would bring to the shop.

i think using the Westerfield kits as a plan to make a accurate train would be better than having a "close enough" LE BELLE simulation. 2 railers need to have accurate models, leave the close enough for the 3 rail "scalers"

While I agree in principle, time and budget don't always intersect with principle. 

I have a pretty fair collection of information to work from and after I clear a big portion of my project queue and have both space and time, I'll take this on.

 

But I had a passing thought that SMR might do the Yellow Kid, and suspect that might happen after I'm about 80% through the project......

then you need to start building immediately, give up posting on here and get to that 80% mark so they do it. that is a train i have always wanted and almost had the Addis bought before his death. so Marty lets get to work so i can buy a accurate set of cars.thanks for your help!!!!!!!!

Having never before heard of a Pennsy "Yellow Kid" train, howsabout posting a picture

of it on here, prototype or model?

As hot water has said in the past "google it"

In case your computer is not loaded with google Here is a picture.

Here's another...

 

 

Maybe using the ICC parts to build the sides would be a better strategy.....

I totally agree with that. now get off the forum and start building so i don't have to!!

Gee.....  I've got 2 buildings and a hopper motor trolley on my bench already. 

 2 railers need to have accurate models, leave the close enough for the 3 rail "scalers"

 

Some 2- railers have no such problems.  I admit to not much caring about accurate windows on my passenger cars.  I had hoped for some generic brass coaches kind of like these, although I would paint mine Sunset Limited.  The market, alas, no longer supports generic window arrangements, so I shall do without.