For many a model railroader, we've had lots of ideas for model trains. People customize, kit-bash or restore old/new items into something unique and creative. Some of us have taken the steps to make these items a reality, but one problem persists; they're custom items that only belong to you. No one else in the world would have a custom "Be Specific, Ship Union Pacific!" boxcar made from a Postwar 6454 but you. Other times, ideas float around that would make great items yet no one has ever made such idea a reality. Times have changed for model railroading. In recent years many toy train companies have taken to making unique freight cars, passenger cars, engines and more beyond the realistic appearance of what roams the rails today.
This message is directed towards anyone with a creative mind, although my true intentions are to reach the big companies themselves. Here are a couple of ideas that I think would make neat products, either custom or real. What you will see below you are sprites (pixel art) of classic Postwar Lionel freight cars, however the ideas are not limited to just Lionel. Using bases I have made myself and some made from friends (I have a Deviantart account where I have posted similar sprites, but I do not wish to publicly state who I am) I have more ideas on the backburner, so in time this post will be frequently updated.
These sprites are not 100% detailed, as I am limited to graphics in certain areas. If the ideas are accepted, things are bound to change. These are intended for the traditional lines of model trains, unless specifies elsewhere.
5/3/19 - Original Post Date
Some people do not like clowns, and Pennywise/It is the practical poster child of the scary clown. Some people prefer Tim Currey's performance in the original TV series from 1990, while others prefer Bill Skarsgård's performance in the 2017 (and 2019 upcoming) rendition of the the film. The original idea came from a friend of mine who is currently working on a Halloween themed layout. He actually requested a series of "Eeriee" themed freight cars, somehow mentioned circus in the listing of what he wanted and I threw the stock car as a bonus.
The car is colored red and white, partially inspired by the appearance Lionel's PW 6376 Circus Stock Car. The text read's "Pennywise's Floating Circus" and features a set of 4 balloons on either side of the car (Colorful based on the Tim Currey TV series, and one with 4 shades of red based on the movie) and there are splotches of blood on various places of the car. Now, I don't know what the whole ordeal is with the train companies on "implied violence" on cars like this, so the idea can be changed to remove the blood if necessary.
The Polar Express is what started my O-Gauge collection for me. The same can also be said for lots of children around the US. Lionel basically took control of the Polar Express sets, so I guess this one is inadvertently directed towards Lionel. In the movie, one of the memorable characters is the Ghost of the Hobo. The Hobo is frequently seen in Lionel's cars as part of the "Dissapearing Hobo" Coach, the LCCA Exclusive Observation and his own figurine. Lionel has had a few run-ins with Hobos in the past, starting in 1957 with the classic 3444 Gondola. Lionel has made countless Polar Express themed items in the past, both scale and traditional. However, there was always one item I always wanted to see but it never shows up: A Polar Express Cop & Hobo Gondola. Why this idea was never made is what puzzles me, but I think the idea should be put forward because I can see this being a good seller.
The car is colored in the Polar Express blue and red with the "PE" logo on the side. The sprite figures are modeled to look like the ghost hobo and the conductor from the movie. In regards to the number, I tried going with a "Christmas Postwar" style numbering, and ended up with 1234. (I've got the same combination password on my luggage, even though its a number short!) 12 being the month of December, 34 paying homage to the PW Original item. TBH I don't like it, but hey this is just concept art of an idea. Another idea I know has to be added is the text "Recycled Toys" on the boxes, paying homage to the "Re-bycycling, something like that" line from the movie.
Among the many train films I have watched, Emperor of the North stands out as the best one. The amount of historic rolling stock, real steam engines and a great ensemble all mixed in for one good movie that I think should receive a lot more attention to today's audiences. Today, Shack's engine still survives at the Age of Steam Roundhouse and I am sure that the stock car that was burned in the movie resides at the Galveston Railroad Museum in Galveston, TX.
Despite being a "themed" freight car, this is intended to take a more realistic appearance. The gondola features 3 figures this time instead of two. Our hobos are A-No.1 (Lee Marvin) and Cigaret (Keith Carradine) while our "Cop" is none other than Shack (Ernest Borgnine) himself. Shack is closer to Cigarete while A-No.1 has a little bit of a lead on both of them. The car is colored black and marked for the Oregon, Pacific & Eastern Railroad, the line featured in the movie. The various boxes on the back feature hobo markings, with the most prominent one being "A-No.1 to Portland". I could not think of a road number for the car.
Another realistic set of freight cars based on Lionel's newest 6-packs of freight cars. I myself got the #84772 Norfolk & Western 6-Pack, and in time will be getting more. When they started, there were only flatcars and gondolas. Some were dedicated to one roadname, others were multiple names. When the hoppers (and later ore cars) were released, they were strictly for one roadname. I feel as though some names need to be mentioned, so this is my idea for a 6-pack of assorted hoppers. There is NO geographical setting for these cars.
These cars are modeled after Lionel's Postwar 2-Bay Hopper.
Roadnumbers were kinda irrelevant for me to make, plus I couldn't get the numbers to look right on some of 'em ^^;
- Chicago & Illinois Midland
- Pennsylvania "Coal Goes to War"
- Nickel Plate Road
- Southern Pacific "Texas & New Orleans Subsidiary"
- Louisville & Nashville "The Old Reliable"
- Nashville, Chattanooga, & St. Louis
Feedback, comments and ideas are welcome as always. If you have an idea that you'd like, shoot me a message and maybe I can make it in sprite form 
TNO-794, The RWBY Railfan.
