1950's Olympian Hiawatha

When are we going to see an affordable model in N? Who will step up and get it done? FVM's model looks terrific, just a bit older than I would like to see. The Skytop and Dome cars would be a unique offering/opportunity for any manufacturer. And the tooling could go a long way. Milw orange livery. Later UP livery. Even later CN livery. Seems like someone could get a lot of mileage out of this tooling, and a natural/no brainer for Kato via box set. If Kato also produced a DCC Erie Built loco, they would sell tons of them in the different liveries and roads. Any buyers? Are any of you manufacturers listening???

 

I understand that some of these cars were released as brass models, but hoo boy are they expensive.

My guess is that FVM may eventually do these. I am working on my own consist, mostly using resin shells for cars like the superdome and the skytop and brass car sides for all the others. If you decide to go this route, I can give you some ideas for where to find the different kit pieces. There's no single source for all of these. A lot of my brass car sides come from the aptly named Brass Car Sides. I got a skytop and superdome shell from a modeler who used to sell them through a website. I believe he still has the capability to make them, he's just not running the website anymore. I will be getting some more shells from Bill Denton here on TB, and then most of my cars are built on American Limited passenger car core kits. I will eventually be getting some more things from manufacturer Athabasca Shops.

Hmmm, I need to get back to this project.

 

I have a lot of respect for you guys who can do this fine detail work---I just can't, and don't have the intestinal fortitude to spend the time to get good at it. I am, however, perfectly pleased to purchase a Kato CZ set to get the CZ, or the Broadway set to get that train. I am even happy to do some research and try to put together a decent replication of say, a Golden State consist from the array of available models offered by different manufacturers.

I've seen those Skytop and Dome resin shells that can go on the American core kits, and I couldn't even begin to tackle that.

It just seems like a no-brainer for someone to produce this train. Doe snayone have any idea of how Walthers did with their HO Hiawatha? They sold it in two liveries.

 

I would love to see someone produce at least some of these cars. Walthers did this for HO. They released a car a month for a long time, and eventually a collector could have them all. I like that model, but nobody really does it in N scale.

I think this is perhaps the most viable model for releasing Olympian Hiawatha cars as people are going to want different consists, or someone else might want the superdome car but in a different livery, or the skytop in CN colors. All of those things could be done if they were to release the cars individually or in small grouped sets.

One of the usual arguments against doing the Olympian Hiawatha is that the train is too unique to just one road and a manufacturer couldn't, for example, just slap different paint schemes on it in any sort of believable way. I understand that. That's why I think the individual releases model is probably the most workable.

I started building my consist in part so that eventually, as I near completion, someone will release one commercially at a reasonable price, much like how on a cold day the bus doesn't come until someone at the stop lights up a cigarette. I'm looking out for you, folks!

 

I have to say that Jim Stillman's resin shells are not hard to work with whatsoever. I've done a few and they are really very nice to work with.

 

That's the guy I was thinking of. I was thinking Jim Starman, but I was pretty sure that was wrong. I understand he is still willing to sell shells, he just doesn't maintain a website anymore.

I haven't painted nor glazed mine yet. This is because I am a coward.

 

The Olympian with a Bipolar?

Where is the pre-order button????

Andreas

 

I can't remember where, but I read a rumor on another forum that the Olympian Hiawatha with Little Joe could be Kato's next train after the City of LA. It would be logical, a colorful western train with a 2-C-C-2 electric loco, both things are right up Kato's alley. As for it being too one road specific, it's no more so than any other passenger trains Kato have done.

 

I'd buy a couple Little Joes if they'd announce them. That MTH Little Joe that came out over the summer almost pushed me into switching scales to HO.

 

I always thought they were 2-C-C-2's but I looked it up and you're right, you learn something new every day.:tb-embarrassed:
Even with two extra sets of wheels it would still be something Kato knows how to do.

 

I have yet to buy a entire Kato Passenger train but this is one I would. The other one I would buy would be a NYC 20th Century with a stremlined hudson.
Kevin

 

It appears Kato has had good success with its sets. I hear the Broadway was not as good as hoped, but over time, they will do fine, and with all the G liveries, they will tap all the buyers.

There just aren't that many more to do, so it is probably just a matter of time---time being over the next 5 years---before we see pretty much everything done. Perhaps just a matter of what the "order" of production will be.

What is left:

Hiawatha
20th Cent Ltd
North Coast Ltd
proper Empire Builder

Capitol Ltd
Panama Ltd
Golden State
Sunset Ltd

First 3 or 4 can probably be done by Kato perhaps 1 a year for the next 3-4 years. Last 4 are wildcards, but probably the best of the rest in terms of being able to sell the volumes needed to justify production. It seems like the first 4 are pretty much at the top of eveyone's list, with a nod to the Hiawatha simply because of the distinction of that Skytop tail car and full Dome. How nice would they be if Kato did those???

 

You forgot a 400.


Jason