Call me stupid but I need some help here...

[Chessie1973]

I haven't the foggiest idea what the differences in Pulman cars are.

I bought my mother a 4 car set of pulman cars by MDC Roundhouse and I can't identify which one is which to save me now.

I know the one with the funky yellow handrails on the back is the observation car, but there is supposed to be a Dining Car, a Sleeper Car and a Combine but I have no clue which ones are which other than the observation car.

Another question I have is is there any sort of order they would go in in the train or does it really matter?


Pics to follow.

 

[Chessie1973]

Number One

 

[Chessie1973]

Number two

 

[Chessie1973]

Number Three

 

[Chessie1973]

Number Four

 

[Chessie1973]

And an Added bonus for you all the 4-8-2 Mountain I bought her to go with them.

 

[TomPM]

Ok here I go:

Number 1: Combine
Number 2: Dining Car
Number 3: Sleeper (Why they call it this is beyond me. It looks like a coach to me)
Number 4: Observation

As far as order goes the combine would usually follow the locomotive with baggae section forward. You don't want passengers walking through the baggage portion. Of course the observation would be on the end. The location of the dining car varies depending on the length of the train. Remember passengers must walk through other cars to get to the dining car so the number of cars that they had to traverse was kept to a minimum in most cases.

 

[Chessie1973]

Thank you so much Tom.

I assume the mail portion of the Combine is the end with the Large door on it?

I rearranged the traina bit to be Combine, Sleeper, Dining Car, and Observation car.

I still have a little detailing left to do on them like installing the windows and putting the string that serves as the tension rods on the last three cars.

BTW do those cars look to ridiculous on my track in those pics? My radius is a bit tight being somewhere in the nieghborhood of 22" to 23". But they run.

Would you suggest close coupling them? The couplers are mounted on a sort of extension bar that has two positions on it . They are currently set on the longest one.

One last question for ya. Are these what I have heard referred to as Heavywieght cars?

 

[TomPM]

Thank you so much Tom.

I assume the mail portion of the Combine is the end with the Large door on it?

Yes

BTW do those cars look to ridiculous on my track in those pics? My radius is a bit tight being somewhere in the nieghborhood of 22" to 23". But they run.

Personally I don’t worry about this. I am usually happy that they will go around the track. When you have a limited amount of space you have to make compromises. My answer to you is how do you feel they look?

Would you suggest close coupling them? The couplers are mounted on a sort of extension bar that has two positions on it . They are currently set on the longest one.

Personally I like the closer coupling.

One last question for ya. Are these what I have heard referred to as Heavywieght cars?

If these cars the ones I think they are they are made to look like they are made out of wood. In that case they are not heavy weights. The definition I know of heavy weights refers to the big heavy steel cars that replaced the wooden cars. Some else may have a better definition.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Would you suggest close coupling them? The couplers are mounted on a sort of extension bar that has two positions on it . They are currently set on the longest one.

If you close couple them, the closer they are coupled the larger a radius they will need to operate. You will have to experiment to see how close you can couple them with your given radius. If the cars are in your tightest radius curve, when the corners touch, you are at the limit.

 

[interurban]

Those are the coaches I will be bashing into my next Traction model
Super detail on them for a few USA Traction lines!!!!

I have the same Steamer too,, it stays as a steamer

 

[60103]

The Combine only has a baggage section; the mail section would have a narrower door. There was a federal standard layout for mail sections, but they came in different lengths depending on the traffic.
Is there a description of the sleeper? It looks like it might be "18 sections" from this side. (Section is an upper + lower berth). Depending on traffic, Pullman supplied sections, drawing rooms, bedrooms, double bedrooms...
They also manufactured all sorts of cars. Even street cars.
Try a pair of cars at the closer coupling (if you can reverse it) and see how they do on your curves.

 

[planeshavings42]

I Tried to buy my wife a couple a 4-8-2's for our anniversary, but she saw right though it, now I probably won't be seeing anything for coupla days. OUCH!!