BMT Gate Car

Bobby I've heard a lot a talk about doing this but I've never seen it happen. I'm lucky to have a four car set of the Q Car Gate Cars.

Did MTH make those?

Hello?

Art -- the Gate Car VIDEO poster should have been "more writing specific" and less brief.

I am surprised he did not reply to you !!

Those four O Scale 1:48 (full 1/4" scale)  EL Gate Car Bodies  seen in that video were produced as epoxy resin body shells by my decades long good friend and fellow 0-Scale 1:48 modeler, Quentin Carnicelli, thru his " Q-Car Company" back during the 1970's thru late 1990's era.  Along with some old CTA Chicago wood  EL cars and various city type Trolley Car Bodies.  Quentin built the "master body" pilots for creating rubber molds for all of his epoxy resin traction model castings.  These were flawless model castings.  Quentin, as he did thru the decades back then,  still provides all the proper underbody and interior seating and other exterior details (end gates etc) in white metal castings, as well as the proper trailing and motor trucks.

Unfortunately as he is the only one in USA producing O-scale 2 rail track operation power and trailer trucks for 2-rail only Subway and EL Car and many types of streetcar models - he ceased all carbody productions sometime in very early 2000's IIRC.  He just has no more time for that.  The cast epoxy bodies were cast as separate roof, sides, and ends, and assembled by Quentin as completed and Brown-oxide paint primed body shells for sale. His epoxy resin material is super strong as it is filled with very tiny fine granules of steel powder as the end-scrap end product of his various metal machining  work.

Seen in the video above are 3 IRT EL Gate Motor Car Bodies and one Brooklyn BMT Center Door Gate Car Body.  These EL Car Models are VERY RARE to find on ebay and elsewhere for sale.  Quentin's 1:48 O Scale Trolley car bodies are found a just a bit more easily.  But also very rare.  Most all of Quentin's EL Car and Trolley Car Models are all finished up and and many still operating in people's scale 2-rail layouts who, like on my own layout,  back when  we purchased them almost 4 or so decades ago when they were last in in  production! I have completely scratch built many additional IRT and BMT EL Gate cars of my own,  and 5 IRT EL MUDC cars, in addition to having a few of Quentin's IRT and BMT Gate Car models in my large fleet,

BELOW is one of Q Car Co's IRT EL Gate Motors I bought and finished up  back in 1984.  Seen heading a local train into one of my EL Stations.  Still operating almost 40 years now !!

Regards - Joe F

THANK YOU, Joe for your detailed explanation of those fine models! As a 16 year old in 1958, I worked in the sixty story Lincoln Building at 60 East 42nd St. directly across from Grand Central Terminal. There was a convenient underground passageway to the station, and on my lunch hour I would go into the station to get one of those wonderful Nedick's hot dogs and that great orange drink. Then I would go to one of the inbound tracks, and invariably there would be an idle, venerable NYC S-2 electric loco. Being familiar with both the O scale 2 rail versions, as well as the Lionel tinplate versions, it was great to see one in person. I also remember seeing the red carpet at the Century gate. Fond memories.

A further note: I attended Brooklyn Tech HS in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn (1956-60), and on more than one occasion, rode those wonderful open platform gate cars on the Myrtle Ave. El. The station was Navy Street. That portion of the El was unable to support the much heavier BMT Standards, hence the use of the lighter gate cars into those years.

I also loved those lumbering BMT Standards on the Jamaica Ave. El. My station was Woodhaven Blvd.

@Tinplate Art posted:

A further note: I attended Brooklyn Tech HS in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn (1956-60), and on more than one occasion, rode those wonderful open platform gate cars on the Myrtle Ave. El. The station was Navy Street. That portion of the El was unable to support the much heavier BMT Standards, hence the use of the lighter gate cars into those years.

Aha, I knew those cars looked familiar. I rode those cars on the Myrtle Ave El, from Broadway up to Wycoff Ave in 1962-63. BTW, I graduated from Brooklyn Tech in 1968, and there are more BTHS grads on this forum.

Another Tech Knight! :-)