Polar Express

[CAB_IV]

Thanks Mr. B
also thank you for answering my message with out some people holering at me.

LOL, they didn't holer at you initially, and gave you the same answer.

However, why would you want something ready made! Half the fun in this hobby is assembling something unique, something no one else has.

you should try and find some decals for it, just to get started.

[SmokeyNSteamer]

I am a fan of the PE movie myself, and I want to point out some details that may aid the modeller:

1. Look at the PE loco's front end in the movie and you'll notice the following details:

A. Lack of Number Boards and Classification lights

B. Headlight housing is seemingly embedded in the smokebox door (a common practice on the Delaware and Hudson's 4-8-4's and 4-6-6-4's BTW)

C. No MARS light like on the NKP 765!

D. No Worthington S(A) Feedwater heater (does the movie engine have a Coffin FWH?)

BTW: The kid with the glasses in the movie said the locomotive was "A Baldwin 2-8-4 S3-Class Berkshire-type Steam locomotive."  Is he referring to the Erie-Lackawanna's Baldwin S3 2-8-4's http://www.steamlocomotive.com/berkshire/erie.shtml?

2. The PE heavyweight cars are what I call "bantamweights" or "shorties":  They are about half the length of a typical heavyweight.  To make these, take an ordinary off-the-shelf model, cut the body so the car is about 40 scale feet in length and exchange the 3-axle trucks for 2-axle trucks.  It is my theory that the decreased car length was required to compensate for the loss of two axles (a heavy, long car requires more axles to hold it up, a lighter or shorter car requires fewer!).

BTW: Just to spice things up, add a diner and a few sleepers, after all the PE is an overnight train!...Maybe even RPO/baggage/mail/Express (well how'd you expect those letters to Santa got to the North Pole?)...and don't forget the rounded-deck observation car!

3.  Assuming the movie takes place about 1954, very late in the steam-diesel transition try repainting a set of Alco PA1's or EMD E7/8/9's or even F3/7's to match the cars to give a sense of "Christmas Yet to Come."

4.  Those wanting DCC/Sound equipped locos and want an accurate PE-style whistle should record a loop of the PE whistle and send it to QSI http://www.qsisolutions.com/ to have a custom sound card made.  I personally got to produce sound effects and an interactive cab for a potential release for Microsoft Train Simulator and have a sound file of the PE's whistle on my computer.  Maybe I could provide it for anyone interested.

Hope my advice helps!

[SmokeyNSteamer]

Oops... on the S3 Berkshire reference I meant the Lackawanna-less Erie.  That's the trouble with we west-coasters, unfamiliar with east-coast fallen flags

[jsmvmd]

Dear "Bear,"

Very Droll!  SteamGene came up with a good one, too!  Way to go, guys!

From the father of a constantly irritated 13.5 year old female. 

As I approach 57 years of age, I am amazed how good is the word curmudgeon.  I am a "cur" who got stuck in the "mud"  "eons" ago.  My dear wife would agree!

Two teenagers, and two on the way!  I will have to work until 75 if I ever want to get them out of my house.  Thank goodness I have my choo choos.  Thank goodness for Spectrum.

Best Wishes & Happy New Year!

Jack

[max (uk)]

Dam Lionel  Do they even make any HO stuff?

I suppose its possible to do it yourself. With a Bachmann Barkshire and a hevey weight coach set you could probly spray the coaches blue then line them with red.

Another thing. Is there ANY way at all to convert an AC tree rail engine to two rail?  If so it could be better for me to do that to the Lionel set. So i can run it with my On30. Not to keen on using 3 rail at all. Also i might be ayble to run it on the massive O gauge layout my MRC is building.

Any ideas?

[Woody Elmore]

Is Lionel still in business or are they in bankruptcy court again?

I've never seen the PE movie but being an "old School" modeler from the "do it yourself" days, I would think that decalling and even repainting is not beyond the grasp of of most people.

[CAB_IV]

2. The PE heavyweight cars are what I call "bantamweights" or "shorties":  They are about half the length of a typical heavyweight.  To make these, take an ordinary off-the-shelf model, cut the body so the car is about 40 scale feet in length and exchange the 3-axle trucks for 2-axle trucks.  It is my theory that the decreased car length was required to compensate for the loss of two axles (a heavy, long car requires more axles to hold it up, a lighter or shorter car requires fewer!).

Doesn't MDC make shorty car kits? I have one that someone else made, and it looks alittle easier to build than to have to cut cars in half.

4. Those wanting DCC/Sound equipped locos and want an accurate PE-style whistle should record a loop of the PE whistle and send it to QSI http://www.qsisolutions.com/ to have a custom sound card made.  I personally got to produce sound effects and an interactive cab for a potential release for Microsoft Train Simulator and have a sound file of the PE's whistle on my computer.  Maybe I could provide it for anyone interested.

Hope my advice helps!

Wow, I have to ask, do you have Sound files for the various electric locomotives out there, like the E44, E60MA, AEM7s, And Acela locomotives?  I try to get sound for my layout, but being a Northeast Corridor layout (which runs primarily electrics) its tough to find anything beyond a GG1 sound file.

Dam Lionel  Do they even make any HO stuff?

They've made HO in the past, and recently they've made a Challenger and a Veranda gas turbine, but it looks like they pulled out again. I do have one of their Challengers though. Good stuff.

Another thing. Is there ANY way at all to convert an AC tree rail engine to two rail?  If so it could be better for me to do that to the Lionel set. So i can run it with my On30. Not to keen on using 3 rail at all. Also i might be ayble to run it on the massive O gauge layout my MRC is building.

Any ideas?

It is technically possible, but then you should have bought the models in 2 rail in the first place.  In three rail (going off my set), the outside wheels are the same "polarity", and the thrid rail pick up is the other polarity.   You'd need to isolate the wheels so that your train doesn't short, which seems like more trouble than it is worth.   Then you'd have to wire it all up to the motor, and probably remove the AC equipment from the locomotive.   

[jsmvmd]

Dear Max (UK),

I recently found a site that explained how to convert your O gauge engines to r/c battery power.  This would allow you to run O scale (2-rail) on O gauge (3-rail) track, and vice versa.

If you are interested, I will look for it and post here.

Best Wishes & Happy New Year!

Jack

[Anthony P]

Thanks Mr. B
also thank you for answering my message with out some people holering at me.

No one is hollering... We answered your question in a quiet peaceful manner...

Lionel owns the rights to produce it so its doubtful. Just get an undec steam loco and buy some Custom Decals for 5 or 10$...

As GG mentioned, the license is held by Lionel. 
Merry First Day of Christmas,
Gene

A license can vary to a great degree.  TtTE is built under license by several companies, but they are all different.  There is the small wood Thomas, large wood Thomas, HO Thomas, O Thomas, etc. 
Bachmann once made the Hogwarts Express.  It doesn't any longer, but Lionel has the license and makes it. 
Merry Second Day of Christmas.
Gene

If any of these quotes seem to be rude or anything please let me know. When I grew up they weren't and that wasn't very long ago.

Sorry for frecking out on you guys.

Dam Lionel  Do they even make any HO stuff?

I suppose its possible to do it yourself. With a Bachmann Barkshire and a hevey weight coach set you could probly spray the coaches blue then line them with red.

Another thing. Is there ANY way at all to convert an AC tree rail engine to two rail?  If so it could be better for me to do that to the Lionel set. So i can run it with my On30. Not to keen on using 3 rail at all. Also i might be ayble to run it on the massive O gauge layout my MRC is building.

Any ideas?

I herd somewere that lionel used to make HO trains but then they stoped.

[SteamGene]

The last batch of Berkshires for the Nickle Plate were class S3.  Railroads classified their steam locomotives to their own standards.  The N&W Class A was a 2-6-6-4 articulated freight locomotive while the Milwaukee Road Class A was a very large streamlined 4-4-2 oil burner.  The PRR K4 was a 4-6-2 while the C&O K4 was a 2-8-4.  The Milwaukee Road Class S was a 4-8-4.  Sometimes you get lucky, the N&W J was a 4-8-4 as was the C&O J3 and J3a - but the C&O J1 and J2 were 4-8-2s and the proposed J4 would have been a 4-8-6.  
A lot of detail on the PE was left out when the 1225 was digitalized, to include the engine number.  Things we might find important like classification lights, feedwater heaters, headlight position, etc are not important to your average nine year old.
Merry Third day of Christmas.
Gene

[StanierJack]

Dam Lionel  Do they even make any HO stuff?

Max talk nice or the Bach-Man will have to tell your mom on you.

Really mature.

People like you make me embarrased to be a Sodor Modeller...

[SteamGene]

I don't see the problem.  He wants to put Lionel behind a tall wall of dirt or concrete normally used to impede the flow of a river or stream.   I'm not sure why he wants to and I think he's a bit rude by ordering  instead of asking, but nothing bad. 
Merry Third Day of Christmas.
Gene

[Woody Elmore]

Anthony - Lionel went to HO trains at least twice that I can remember. Their first foray was in the late fifties with a steam engine that was once a Hobbyline product and some nice cars. They also had a GP-7 or 9 in the line.

They came back again in the seventies with, among other things,  a gold GP-30.

They also had an OO gauge line before WWII.

[Guilford Guy]

Children Children. Go take a nice long break from the forum and come back when you feel you can participate without having your little "e-fights." People like this steer people away from the forum and the hobby.

[SmokeyNSteamer]

Things we might find important like classification lights, feedwater heaters, headlight position, etc are not important to your average nine year old.

True enough.  WB had no idea the movie would appeal to us adult railfans.  They left the detail out not thinking there would be "rivet counters" who would be well aware of the missing details.

Wow, I have to ask, do you have Sound files for the various electric locomotives out there, like the E44, E60MA, AEM7s, And Acela locomotives?  I try to get sound for my layout, but being a Northeast Corridor layout (which runs primarily electrics) its tough to find anything beyond a GG1 sound file.

Although my Microsoft Train Simulator (or "MSTS" as it is more commonly abbreviated) consists of steam and classic diesels/electrics, I can search the Train-Sim.com file library to see what I can find.

One other note: When using MSTS sounds for QSI sound cards, QSI prefers the sound to be at a sampling rate of 44100 Hz (CD Quality), while in MSTS's maximum sampling rate is 11025 Hz.  This compression causes an irreversible loss of high-frequency tones . 

I use Magix Music Editor 2 ro edit my MSTS sounds, and they have a utility called a "Brilliance Enhancer" which computationally adds high tones that were originally lost during compression, so we can create a 44100 Hz version of the sound so clear it's like it was recorded from the original source (which QSI normally expects) .  More info? See here: http://www.qsisolutions.com/products/techinfo/record-sounds.html.

Did you know?: The Acela Locomotives (Acela Express and HHP-8) were two of the four "default" electrics that originally shipped with MSTS.  The HHP-8 was the only default electric not permanently coupled to its trainset.

Also: On our PE project for MSTS, I got the opportunity to repaint an EMD F7A (with a B unit and a second A unit on the way) into a "What-if" PE scheme and figured out the proper colour pallete.  Although I am working strictly with RGB values (which are included), I have translated them into modellers' paint formulas  Anyone who wants to experiment can tell me the correct, more accurate formulas.  Note, the colours reflect their values during daylight:

Polar Express Blue:
R: 6 G: 73 B: 109
Conrail Blue + a touch of Pullman/Coach Green.

Polar Express Maroon:
R: 79 G: 9 B: 4
PRR Tuscan Red

Polar Express Gold (faux):
R: 255 G: 255 B: 0
or R: 100 G: 115 B: 24
Any Gold-Coloured Paint you can find!

Hope my advice helps those kitbashers/scratchbuilders out there!