n scale passenger cars 1800 vintage

[cbmalmgren]

Where can I find 1800's vintage passenger cars for my steam locomotive

[baldwinmikado]

Bachmann does make some for your era but as far as I know they don't catalog them. If you go to the store and go to n scale: passenger cars,  the only two that come up are 85' budd cars and Jackson Sharp excursion cars. The cars your looking for come in train sets. The "durango and silverton" "royal blue" and "spirit of christmas" sets have them. If you could manage to find a parts list for any of these sets you might be able to go to ebay or any other online retailer and look for the car itself.

[baldwinmikado]

Ok. Did some searching and if you go to n scale: rerailed: passenger cars, they do have the cars your looking for from the durango and silverton set for $10, but at the moment they are sold out. If you need them asap I would still go to any online model train retailer and see if they have it or yet again ebay if souch doesn't work.

[brokemoto]

Star Hobbies of Annapolis had the B-mann Rerailed cars last week.  They had a B&O combine and something else, I forget what.

Athearn sells, and MDC sold two kinds of nineteenth century passenger cars:  thirty four foot and fifty foot versions.  You will find them at various stores as NOS or at shows.   The Athearns are copies of the MDC, as Athearn swallowed MDC a number of years back.  The Athearns come with  good trucks and couplers.  The MDC trucks are good, but they come with Rapido couplers and MDC's version of a knuckle coupler.  The couplers swap in and out, but the MDC knuckle couplers will not stay coupled.  Body mounting Micro Trains 1023 is simple; it requires a minimum of cutting, sanding and/or filing.

The thirty four foot cars come in:  baggage/mail, baggage/passenger, coach and 'business' car.  The fifty foot cars come in:  baggage/passenger, coach, 'sleeper' and 'business' car. 

There is also a guy who from time-to-time advertises pieces of the fifty foot cars on ya-HOO! listserves.  I forget if it is the N-Scale list or N Scale Yard Sale; it may be both.  His name is Chris Short. He sells the kits with the roof, shell and undercarriage.  The only thing missing is the trucks.   I  have done business with him; he is a straight-up guy.  You can also find the cars on FeePay and, from time-to-time the kits.  You can also post 'WANTED' e-Mails on ya-HOO! N Scale Yard Sale.


The Athearn/MDc cars are good and ride well.  The B-mann cars are nice, but they do appear to be on stilts.  At some point, I plan to lower mine a bit.  Sometimes, B-mann puts too much paint on them, as well.