HO Double-Ended Observation Car?

[ambluco]

Has anyone ever made one in HO, assume brass? CP had them as well as a few other roads and the Illinois State Fisheries Department. Curious. Thanks.

www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cpr_rolling/3.jpg

[lvrr325]

I had a wood kit for an earlier CP car, one that had cupolas on each end like a caboose. I think it had railings at both ends. But it was kind of obscure and I can't remember the branding on it.

[edwardsutorik]

On the CP car, it looks to me like only the left end is the obs end. The right end looks like an open platform (pre-closed vestibule).

The left platform and steps look just a little bit longer than on the right. And there's a window on the left end (that's not on the right) that looks into the recessed part of the obs platform deck.


Ed

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

Looks to me like the CP car could be used in either direction so it could be placed on the rear on a branchlike return trip without a Y or turning mechanism of some sort. Often times official’s cars were self contained and not dependent on the main train.

The Pete Marquette streamline trainset of the same name ran with a core set of cars with two obs cars one on each end so the passenger carrying cars were not turned in Detroit at Fort Street or Grand Rapids. The head end cars were removed and replaced at the opposite ends for a return trip. As was the power, usually a single E7.

-apology for the diversion-

[cpr4200]

Pretty sure the CP car is an office (business) car. They had some cute little 40-50 footers with platforms and railings on both ends.

[edwardsutorik]

Passenger cars used to have open platforms on the end of cars. Both ends. Having such a platform does not indicate that the car is an "observation" car.



Ed

[ambluco]

Ed,

That was only a quick example of style. There were double-ended observation cars, covered in the rail and modeling magazines. I couldn't find a photo of the Illinois State Fisheries Department car.

[wagnersteve]

9/19/2024, about 7 a.m., EDT

The Reading's Budd-built stainless steel Crusader, originally pulled by steam locos with a good deal of stainless steel trim, dating to the early 1940s, had a rounded-end observation car at each end so that it did not need to be turned at the Jersey Central's terrminal west of Hudson River. It later became the Canadian National's Champlain between Montreal and Quebec City. I believe the observation cars were the prototypes for HO mostly plastic models offered by AHM and/or Rivarossi.  I saw some of the Champlain cars still in use in 1971.

[cpr4200]

^^^ I think the Athearn "shorty" early Budd cars are fairly close to the RDG Crusader cars, but they're based on Santa Fe prototypes, IIRC. The Reading obs cars had slightly blunted rear ends compared to the Santa Fe's.

[lvrr325]

AHM/Rivarossi cars were just the heavyweight series and the "1930s streamline" series. Rivarossi did stainless cars but it was well after AHM was gone.

In G-gauge they put two end-caps together for the Eggliner which is sort of a double ended observation. It doesn't model anything, just an accident when somebody figured out you could stick those pieces together and fit over a small power drive.

[edwardsutorik]

Sept 19, 2024 2:51:21 GMT -8 ambluco said:

There were double-ended observation cars, covered in the rail and modeling magazines.

What information did those magazines provide about them?

I did a search on the Passenger Car List for these. Only thing I found was a guy saying it was too bad none were made, because he thought it was a great idea.


Ed

[ambluco]

I have no photos. The article stated the Illinois State Fisheries Department car was used periodically on IC passenger trains.

[wagnersteve]

9/18/2024, about 5 p.m., EDT

lvrr325, I believe the large gauge Eggliners came from Bachmann, apparently partly inspired, if I'm remembering correctly, by the full-sized New York Central's have used part of a real stainless observation car for some sort of elevated structu re.

[wjstix]

Some trains - like Great Northern's heavyweight Empire Builder - used Solarium cars, which had large windows on the observation end instead of having an open platform. An advantage was they were square on both ends, so could be used anywhere in the train or in any direction if needed.