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Reply to "Philadelphia Subways and Elevated"

Hello Tom --

Thanks for the support --  I would expect same from an ex Bronx "Mountie" (Mt St Mike)  guy - just like me !!  

I am very glad to see so much response and interest posted here for the PRT / PTC / SEPTA  era Broad Street Subway Cars and Market Frankford EL Cars - pre war and post war car types.    When I was the main Tech Support person since 2000 for all the MTH produced O-Gauge NYC Subway Sets cars,  I brought up,  back in the mid 2000's,  with the MTH VP Mark H.,  whom I had been continually working closely with,   the topic about possibly doing a production run of Philly Subway-EL cars  - as MTH was producing the O-Gauge CHICAGO EL CARS.   After some survey research done, there was far not enough interest volume nor support expressed to consider any such Philly Subway-EL production models -- as MTH would have had to produce at least a thousand model units (based on 3 or 4 car sets) and sell them - for each carbody type produced - to cover tool & die, and manufacturing, shipping, etc.,  costs and make any profits. 

Re: the MTH Chicago EL Cars,  there was a tremendous volume amount of survey research interest, support,  (just as with the NY Subway sets) and pre-order-promises, to take a chance producing them.  And they all sold well.

NYC Subway-EL  car models,  and  Chicago Subway-EL  (and Chicago Interurban  Lines) car models,   were already quite well long  sales-established since the 1960's thru the then-mid-2000's,  in HO Scale, some in N Scale, and a few in O-Scale,  as brass,  white metal,  or epoxy resin models, by various Jobber-Importer-Manufacturers of those decades.  There was NOTHING at all like that ever realized for Philly Subway Cars as far as ANY production in any scales of Philly Subway-EL Car models.  There was a reason why !!  Just NOT enough volume of interest level !!

However, there was quite enough interest in the MTH produced "PCC" Trolley Car line, and as you see, MTH did produce an O-Gauge PCC Car done up in many Transit Name schemes, as well as in a few SEPTA color schemes,  including the Green-Cream PTC version of the Pre-SEPTA era.  These all are long ago sold out !  This was also the case for many decades  of the production and sales of HO, N and some O Scale brass,  white metal, and plastic production manufactured models of PCC  (and standard body)  model streetcars, and those limited runs done in epoxy resin --- many done in various Philly paint schemes (PTC, SEPTA)

As I stated earlier,  Philly was and still is mainly a TROLLEY CAR fan and TROLLEY CAR modelers "city and region".  And that is what you see at the Philly region railroad and traction shows !  Also Philly has a large railfan base for commuter rail (ex-READING RR,  ex-PENNSYLVANIA RR,  ex-B&O RR and SEPTA Regional Rail.) 

Perhaps NOW enough interest can be generated thru people here (and other forums) to have these Philly Subway-EL Car O-Scale Models produced in smooth resin in the limited run (25, 30 items) numbers minimum required to start to produce them.  Perhaps by IMW.

BELOW  top photo is an O SCALE fully scratch built Chicago wood EL Car built by friend ED HALSTEAD some years ago, 

and the BOTTOM photo is my old friend BOB OLSON's  (no relation to Steve Olsen)  fully scratch built O-SCALE wooden BMT "C" type EL train (ran on Fulton Street EL) on his scratch built BMT EL and layout - and his O-Scale Brooklyn streetcars on the streets below.  We are in the scratch-builders "dinosaur era"  modeling club,  heh !

Ed halsetad CRT EL Car #3143 in 2011BobOlsonLayout1

regards - Joe F

 

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Images (2)
  • Ed Halstead CRT EL Car #3143 in 2011
  • Bob Olson BMT EL & TROLLEY Layout

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