What's So Good About Madison Cars

When I got back into this as an adult?? hobby, that was a buzz word I heard a lot,

and I couldn't, and don't, get it.  They were "shorties", and they had no head end

cars, which was anathema to me...I didn't think there were any good passenger cars

in 3 rail until K-line came out with its Heavyweights, (and then I thought their RPO

looked more like a baggage than an RPO, but I acquired them).  Finally, thanks to

K-Line, you now see realistic passenger cars from a number of makers.

However, I am not looking at Madison cars as a historical collectible, but as cars I would want to run.  They are, of course, historical collectibles, as are the little six

inch Marx red Bogatas, which did have head end cars.  Just my long held opinion....

I decided to buy a pair, there a little rough another project oh boy! 

Tin 

You bet I'll talk you out of it. Two is not enough....

If you are thinking about cars to go with your Hudson project, you may find the Madison cars to be a bit small. Lionel made four scale freight cars, and the Railchief passenger set to go with the Hudson.

A better match for the Hudson are the cars from Lionel's 50th Anniversary Set which are 18" Tuscan cars lettered Lionel Lines and named after the 1950 cars. K-Line did a similar set but lettered New York Central. Both are nicely detailed with interiors and figures.

Pete

There are many sizes of the Madison cars. If one looked hard enough you can even locate scaled Madison cars with detailed interiors. Then of course there's the "Baby" Madison's. Each size has it's good and bad points. It all boils down to what YOU want. It's like tinplate, one can always find the size you want or need. Then, there's the matter of what will fit on your layout...LOL!!

Somehow, that style of passenger car has come to be called "Madison" cars.  Not a very accurate description, at all.  Railroaders refer to them as "heavyweight passenger cars', but that still doesn't nail it totally.  typically, in "0" gauge, this style car is available in a number of different lengths.  The original Lionel "Madison, Manhatten and Irvington cars were very much under scale at about 14" in length.  Still, for most of us, this was a realistic as you could get at the time. 

Modern day Heavyweights are available in 12", 14", 15" 18" and 21" lengths, representing prototype lengths of 48', 56', 60', 72' and 84', respectively.  And, for some reason, they all get referred to as "Madison" cars.

Most prototype cars are between 72' and 85', so the two longer lengths most accurately represent real cars.  There are examples of shorter cars, some only 60' in length.  Atlas made a series of 60' cars a few years ago that were moderately popular and were accurate models of some Chicago and NorthWestern cars.

Because they became available from Lionel, MTH, K-Line and Williams, the 72' cars, model size 18", have become quite standard for heavyweight cars.  While they won't negotiate 27" or 31" diameter curves, they do look fairly appropriate on 72" curves.  Golden Gate models have taken up the gauntlet on full length heavyweight (not "Madison") cars of 21" length and these cars are very well done, but, of course, do require large radius curves, longer station platforms and scale locomotives to pull them.

So, when talking heavyweight, riveted steel construction cars, the name Madison really doesn't cut to the chase.  "Heavyweight" passenger cars is a better term.

Paul Fischer

LOL indeed. I love the cars but have found that the most common size (60 ft) is just too doggone big for my 036 curves. Plus the bigger/longer they are, the more passengers it takes to populate them otherwise you're pulling empty cars. Not very good for revenue! I much prefer the 56' and less but these seem to be harder to find.

The post-war Madison cars are my favorite cars with the 2332 pulling them.

The heavy weight passenger cars in 14 or 15" length look great behind a GG1 as everything is in proportion. My scale Hudson pulls seven 15" aluminum NYC passenger cars ( a typical consist) and IMO it looks OK. With the 18" scale size cars, your consist can look very short. Only the largest layouts with large radius curves can accommodate six or seven of these cars.

Good choice for small layouts especially since RMT is no longer available.

Tony

Up on "The D & H Bridge Line"

I agree with Pappy and others who take layout size into consideration.  My room is 11 x 12, and the MTH Madisons look good behind my MTH Hudson.  I like a backwoods type of layout, and everything else I have is 'selectively compressed'.  Why not the heavyweights?

So I picked up a Irvington and a Madison, not the cleanest but they'll look good when I 

get done with them, Some need stairs but that won't be a problem. I'll keep a look out 

for a Manhattan car. Thanks for all the info, if there's any more I would be great to read it.

Tin 

I found a great deal on a 5 car MTH scale set.  Had to buy them.  After unpacking them, they've really grown on me.  Very nice cars and I am sure they'll look great behind my FEFs.