MAGLEV, Monorail and Subway/ Light Subway/ Mimi Subway

TEP 60

Member
Are any MAGLEV, Monorail and Subway/ Light Subway/ Mimi Subway trains, that move on track with a tri- rail electrification or built for Marlkin system, ever produced in H0?
 

jetrock

Member
Trolley modelers have occasionally modeled "functioning" third rail, usually in the context of an electric railroad. Some were even functional--small brass "shoes" used to contact live third-rail. At www.trolleyville.com in the Schoolhouse section there are a couple of reprints of old Railroad Model Craftsman articles on third-rail modeling.

Several manufacturers build subway models--try the Walthers catalog and do a search for "subway." I think some manufacturer has built a monorail model of some sort, but I have never heard of anyone building a maglev model.
 
I built a kit of the Maglev that Revell makes. It's a pre-finished static display kit. Here's a link to one for sale, though the asking price is quite a bit higher than what I remember paying: http://www.cahood.com/M2993.htm As the windows are opaque and the car bodies are basically hollow shells, I imagine with a lot of tinkering it could be made to operate on a rubber wheel system contained withint the train that rides on the top of the track, and hidden wipers contacting flat wire or rails hidden in the underside of the track (track has a somewhat 'T' shaped cross section, which the cowling wraps around). You'd have to scratchbuild more track, though. Of course, actual magnetic levitation in HO scale is a whole different story...

Chris
 

TEP 60

Member
All the H0 subway trains I found in the Walthers catalog are, alas, for an ordinary two- rail t rack. I'm looking just for subway trains for a tri- rail track or Marklin system.
 

jetrock

Member
You might try the Marklin catalog, then--they are the only people who make locomotives for the Marklin system. Nobody, to my knowledge, has EVER made a ready-to-roll model that runs on outside third rail--they are a subset of trolley modelers. It's not a lot different from rewiring a streetcar model to run on overhead wire instead of two-rail.

By "tri-rail track" do you mean Marklin? They, to the best of my knowledge, are the only company that makes anything like a three-rail HO system.
 

TEP 60

Member
By tri- rail track I just doesn't mean Marklin, I mean just a track with side third rail or superimposed side third rail to a H) track. And there are MANY producers, that produce Marklin system versions of rolling stock.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
model memories HO scale product page: http://www.info-4u.com/modelmemories/hosig.htm#3rail

here is a picture from their site. i wonder where they got the box cab.....


nyc1.jpg
 

TEP 60

Member
What rolling stock is this third rail produced for? Please give the links to these models. Thanks!

And are other third rails ever produced in H0?
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
the third rail is usually used for commuter trains like subways, and such. Image replicas sells alot of US prototypes. Life Like P1K also sells a subway set. If you find an FL-9, that also runs on the third rail, as well as deisel power.

some older locomotives also run on the third rail, such as the P-motor.
 
TEP 60 said:
What rolling stock is this third rail produced for? Please give the links to these models. Thanks!

And are other third rails ever produced in H0?

Since I live in an area with 3rd-rail traffic, I figure I'd contribute. :thumb:

Amtrak actually uses the 3rd-rail in my area (New York City)-- They have the General Electric P32AC-DM locomotives, which can either use the 3rd-rail or its own diesel engine. The P32AC-DM looks like the original AMD103 Genesis diesel passenger locomotives (P40DC and P42DC), but has 3rd-rail pickup shoes mounted on its truck sideframes. The grilles and fans are also different.

Before the P32AC-DM Gennies showed up, Amtrak used the FL9. (EMD F-unit with a 2-axle truck in the front and 3-axle truck in the back, also dual-mode. Very odd-looking locomotive).

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and Metro-North (the commuter railroad that serves upstate NY and Connecticut) also uses the P32AC-DM, and has several painted up in the old New Haven colors (very snappy-looking!). They also use EMU commuter trains too.

Down on Long Island (where I am), the Long Island Railroad uses the EMD DM30AC passenger diesels, which are also dual-mode like the GE P32AC-DM and can draw power off a 3rd rail. The LIRR and NYCTA Subway uses a slightly different 3rd-rail system though, where the pickup shoe slides over the 3rd-rail. The Metro North and Amtrak's 3rd-rail pickup slides under the 3rd-rail.

As far as modeling these in HO goes, if you want an accurate model of the P32AC-DM, it needs to be kitbashed-- You have to start with an Athearn P42DC model, alter the grilles and fan details on the shells, and add on the 3rd-rail pickup shoes. It's going to involve a bit of detail-scratchbuilding. I think there was an article in a past issue of Railroad Model Craftsman on how to do this. If you don't want to bother with the details, you can paint up a P42DC in those colors and would still look "close enough."

I think one of those brass import companies had an LIRR DM30AC loco available a while back, don't remember which..

Hope this helps!

(Metro North/ConnDOT P32AC-DM)
87DS4287_copy.jpg.83056.jpg
 

TEP 60

Member
What about just subway (and railroad) EMU's for H0 with (even decorative) third rail power supply equipment?
 
The aforementioned Model Memories vendor sells the decorative New York Central 3rd-rail kits, which is correct for the Amtrak and Metro North routes in the NYC area.

As far as EMU cars go, a company called IHC was making Budd M1 commuter EMU car resin shells in HO, which is appropriate for Metro North and LIRR. They also got various NYCTA subway car kits too.

Hope this helps!
 

TEP 60

Member
Please, give the IHC link. Thanks! And are any locomotives with a tri- rail supply equipment ever produced in H0?
 

jetrock

Member
TEP 60 said:
Does anybody produce decorative third rail or tri- rail tracks for these subway trains?

The Model Memories third-rail setup was mentioned to you earlier in this thread--so far as I know, nobody else makes third-rail products, decorative or not. It shouldn't be too hard, though, to scratchbuild third rail: you can put the rail itself on some sleepers and just glue a rectangular bit of bar stock (brass, even plastic) painted a rusty color. Fairly cheap and not exactly a monstrous modeling challenge. Most of the subway car models I have seen don't even have visible third-rail shoes, functional or not.
 
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