Thanks
Do you have a copy of the book that was published in approx 1981?
If I can obtain plans, I can have shells made with accurate window and door placement.
How do I get hold of Joe Acri?
The book I was referring to is the "Illustrated Treasury of Budd Railway Passenger Cars: 1931-1981".
Not as many diagrams on the Metroliners, but a wealth of photos of all things Budd and lots of great builder's photos of a majority of the Budd products. A must have for any fan of passenger cars.
I need to dig out Joe Acri's contact. He did research for me on the GG1 project and is thoroughly fluent in finding information in both the state archives of PA as well as some good connections to the PRRT&HS society.
His fees are not cheap, but certainly reasonably for the quality of product. Again, I'll need to do a little digging on contact info. It's been nearly two years.
Not as many diagrams on the Metroliners, but a wealth of photos of all things Budd and lots of great builder's photos of a majority of the Budd products. A must have for any fan of passenger cars.
I need to dig out Joe Acri's contact. He did research for me on the GG1 project and is thoroughly fluent in finding information in both the state archives of PA as well as some good connections to the PRRT&HS society.
His fees are not cheap, but certainly reasonably for the quality of product. Again, I'll need to do a little digging on contact info. It's been nearly two years.
If you are willing to use the Williams extrusions. I knoww of a source for scale length versions of blank ones. If you are interested I can put you in contact with teh owner. My e-mail is culliton.bill6@gmail.com
Bill
I did contact your source a while back and am still wating for a reply to a concrete proposal. Do not know if he's forgotten or what.
I did contact your source a while back and am still wating for a reply to a concrete proposal. Do not know if he's forgotten or what.
I did not mean to imply any hasseling or cheating. The guy who made me an offer was not trying to hassle or cheat. The American way is to go into business with others. It's just that the train business, at least on obscure things, is a difficult business to clearly see a profit. Mike Wolf is an exception, not the rule.
Very often these folks with very special parts either forget where the current pile of letters is. or get the piles of correspondence hidden under some other project. I know I always tell folks I promise stuff to to call me again if they do not get a package within, say, three weeks. I have a way of forgetting . . .
Eric Lundgren has posted elsewhere photos of the Division Point RDC. I have never seen such quality in an obscure model, and if they can do that for an RDC, perhaps it could be done for the Metroliners?
Very often these folks with very special parts either forget where the current pile of letters is. or get the piles of correspondence hidden under some other project. I know I always tell folks I promise stuff to to call me again if they do not get a package within, say, three weeks. I have a way of forgetting . . .
Eric Lundgren has posted elsewhere photos of the Division Point RDC. I have never seen such quality in an obscure model, and if they can do that for an RDC, perhaps it could be done for the Metroliners?
Doea nyone know if the Latest Lionel Cab car has the same Width as the MTH Metroliner cars? I am considering a kitbash. IF not the Lionel version, How about the Williams Metroliners?
quote:Does anyone know if the Latest Lionel Cab car has the same Width as the MTH Metroliner cars? I am considering a kitbash. IF not the Lionel version, How about the Williams Metroliners?
The Lionel Amfleet cars are "slimmer" than the MTH cars and look a little strange together. I've got the MTH versions and my son has the HHP-8 set. This was one of the first things I looked at when he got his set after they were released.
The Williams versions are "fatter" than the MTH cars because they are extruded aluminum and are more like traditional 15" extruded aluminum passenger cars.
All three manufacturers have used a different "scale" when making their Amfleet cars. Makes mixing and matching brands rather difficult.
I would like to see MTH offer "rubber" retrofit kits for their Amfleet car windows. The Lionel ones are superior in this regard.
Fred
I know Williams made Metroliners, non scale, did MTH or Lionel also make Metroliners?
A few years back MTH cataloged Premier Metroliners. They were canceled. This was the only MTH item that I was interested in that ever got canceled!
So guys email MTH of your wishes maybe they will revive their plans.
Ron
So guys email MTH of your wishes maybe they will revive their plans.
Ron
I don't believe the MTH planned Metroliners were going to be scale, but rather 18" scale cars. Metroliners were 85' long and served as the basic platform that Budd developed the Amcan I fleet off of.
A true scale set would be most desirable.
A true scale set would be most desirable.
Did receive contact and apparently have a deal for body and ends for Metroliner.
Would it be possible to purchase just a pair of A ends?
--Drew
--Drew
When I get this done and receive parts, I will post pictures and see where we go from there.
Long winded way of saying I don't know but we shall see.
Long winded way of saying I don't know but we shall see.
Parts arrived
Shell is scale length, non engineer end is plastic and very nice. The operator end is rough and has too many windows and doors are not correct.
Remember when I started this topic I said my plate was full and needed someone else to do work. Whatever.
Do need help, if I remember correctly, someone probably WBB has a power truck for many engines including Metroliners. Does anyone know more details?
Shell is scale length, non engineer end is plastic and very nice. The operator end is rough and has too many windows and doors are not correct.
Remember when I started this topic I said my plate was full and needed someone else to do work. Whatever.
Do need help, if I remember correctly, someone probably WBB has a power truck for many engines including Metroliners. Does anyone know more details?
Mark,
That operator end looks like a later cab control car configuration - even though it's still not right for that either. It looks more like one of those than a true Metroliner cab.
As far as trucks go, I think the Metroliner trucks look more like AAR type B trucks than anything else. WBB incorrectly used Genesis sideframes on some of their more recent models.
Fred
That operator end looks like a later cab control car configuration - even though it's still not right for that either. It looks more like one of those than a true Metroliner cab.
As far as trucks go, I think the Metroliner trucks look more like AAR type B trucks than anything else. WBB incorrectly used Genesis sideframes on some of their more recent models.
Fred
I have found that the most accurate replacement trucks for Metroliners are very similar to those found on later RDC's. Athearn's RDC trucks look quite good on a few HO restorations I've done to a fleet of Bachmann cars that lost their trucks.
The extrusion has no window cut outs? Do you need to provide that yourself? If so how? Just curious. I have several Williams O "gauge" cars and would like to get a more scale Metroliner to play with.
However, Fred called it. The Williams late cars have the Genesis unit style side frames which are not very close. Also every single car in the set is set up to be a power unit and is weighted as such. A single powered unit will not pull the weight of the four car set up a grade. I added a second powered unit, but then robbed parts for a Genesis project instead ......
I would think that the Williams end caps might actually work in the extrusion you have if it is the same style extrusion. The cab side parts you got are definitely post Metroliner rebuilds into cab cars. Even after the Amtrak rebuild program, the Metroliners retained the single window for the cab. I remember them running in service between Philly and Harrisburg during their final years as powered units.
The extrusion has no window cut outs? Do you need to provide that yourself? If so how? Just curious. I have several Williams O "gauge" cars and would like to get a more scale Metroliner to play with.
However, Fred called it. The Williams late cars have the Genesis unit style side frames which are not very close. Also every single car in the set is set up to be a power unit and is weighted as such. A single powered unit will not pull the weight of the four car set up a grade. I added a second powered unit, but then robbed parts for a Genesis project instead ......
I would think that the Williams end caps might actually work in the extrusion you have if it is the same style extrusion. The cab side parts you got are definitely post Metroliner rebuilds into cab cars. Even after the Amtrak rebuild program, the Metroliners retained the single window for the cab. I remember them running in service between Philly and Harrisburg during their final years as powered units.
Though it is kind of hard to tell the profiles from the photograph I think that control end might actually be based on the old Budd SPV-2000's. They also had only one offset window, but the overall shape sure looks more like this: RRPictureArchives.net SPV-2000 than a cab control car's.
Fred
Fred
Fred you insight is right on.
I have been looking and pondering what to do next.
Doing a double end, plastic and then metal and massive filling and molding is one option, seeing if WBB can or will sell operator ends separately is another.
No really good answer right now.
I have been looking and pondering what to do next.
Doing a double end, plastic and then metal and massive filling and molding is one option, seeing if WBB can or will sell operator ends separately is another.
No really good answer right now.
quote:The extrusion has no window cut outs? Do you need to provide that yourself? If so how?
I have found an end mill to be the only viable way to cut windows, unless you have a special punch setup. You can hand-file if you want, but your psychiatrist bill will be much bigger than the cost of a small mill.
