|
|
Post by harborbelt70 on Feb 17, 2024 14:06:31 GMT
Unusually I am going to focus on just one thing for car side shots this week, which I happened to see on a road trip yesterday. I stopped in to see a fellow who I know was a big brass collector in his heyday, mostly of European passenger cars and engines. I don't have much interest in such engines but the car in question is a Pullman restaurant car. I understand that "Pullman” in this context denotes that the prototype was built by Pullman’s British factory but for use mainly on the European Orient Express network. The photos I took (admittedly in gloomy light) don’t do it justice but you’ll get the idea as I have combined them with a couple from the owner:
His photos show the model with the interior lighting powered on.
This is by the Italian maker Elettren in 1:43 scale and so is almost exactly 21.5 inches long. I mentioned in an earlier Side Shot thread that years ago I saw one of these on display in a foreign hotel associated with the Orient Express. This is not identical to that car but is the same livery. It’s as close as anything I have seen before to being a museum piece model - but for a real museum piece see the link below. It seems to me that Elettren is pretty much the equivalent of Golden Gate Depot but everything apart from furnishings such as seat covers and lampshades, which are fabric, is constructed of brass and other metal. This is a truly fine scale model in terms of detail: 
The guy who owns it told me something that I think is typical of brass 2-rail collectors that I don’t really understand, which was that this car has never been run and in fact only out of its original box and packaging a couple of times for initial checking and photos. If I had something like this I’d want to see it on a regular basis but it occurred to me that its pristine condition – unlike the display model I saw - is the result of it not being exposed to direct sunlight for any length of time. Actually, when he opened the box it was distinctly musty and I imagine this has been in store for like 10/15 years.
Pullman built other signature cars and the ones that I saw in person some years back were from the so-called Royal Train on which the young British Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret toured South Africa in 1947:
Two of these cars are preserved nicely restored and intact in a railway museum in a place called George that is known mainly for golf courses.
Lastly, it so happens that in looking around for info on cars of this kind I came across a collector’s article on a German-made dining car complete with passenger and staff figures of the kind I like to include in my cars. You can see the picture essay, which shows some truly incredible interior workmanship, here:
I tracked down what this car cost when produced in a very limited run some years ago but it was at such an eye-watering level that only a national museum could afford it!
|
|
|
|
Post by healey36 on Feb 17, 2024 15:03:30 GMT
Some of the European model trains are truly magnificent. A number of the manufacturers really ramped it up in their presentation, and I would agree that much of the top-end stuff is museum quality. To me, the line between "toy" trains and "model" trains is not indistinguishable. I don't think I own anything that I would consider a model train; they are more like toy trains that are made to look sorta like the real thing...maybe. This car you've pictured is just extraordinary. A friend of mine is currently downsizing his collection and he sent me this Lionel 41 from the mid-1950s. I'm not big into postwar stuff, but there are a few pieces I've had interest in, and this little U. S. Army gas-turbine is one of them:  Here it motors past the Lionel 126 station at the northern end of the 305 bridge. The 41 has a three-position e-unit, but no interior lighting, so no headlamp. Looks like there's room to put one, however, so maybe a judicious addition at some point. |
|
|
|
Post by af3020 on Feb 17, 2024 17:44:09 GMT
Ok, that does it! I now have proof positive that harborbelt70 has hacked my computer! This past week saw the successful end to an 8 year hunt for a complete run of the 1700 series Marklin passenger cars which were made from approximately 1932 to shortly after WWII. 8 years ago I managed to find a nice Marklin electric and a baggage car at the big TCA York meet  Gepackwagen - 1754  A few years went by and I found the dining car. I posted the exterior/interior shots of this car on another thread here on OGF but, for the sake of story completeness, I'm posting them again. You will also notice the name above the windows - same crew as on harborbelt70's car, Speisewagen - 1756  dining car interior  About a year later I found the mail car. Note the slot for mailing letters from the station platform over on the right hand side of the car. Postwagen - 1755  About a year after that I found the 2nd class passenger car Personenwagen - 1751  passenger car interior  Which brings us to this past week and the end of the hunt - the sleeping car. After a lot of searching at York and other train shows, haunting the listings on e-bay, and checking out any number of other auctions, about a month ago I finally decided to check the German e-bay....and there it was. I have a couple of friends who have purchased things on the German e-bay and they said the transactions have always been good and the international delivery time has been acceptable. Given their input I made the purchase and everything went exactly as they said...the car arrived on Wednesday, I took the pictures yesterday with the intent of posting them here today and when I arrive what do I find - harborbelt70 has scooped me and made the opening post about the same car - obviously he had prior information and knew what I was going to do!  Schlafwagen - 1757  sleeping car interior  One thing worth noting is how Marklin made the same car function as three different cars. The passenger car, dining car, and sleeper are the same as far as stampings and assembly is concerned. The cars are differentiated by their color schemes, exterior paint trim, and their interior fittings. It should also be noted that Marklin did not make interior fittings for the baggage or postal car. Of the two, I wish they had made an interior for the postal car. These cars came in three different paint schemes - the basic green with the blue-green for the international cars, Mitropa finish - a variety of different car colors, and Rheingold in a very colorful livery of purple, white, and gold. |
|
|
|
Post by seayakbill on Feb 17, 2024 17:58:12 GMT
A MTH Great Northern 44 tonner passing thru on the Seattle & Yakima RR Bill  |
|
|
|
Post by healey36 on Feb 17, 2024 18:05:38 GMT
That's a brilliant set, af3020, lots of play value there. I love the layout of the coach and sleeper compartments and aisle; very prototypical in concept. One thing, though, no lamps on the dining car tables! |
|
|
|
Post by harborbelt70 on Feb 17, 2024 18:35:03 GMT
Ok, that does it! I now have proof positive that harborbelt70 has hacked my computer! NOT GUILTY! Presumed innocent, etc., etc.. . . A few years went by and I found the dining car. I posted the exterior/interior shots of this car on another thread here on OGF but, for the sake of story completeness, I'm posting them again. You will also notice the name above the windows - same crew as on harborbelt70's car, CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE!!! Reasonable doubt etc., etc.
Which brings us to this past week and the end of the hunt - the sleeping car. After a lot of searching at York and other train shows, haunting the listings on e-bay, and checking out any number of other auctions, about a month ago I finally decided to check the German e-bay....and there it was. I have a couple of friends who have purchased things on the German e-bay and they said the transactions have always been good and the international delivery time has been acceptable. Given their input I made the purchase and everything went exactly as they said... the car arrived on Wednesday, I took the pictures yesterday with the intent of posting them here today and when I arrive what do I find - harborbelt70 has scooped me and made the opening post about the same car - obviously he had prior information and knew what I was going to do!
I love those hinged roofs on your cars.
|
|
|
|
Post by harborbelt70 on Feb 17, 2024 18:44:31 GMT
A MTH Great Northern 44 tonner passing thru on the Seattle & Yakima RR Bill 
|
|
|
|
Post by david1 on Feb 17, 2024 20:53:54 GMT
These are the 3 newest of Menards tank cars. The shell looks better in person than in any photo all have nice paint graphics and schemes and the couplers seem tighter, not sure if its a improvement but for now they are working. Dave Attachments:
|
|
|
|
Post by Adam on Feb 17, 2024 21:01:03 GMT
These are the 3 newest of Menards tank cars. The shell looks better in person than in any photo all have nice paint graphics and schemes and the couplers seem tighter, not sure if its a improvement but for now they are working. Dave They do look really good! |
|
|
|
Post by atsda on Feb 18, 2024 3:40:32 GMT
harborbelt70, Interesting historical info. Alfred
|
|
|
|
Post by ron045 on Feb 18, 2024 13:32:38 GMT
 Here is a custom fantasy painted 44 tonner I made for a friend. This was a very nice B&M model. I had to ask him several times to be sure he really wanted me to strip it and paint it flat gray. He has a Conrail work train and wanted this 44 tonner to pull it. CR had one 44 tonner, number 9999, an ex Penn Central engine. He just pretends it survived the merger, was repainted and renumbered. The decals are actually HO scale, to properly fit this small O scale engine.
|
|
