NYC Open Platform El Cars

The two sets that you mention are the oldest set models of subway / el cars that either company ever did however MTH did do the BRT / BMT Standards that operated from 1915 thru 1969. Each car is 67 feet in length. They came as a 3 car set with one powered car and two non-powered cars and a 3 car set of 3 non-powered cars. I own 2 of the powered car sets. MTH came out with them in 2006. I am quite sure that they never did a second run of them as they did with most of the other subway car sets. The catalog number for the powered set is 20-2675-1. The catalog price was $450.00. 3 of the remaining cars are part of the TA operating fleet and are at the TA's Coney Island Shops. A 4th car is in the TA Museum in Brooklyn. A 5th car is at the Sound Shore Line Trolley Museum located in East Haven, CT. The Standards also ran on the Myrtle Av. Line that was rebuilt around 1918 north of Broadway in Brooklyn to handle the heavier subway cars. This is where the cars also ran last in 1969. I use to see them stored in that yard in late 1969 along with the Q cars.

ED G. (Along The North-East Corridor Of Amtrak and The New Haven Line of Metro-North in Westchester County, NY).

Hello Bobby  (O-GAUGE)

Some of these laser cut wood body kits are viable to create Wooden Open Platform EL cars -- with some small modifications;

http://www.deerfieldriverlaser.com/DRL-O-M17.html

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http://www.deerfieldriverlaser.com/DRL-O-M10.html

Here is the link to all this company's coach & combine projects -- all laser cut wood products.

http://www.deerfieldriverlaser.com/CarsSidesList.html

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BELOW -- is a LABELLE O SCALE Open END Coach (a 50' car) that can be made into an El gate care or shortened by 1 or 2  windows to make a 48' EL Gate Car

https://www.labellemodels.com/...orm-coach-p-134.html

You can browse thru both company websites to see their wooden (real wood) carbody projects

Since the early 1970's,  Q Car Company was THE ONLY one who produced O SCALE Epoxy Resin carbody shells of Open End Platform  "EL" Gate Cars  in both IRT,  BMT  and Chicago CRT/CTA   classes (and 2 types of Chicago Closed End Cars EL Cars). He terminated all production of same around late 1990's.

I have a few of his IRT and BMT EL car body shells I bought back in 1985-86-87 -- but all my very many other EL Open Platform IRT and BMT Gate Cars (and closed end IRT EL MUDC Cars) are all fully scratch-hand-built -   created all during the 1986-1990 years.  Using Q Car Co exact interior seating and underbody parts and trucks  applicable for specific cars I built.

BELOW - Just a few of many more of my fully hand built IRT EL Cars (MUDC and Gate Types) cars below -  cars with roof markers are motor cars - seen on my EL:

BELOW - just a few of quite many more of my totally scratch built BMT EL Gate Cars - cars with roof markers are motor cars - seen on my EL

Unfortunately -- those very few of us who have made O SCALE fully finished and detailed Wooden Body EL Cars (closed end vestibule cars or open end platform cars)  for the most part - built them ourselves.  As you can see, my results are pretty good and replicate various prototype classes and styles of IRT & BMT EL cars.  Another suggestion is to contact a 3D Printer jobber as see if they will create some custom project cars,.  I am my fellow NYC Transit-based modeler pals are looking into such with someone presently.  3D printing may be the way of the future for custom hobby items.

Regards - Joe F

Joe F, thanks for your replies. You models are excellent, and beyond my skill level.

Hello Bobby

Well,  if we can get a Gate Car created by 3D Printing -- in O Scale - that may be a possibility for you and others who desire same.  Work is underway (slowly, heh)  now.

Regards - Joe F

Joe, keep me posted on your 3D open gate car. I am very interested.

All I can offer is that the cars look just like the ones I rode when I visited my Grandmother in the late 40's & early 50's, who lived off Fresh Pond Rd.

I would sneak under the turnstile and ride the open cars with wicker seats and fans down to Metropolitan Ave and go back and forth for hours....WHAT A GRTEAT TIME it was back then riding the old EL trains.....

Hello Gene

These images below may bring back some Myrtle El memories of long ago ! The Fresh Pond Station is the 3rd photo below;

BELOW are a few photos of a some of my many scratch built BMT EL Gate Cars at stations on my O Scale NYC EL System --

I have a friend - now in Oregon since at least 1960,   who models transit & traction ( in 2 rail scale"O-Scale" like me )  - Karl Matchantz,  who grew up by the Fresh Pond Station and adjacent EL Layup yards of the BMT Myrtle Ave. EL in the 1940's -- '50's.  He even remembers the final year or years of BMT (aka B&QT) Peter Witt Trolleys running in his neighborhood. Karl rode the Myrtle EL also - and so did I.  I found the Myrtle EL by a subway train joy riding accident  - while riding a BMT train on the BMT Broadway-Jamaica  EL  line in Brooklyn.  When the train stopped at Broadway-Myrtle 2 level "lower level platform" station and I saw a train of BMT EL gate cars waiting at  the upper level station island platform.  It was then that I  started riding the Myrtle EL Line on its solid trains of  5 or  6 cars  of 1300 series all motor EL Convertible Gate Cars.  And took photos and color slides of them and the EL  also.  And then by mid May 1958, the IRT ex-3rd Ave EL Q Type (formerly BMT cars) cars were placed there on the Myrtle EL from their service ending by Dec. 1956, on the then still operating  Bronx 3rd Ave. EL.  To replace all the labor intensive 1300 series EL Gate cars.  I rode the Q's thru the end of the service of the Myrtle El in Oct. 1969 !  Regards - Joe F