Atlas HO Branchline Blueprint Series Passenger Car Kits

To All:

Atlas has just announced the availability of a large number of Branchline Blueprint Series Heavyweight Era passenger car kits in HO scale. There are many roadnames in each configuration but none in Frisco. They are offering painted unlettered versions also.

I must admit that I know very little about heavyweight era passenger cars so I am going to have to rely on feedback from some of the many experts on the forum to look at these and see if any apply to the Frisco either as they are or with some kitbashing.

http://www.atlasrr.com/HOFreight/hobranchlinepassenger.htm

Thanks in advance!

 

The Branchline/Atlas 80' paired-window, monitor roof car is a good match for the Frisco's 770-775 class 1923 AC&F chair cars. A caveat: Car 770 had the monitor (Clerestory) roof with ducts added, similar to SLSF cars in the 1100 class and car 771 was remodeled later by the Frisco with a turtle-back roof.
Cars 772-775 are the best pure match for the Branchlines. They can also be used to model the 1100 class coaches by adding roof ducts. This basic car could be further remodeled into several more numbers if there was an arch or turtle-back roof available. These cars are going away a better choice for modeling Frisco coach/chair cars than trying to kitbash and do something with the old Athearn cars.

Tom

 

I know it's expensive to create new dies, but if Atlas would make a turtle back roof it would open up a whole new market for their cars. Frisco was not the only road to utilize that style of roof.

Brad Slone

 

Brad--I think some "privateer" will have to make those roofs and sell them out of their basement. That's what's been done in N scale. They (The N scale basement operators) were probably SP modelers in the first place and made "Harriman" roofs. If I were an "HOer" that's what I'd be looking for, somebody may already making HO Harriman roofs??. You'd need an 80' roof for the Branchline car and a 70' for the Walthers baggage car. With the Rivarossi RPO-baggage (And some slight "re-detailing"), you could have a three car "Pike-Size" 1950's Sunnyland or a 1959 Firefly.

Tom

 

Model Train Stuff has the Branchline heavyweight undec sleepers on sale for $14.99. These kits have metal wheels ,interiors and are painted pullman green. They have 12-1 , 10-1-2, and 8-1-2. I I have built two of these kits , first took about 6 hours, second 4 hours. old post show 8-1-2 Magdelin Tower and Rathaus Tower and 10-1-2 Lake Albert and MKT Lake Jessie 12-1 Badger State and McZena MKT Mckeever and McCumber mktjames

 

The "Tower" series cars are actually 8-1-3's. Pullman plan 4090. The SLSF owned and LTP 8-1-2 cars, Plan 3979A, would be such as Rock Park, Rock Run, Robert Hoke, and PGT Beauregard.


R Bob

 

M B Klein (Model Train Stuff) also has Atlas-Branchline HO paired-window, monitor roof coaches, which can easily pass for SLSF 772-775 cars.

Tom