Who wants a Scale Trolley?

Joe Fermani posted:

Why has no one made a fully scale detailed trolley? 

They have - there's entire segment of O scale traction and trolley modeling that has a plethora of models both imported and in kit form available..........

Might want to look at the next East Penn Traction Meet: http://www.eastpenn.org/meet2017.html

I have often written on the “I want someone to make” threads that I would like to see Lionel pick-up the Western Hobby Craft streetcar/trolley tooling and market that with sound.

However… there is very little space for the typical vertical motor that most 3 rail manufactures employ so in order to leave room for all the electronics and sound, a horizontal motor would need to be used.

The body style is based on the Johnstown prototype I believe, but could be repainted in a great number of schemes and sell them as close enough.

I have three of the trolleys now and the only thing really missing is the sound package which is pretty unique to a trolley/streetcar.

Charlie

I could've sworn the WH trolleys already had a vertical motor. One of mine has a factory sound package in it too.

---PCJ

My gosh:  Trolleys have been around for many, many years among toy trains.  Originally Lionel started making trolleys as soon as they made trains.  More recently MTH, williams, 3rd Rail and Bowser have had their offerings.  Of course, there were many different variations that describe the word "trolley" and a bunch of different ones could be made, but there hasn't been a dearth of trolleys for 3 railers.

Paul Fischer

Charlie posted:

so in order to leave room for all the electronics and sound, a horizontal motor would need to be used.

 

This really wouldn't be that hard. Maybe scale up the old Aurora pancake motor from the HO race car sets.

Railride, I will have to take a look at mine again, but I think (I have three) all my Western Hobby Craft have motor in truck design.

I did not know there was a sound version, but I suppose that is possible. All of mine are soundless with frosted windows.

If I find the time,  I will snap a few images and post my findings.

Charlie

They already make Peter Witt Trolleys

wbb is ahead of the game with motors in their trucks for the 44 tonner and the Peter witts.

I would like to get my hands on a 1:48 scale  Electromobile though!

Joe Fermani,

   I would very much like MTH to produce a new scale Pittsburgh Street Car in P2 or P3 with my buddy Frank's announcements in her, I would pre-order one right away.  We run the MTH non-scale Pittsburgh Street Car all the time on the Christmas layout. PL&E Station Watch your Step!

PCRR/Dave

 Be great if the doors Opened & Closed at the proper times with the announcements on the MTH Scale Pittsburgh, Pa Street Car, with Frank doing the Announcements.

these are scale. Western Hobbycrafts:

Sort of a spinoff question: Did the American trolley have a "standard" gauge track that most cities used? Or were gauges about as varied as the cities that ran them?

Standard gauge.

But there were some systems that had odd gauges. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Orleans. In some cases there were local ordinances intended to prevent them from offering trolley freight service in competition with the local steam railroads.

---PCJ

A working trolley pole would be nice.  Were trolley poles automatic like pantographs?

There is a book on Cincinnati trolleys that shows a spaghetti junction of at least three different gauges of trolley tracks overlaying and crossing each other.  I think there were a number of different gauges used, and the answer is no. Now, to get model builders to tool up for those, and the track.... Lotsa luck.

fisch330 posted:

My gosh:  Trolleys have been around for many, many years among toy trains.  Originally Lionel started making trolleys as soon as they made trains.  More recently MTH, williams, 3rd Rail and Bowser have had their offerings.  Of course, there were many different variations that describe the word "trolley" and a bunch of different ones could be made, but there hasn't been a dearth of trolleys for 3 railers.

Paul Fischer

Now, if you were to add modern light-rail trains, then there is definitely a scarcity.

The closest thing is quite literally a floor-toy version of a Bombardier articulated streetcar ("City Liner").

Too bad low-floor power trucks for 3-rail are so hard to come by--one could modify the above toy for much less than the MSRP of any purpose-manufactured version (the power trucks K-Line made for their caricature of a BRT trolley come to mind) 

---PCJ

How about something like a modern light rail vehicle like those used in San Diego, New Jersey, Seattle etc.  three trucks, articulated, sufficient space for a sound and command package.  We all can't have a three rail layout with expansive curves, modern light rail would fill a need.  WBB came up with the Peter Witt cars.  If they used the same drive train in an 3 truck articulated item I think it would be a big seller.  We all may like trolleys but the new train audience only see these in pictures, I bet they would purchase something they might have seen in real life.  

Western Hobbycraft also had 2 rail versions of the scale St Louis car it produced.  It had interior seats.  

The three rail had sound available with QSI boards.  

In my opinion the WHC and now WBB Peter Witt models are the best made scale cars so far.  

I want one of these!

VistaDomeScott posted:

Western Hobbycraft also had 2 rail versions of the scale St Louis car it produced.  It had interior seats.  

The three rail had sound available with QSI boards.  

In my opinion the WHC and now WBB Peter Witt models are the best made scale cars so far.  

Fro the 3-rail enthusiast, I agree 100%. The Western Hobbycraft trolleys, in particular, were an exceptional value and are beautifully made. I believe I have six of them, so I am obviously a fan.

If they made this Pacific Electric 1001.

Last year I brought two Corgi PCC cars, Septa and DSR.  I got three rail replacement trucks from GBH, a real nice guy to work with.  Was going to get a couple more PCC cars, but, he is sold out of the power trucks.  The motor was contained to the truck.   They don't like Atlas switches, the sliding button for power pick up snags on them.  If they had a roller would of been better, but I think that would of raised the car to high...MTH would be further ahead if they used more scale wheels...  I have their DSR version and it is a smooth runner, I put a BCR in it.

Marty

I am with Allan.

I have 3 Western Hobbycraft Trolleys and I installed TMCC with sound in one of them. So,yes, I am a fan.

Ed Boyle

Is the MTH Brill trolley scale?

Ed,

I have a Western HobbyCraft Trolley. I am very much interested in installing TMCC and sound. Any special considerations that you could bestow upon us that are willing to give this a try? How about the specific products that you used? I do not mean to redirect this thread, so feel free to contact me through email: dheban@roadrunner.com.

Thanks,

dennis

The MTH Brill trolley is not scale, but close to it. I have a few Western Hobbycraft trolley cars that will eventually receive MTH's PS2 or PS3.

I'll vote for a heavy wooden Interurban or steel North Shore Car

Richard:  3rd Rail made the standard North shore line cars in three car sets, just a few years ago.  I bought two of them; one in the "Silverliner" color scheme with the faux stainless siding and red from the windows on up and one in the pre-war red and green with light green around the windows.  (Often called "Greenliners" by railfans but not officially)  There are two motors on one of the cars, mounted in the trucks so they don't interfere with the interiors, they have TMCC control and Kadee couplers and full interiors..  The powered car does have some of it's windows blacked out to hide the electronics. 

They were important cars to me because I used to operate the same type car at the old East Troy Trolley Museum in Wisconsin.  Scott Mann did advertise that he still had a set of the cars available, some months ago and I would contact him to see if he might just have one left.  The wooden interurban car would be another matter, although I have an old kit that could be used to build one.

Paul Fischer

Walthers once made two different O scale North Shore Cars, and the Q Car Company makes resin bodies as well as drive components.  I thing LaBelle Woodworking still makes some body kits.

Richard E posted:

Walthers once made two different O scale North Shore Cars, and the Q Car Company makes resin bodies as well as drive components. 

Pretty sure that C-car has discontinued production of the resin bodies

I thing LaBelle Woodworking still makes some body kits.

La Belle still makes the kits and you can finish them out with Q-car parts/  Here's one of mine:

There are large numbers of brass, resin, and wood cars out there on the secondary market.  Get to the East Penn meet in May!

Western Hobbycraft still has some trolleys available new: http://www.westernhobbycraft.com/store.html