Tommy posted:
What I am tempted to do is obtain an SIRT body from Island Model Works ($85), which fits over the MTH BMT standards. These were often run as single car units on the south beach and north shore lines on Staten Island. In SIRT service they were painted B&O blue (very good looking) and also brown.
Hello Tommy
The "retraction" was a nice and proper gesture.
As far as the SIRT cars -- Joe Ogden of Island Model Works is a pal of mine and a long time member of my NYC Transit Modelers Group Forum. I have TWO of his Staten Island Car Body Shells. They are EXCELLENT and faithful representatives of the SIRT ME-21 cars. NO ONE ever produced these cars in any model scale. I plan to do mine in the Maroon & Cream BMT - NYCTA early 1950's colors as shown in the bottom photo above. I will make my own floors and create my own scale versions of the interior seats and end interior bulkhead partitions. I have the entire scale underbody detail parts necessary for these cars. And I have scale trucks to put under them. I think I will bust the Ba--ls of the purists and run my pair - when completed - with a BMT Standard in the middle - heh
The only reason they did not - could not - run with Standards are because many of the circuitry button-&-socket contacts on the coupler portions had to be rewired on the SIRT cars to mate up and be compatible with those - and the system-functions of those --- coupler portions on the BMT Standards. A LOT OF WORK -- which at the end result for that small fleet - was not worth the time, money and effort. The SIRT cars were a short time "gap filler" 2nd hand fleet for a few years until the new R-16 and R-27 cars arrived. The SIRT cars allowed retirement of some of the old wood El car stock they replaced.
regards - Joe F
