McKeen car in O Gauge

@kj356 posted:

Still wishing for a McKeen Car in O Gauge. At one time MTH had said they were going to make one but never did.

Here is a past discussion on this on the forum;

https://ogrforum.com/...n-motor-car-1?page=1

But I found searching MTH Doodlebug on e-bay there is 3D printed McKeen Car shell that will fit on a doodlebug but looks like a rough casting. If you search more on McKeen car there are a lot of great photos and some showing a HO Brass version.

I just wonder if it is something that MTH might consider reviving and build? Or now Lionel has the old MTH doodlebug molds and is producing the doodlebug perhaps they might consider doing a McKeen body for it? Or if we are able to get a clean 3D printed version of one? I saw the one running at the Nevada state railway museum. Sure a lot of people would still be in interested. Lots of road names and paint schemes real and fantasy.

This is my Mckeen car.  The kit  (you saw on e bay)  is produced by Ken Harpin , from here on the forum.    They are a pleasant kit to build, and was my first experience  with printed component's and after a bit of a learning curve,  I found the material easy to work with!   As laterally,  every one of the cars were built to the needs of the buyer , every one was deferent!  Mine was based on the one and only Mckeen the soo line had in the 1920's , details are o scale castings, and I rearranged the windows and door on the front hull.   I model 2 rail scale and plan on a scale drive Trane.  There was one produced in brass a number of years ago, if you find one expect to pay  a couple of thousand for it, ( a U.P. prototype)   Kens kits allowed me to Have a McKeen car, For a good price and quality, with out having to scratch build it.     Note there are several post on this kit with photo's.   If you have any modeling skills dont be afraid of it.

@kj356 posted:

I just wonder if it is something that MTH might consider reviving and build?

MTH has not in any way suggested it is creating new tooling for all-new models. The company is simply using what tooling it still has to produce short runs of roadnames, most often for custom orders from hobby shops and online dealers.

The company no longer has a large warehouse and distribution center. It no longer publishes a catalog. So it’s time to stop thinking about MTH like when this McKeen thread was discussed 10 years ago.

@Dave Koehler posted:

...snip... There was one produced in brass a number of years ago, if you find one expect to pay  a couple of thousand for it, ( a U.P. prototype)  ...snip...

There was one produced by Ken Kidder in a long-hull and a short-hull version, sometime during the late fifties/early sixties; I have one of the short-hull versions. Many years later, Precision Scale produced a run of McKeens (including the short trailer); they are the ones that go for megabucks. Here is my MG/KK/USH(?) one:

I had read somewhere that the car was actually more aerodynamic when running in reverse; when these were designed, aerodynamics was a basically unknown field. There was also an interurban car called a "Windsplitter" that the Stark Electric (Stark, OH) had a pair of. Theirs had a flat rear end with the boarding/alighting door located there. One day they "met in a cornfield" and were rebuilt into conventional cars.

@PRRMP54 posted:

There was one produced by Max Gray/Ken Kidder/US Hobbies(?) in a long-hull and a short-hull version, sometime during the late fifties/early sixties; I have one of the short-hull versions. Many years later, Precision Scale (or someone similar) produced a run of McKeens (including the short trailer); they are the ones that go for megabucks. Here is my MG/KK/USH(?) one:

I had read somewhere that the car was actually more aerodynamic when running in reverse; when these were designed, aerodynamics was a basically unknown field. There was also an interurban car called a "Windsplitter" that the Stark Electric (Stark, OH) had a pair of. Theirs had a flat rear end with the boarding/alighting door located there. One day they "met in a cornfield" and were rebuilt into conventional cars.

That is beautiful

Lionel is still making new tooling in fairly substantial dollar amounts, according to the latest Matt and Matt podcast's interview with Ryan Kunkle.  Perhaps that's your best hope.  Email Ryan Kunkle  at Lionel, and ask your friends, relatives and enemies who want McKeen cars to do the same.  He's pretty responsive to large volumes of consumer requests is my guess,  and is a keen (pun intended) fan of oddball railroad prototypes.  I'd think this qualifies and would be a good seller just because it's different. I'm wanting the one in NYC lightning stripe or the New Haven in McGinnis colors, personally (insert howls of indignation from those who hate fantasy schemes ).

@PRRMP54 posted:

There was one produced by Max Gray/Ken Kidder/US Hobbies(?) in a long-hull and a short-hull version, sometime during the late fifties/early sixties; I have one of the short-hull versions.

Those were done by Kidder and they have been getting a bit pricey when they appear on the market.  There was an early and full scale one as well that had an operationally accurate drive truck as well.

Many years later, Precision Scale (or someone similar) produced a run of McKeens (including the short trailer); they are the ones that go for megabucks.

It was PSC and it depends on what you define as megabucks - last one I saw sold was ~$1500.  I've never heard or read anything about those PSC models actually ran.

model too big for my printer.

The printer I would need is $10K  if 20 came up with $500

I could print them!

Or Again just buy Kens Kit and build your own

interior seating

YES or buy Ken's !!

@mwb posted:

Those were done by Kidder and they have been getting a bit pricey when they appear on the market.  There was an early and full scale one as well that had an operationally accurate drive truck as well.

It was PSC and it depends on what you define as megabucks - last one I saw sold was ~$1500.  I've never heard or read anything about those PSC models actually ran.

Edited my post. Thank you for the information.

Great photos guys. Yes on e-bay there is a kit right now for sale.

AlanRail would you be able to print it in sections like the one on e-bay? it is in 3 printed sections.

I fondly recall seeing the real one run at the Nevada State Railroad Museum https://carsonrailroadmuseum.o...truckee-railroad-27/

Think it would be winner if someone like Lionel or MTH would do it. Plenty of opportunities for lots of fantasy paint schemes it looks so cool!

@kj356 posted:

Great photos guys. Yes on e-bay there is a kit right now for sale.

AlanRail would you be able to print it in sections like the one on e-bay? it is in 3 printed sections.

I fondly recall seeing the real one run at the Nevada State Railroad Museum https://carsonrailroadmuseum.o...truckee-railroad-27/

Think it would be winner if someone would do it. Plenty of opportunities for lots of fantasy paint schemes it looks so cool!

the gentleman that has the e bay listing is a member here

I fear that the body overhang on 031 and 042 curves may be significant, and too much for my railroad.

@Bobby Ogage posted:

I fear that the body overhang on 031 and 042 curves may be significant, and too much for my railroad.

then get the shorter one

As a (hopefully) amusing footnote to all this McKeen discussion - and beautiful models - I would like to show you a McKeen car that I purchased at a TCA meet in Ponchatoula LA some years ago. I could not resist it. It was $45. Scratch built, wood construction, decorated as you see it, powered (handcar unit, maybe? it has accurate-ish wood scratch built truck frames), RK passenger truck at the rear. Lots of decals. I think that the pilot is dollhouse fencing.

Yet...somehow...and for 45 bucks....glad I got it. It also shows that if you want a McKeen car, you don't have to have brass or computer printing or any of that stuff. Using a more sophisticated and accurate version of this guy's project, and running gear that is a step or two better, and your own hands...there you have it.

Theoretically I always intended to upgrade it in several ways - power truck, probably rear truck, remove SP paint scheme, lower stance, remove strange details....but, I probably never will. It's good enough to amuse, but not good enough to invest a lot of time or money into it.

Custom one made for me by a buddy.

@Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

Custom one made for me by a buddy.

That's a good buddy, that looks really nice!

@Bobby Ogage posted:

I fear that the body overhang on 031 and 042 curves may be significant, and too much for my railroad.

I think I can help you with that question. Here's what my personal 72ft McKeen build (same length and format as the Ann Arbor kit) looks like on an O31 corner on my layout. The pilot does have about a 1 1/2" overhang from the outer rail.

For comparison, here's a Premier Scale MTH 18" coach on that very same corner. The overhang is about the same. I think these coaches are rated for O42. Hope that helps you!