So once I noticed the recent Micro-Trains heavyweight passenger cars I thought, "Those look pretty nice...what's a good excuse to mix some of these with all my 1980's+ era equipment?" So I came up with the Beer Line Excursion Train, or just the "Beerxcursion" for short. I figure if California can have a wine train, I can have a beer train (I did live in Milwaukee, Wis. after all). The name comes from the Milwaukee Road's famous Beer Line, a section of track that ran along Milwaukee's east side along the Milwaukee River and got it's name from the large breweries along it like Schlitz, Blatz & Pabst. Apparently this line generated more freight revenue per mile than anywhere else on the Milwaukee Road. Here's a short article on it's history: http://www.riverwestcurrents.org/2004/May/001657.html (If you notice the first sentence at the very top, I'll say I lived on Fratney St. for 7 years just a block away from the abandoned line near the brick depot that's still around.) So, onto what I'm thinking for a consist. Motive power: Steam, probably Bachmann, I'm pondering one of their 4-8-4 Northerns...I'd like something sizable. Billboard reefers: I thought it would be fun to put some beer reefers up on the head end, I've searched online for as many as I could... MT has made some Miller High Life and Schlitz reefers that I should still be able to get. Atlas has one for Blatz that's still around. MDC/Roundhouse had a 6 car set awhile ago, might be able to find a few individual cars, but those are a long shot...I'd love to find their Pabst car though. Baggage: I was thinking of getting a Wheels of Time express baggage because it has operable doors. I'd then fill the car with kegs and wooden barrels, which I think would be awesomely funny. I don't think I'd glue them right to the floor, since they're nice cars, instead I think I'd make a false floor out of thin wood or styrene. Passenger: I plan on just getting a mix of MT heavyweights...coaches or parlor cars. Probably mostly plain Pullmans, though I may just throw in a Santa Fe car or something for fun. The first car (or last, actually) for the train arrived this past week, MT Pullman heavyweight observation...a very nice car I must say. So it'll be fun to see what kind of consist I can scrounge up for this train, though it's not a project I can just buy everything overnight for, it'll take a bit of scrounging. I do wish I still lived in Milwaukee where they have a few N scale clubs...I think I train like this would be a big hit on a club layout!
Baggage: I was thinking of getting a Wheels of Time express baggage because it has operable doors. I'd then fill the car with kegs and wooden barrels, which I think would be awesomely funny. I don't think I'd glue them right to the floor, since they're nice cars, instead I think I'd make a false floor out of thin wood or styrene. On THE Wife's Original SExcursion train...I converted a baggage car with sliding doors into a bar !! :tb-wink: It's always fun to experiment :tb-cool: .
Are there "Driver 8"? (Chessie! REM is from Athens, Georgia) Or, being the type of train it is: "Driver Ate"? Back to the OP, there are a bunch more beer reefers out there. Just look for 40' reefers where model. train. stuff. is sold. Otherwise, it'd be a kick to include some of these "water" cars: They'd still be water cars, just with barley, malt & hops added