What is the most detailed, scale accurate RPO car available today?

I am a fan of RPO cars, and collect western roadname versions.  The last round of catalogs did not have any interesting ones, so there was nothing to order.  I am a fan of the aluminum K-Line RPO's, but would not think they were the most accurate.  I would think, although I don't have any, that Third Rail might have more accurate models of them. but am not sure they have produced any in their several car sets.  O scale brass should have the most accurate, but approach with checkbook in hand,  be prepared to change trucks and couplers, and to provide a wide operation radius.

My vote is for the MTH heavyweights. Better detail than either K-Line or Lionel. Actually I am not sure Lionel or K-Line ever did heavyweight RPOs so MTH might be your only option. MTH heavyweights have evolved from silhouettes to interiors without figures to interiors with figures and now with sprung trucks and added exterior detail.

Pete

The Weaver heavyweight RPO cars were modeled after a Norfolk & Western prototype IIRC.

Weaver did 60' cars that were models of the PRR B60 in its various incarnations.  You can still find them at Public Delivery Track.

Jan

Do you have a preference for heavyweight cars, or lightweight/streamlined cars? How about scale length?

I remember K-Line offered some fantastic scale length RPO cars in extruded-aluminum streamlined cars, as well as some plastic heavyweights (might not have been scale length, however).

The brass models made by various importers are the most accurate, although not many made in 3 rail.     They are also obviously the most protypically accurate by roadname.     

The GGD Baggage-RPO combine by Sunset 3rd Rail is a very good model of the PRR RPO combine.   Apparently PRR had many more of these combines than full RPOs.    

The US Postal Service according to articles I read, leased RPOs in 15, 30, and 60 ft lengths.    The full RPOs, were 60 ft and many of them also had a storage area making them a 70 ft car.    Many lines used combines that had a 30 ft RPO and a baggage section.   

I think there were a few cars built with 15ft RPO, small Baggage and coach sections for branch lines that had RPO routes.    And some of the Gas-Electric rail cars had 15ft RPO sections.   

This is great information and most appreciated.  I did not think to mention a preference for heavyweight or lightweight/streamlined, scale length, and whether 60 foot cars or baggage/RPO combine.  RPOs used in the 1950s and 60s and to the end of the RPO era is my main interest, and I assume these would be lightweight/streamlined.  Would the heavyweight cars have been retired by this time?  Were the baggage/RPO combines still full working RPOs?  Thanks to everyone.  

Another vote for GGD / 3rd Rail.  

Check out this thread for a quick look at GGD's RPO from their El Capitan passenger set.  Expensive, but it's the most accurate RPO model I own.

David

pferddy posted:

This is great information and most appreciated.  I did not think to mention a preference for heavyweight or lightweight/streamlined, scale length, and whether 60 foot cars or baggage/RPO combine.  RPOs used in the 1950s and 60s and to the end of the RPO era is my main interest, and I assume these would be lightweight/streamlined.

Not necessarily.

 Would the heavyweight cars have been retired by this time?

No.

 Were the baggage/RPO combines still full working RPOs?

Yes, so long as they were still in the service of the U.S. Postal Service.

 Thanks to everyone.  

there's quite a number of variations when it comes to RPO cars. it would help if you narrowed down to one or two roads. Jim's comments about the Gold Gate Depot PRR RPO-Baggage is correct, it is a very, very close replica of a PRR BM70ka.

some cars were home built, others by car builders such as Pullman, Budd or ACF.

One of Dan Panera's or an American Standard kit.   John

I have a couple of Weaver heavyweight RPO's and an MTH lightweight baggage/RPO.  They are reasonably well-detailed and look good running in a train.

rattler21 posted:

One of Dan Panera's or an American Standard kit.   John

And just how many folks can afford a Dan Pantera 2-Rail SCALE passenger car?

The Atlas RPO is quite accurate for a Pullman Standard 60 foot (exterior Length) RPO. It has two small doors per side (mail catcher on one door per side) and 6 windows per side. Comes with 6 wheel trucks which most heavyweight RPO's had.

In addition to the GGD plastic BM70 postal baggage already mentioned, Sunset Models did a very accurate brass version of the PRR BM70 postal car in both 2 and 3 rail. This is a 70 foot exterior length car and is quite different from the GGD postal baggage car. The GGD car has a monitor roof and the Sunset car has an arch roof. Both cars are accurate PRR versions.

As to how long heavyweight postal cars lasted I worked a second job for the PRR and then Penn Central for several months per year Nov - Dec  to handle the Christmas rush of mail and packages from the mid to late 1960's. The solid mail trains still had heavyweight postal cars.

Hot Water posted:

rattler21 posted:

One of Dan Panera's or an American Standard kit.   John

And just how many folks can afford a Dan Pantera 2-Rail SCALE passenger car?

Cost was not a limiting criterion of the OP.

I was thinking one of the Wasatch cars, myself, or even Overland, but then "available" might be a limiting factor to set boundary conditions.

I lied.  I, while searching for a misplaced loco, found I have a  brass Third Rail (Sunset) 70' Harriman RPO on three rail six wheel trucks, in gray and yellow.  It is nice looking and very highly detailed, overwhelming, and outweighing, any other three rail RPO I have.  The K-line "Heavyweight" plastic  RPO's, don't look like RPO's to me.

I forgot to add that this car is lettered for Union Pacific, which Third Rail also offered in all gray, and Third Rail did this car in three colors for SP and one for Illinois Central,

colorado hirailer posted:

I forgot to add that this car is lettered for Union Pacific, which Third Rail also offered in all gray, and Third Rail did this car in three colors for SP and one for Illinois Central,

Got any pictures? Would love to see it...

Jack,      I inadvertently omitted the T in Dan's last name, sorry about that.  I submit that everyone on this Forum can afford one of his cars.  However, any modeler may choose to purchase many cars to fill their tracks, shelves and boxes rather than waiting for a work of art.    Similar to a chef's soup versus a can of soup off the shelf.  You choose what you want and get what you pay for.     John

Wish I could find this NYC RPO in O scale, looks almost identical to SAL RPOs 150-155, except the mail catcher is on the other end and the box is centered on the SAL cars.  Doors and windows are correct:

Bob, that RPO looks a lot like the American Standard Car Co. kit. They can be found.

rattler21 posted:

Jack,      I inadvertently omitted the T in Dan's last name, sorry about that.  I submit that everyone on this Forum can afford one of his cars.  However, any modeler may choose to purchase many cars to fill their tracks, shelves and boxes rather than waiting for a work of art.    Similar to a chef's soup versus a can of soup off the shelf.  You choose what you want and get what you pay for.     John

Everyone on this forum can afford one of Dans cars ? are you aware of what one would actually cost when delivered and how long the wait would be. just saying!

I have two different Am. Std. Car Co. RPO kits.  One is identified as a Great Northern Mail-Baggage, which doesn't look like that NYC car, and the other is identified as an "M70", which I think is a Pennsylvanian designation, and it has a lot more postal windows thatn that NYC car.  However, these are two different ASCC  car kits, so there may be others.

rheil posted:

The Atlas RPO is quite accurate for a Pullman Standard 60 foot (exterior Length) RPO. It has two small doors per side (mail catcher on one door per side) and 6 windows per side. Comes with 6 wheel trucks which most heavyweight RPO's had. 

This would be my vote, for sure.  Although not prototypical to the road names, I have this model in both ATSF and DRGW livery, and the detail....inside and out...is as good as I could every hope for.  I can't recall, though, any Atlas advisory indicating the precise prototype (by road name) used for this car

KD

Bob D., The NYC postal car in your photo looks like a JC Models version  which were kits available in both HO and O scales in to the 1950's. JC did  correct NYC head end cars including both baggage and postal cars. JC Models still show up on occasion at 2 rail shows. I personally thought their rivet detail was superior to that of Walthers kits.

The Lionel Smithsonian RPO for the 1938 20th Century Limited set made by Fine Art Models in about 1995.  No contest.