Eastern Car Works Passenger Cars

[nkp_174]

Has anyone built any ECW passenger cars...in particular, the lightweight passenger cars? Do you have photos you can share?

I'm thinking about some passenger car projects in HO...and was wondering whether to go from scratch or from their kits. Their PS lightweights are based on the 1938 20th Century Limited...which is one of the trains I'd like to build...but I've heard reports that their quality is poor. Being that I don't care for the post-war train (the interior or exterior), I have no interest in the post-war equipment that Walthers will be releasing soon. I want to build one of the Inns, an Island, and a few of the others. Of course, a Dreyfuss J3-a will be pulling the consist. Champs has 1938 lettering on their product list (the scheme was changed in 1939...with the blue strips replaced by aluminum and the center strips thinned).

A major desire on my part is to build the interiors to accurately depict the as-built decor.

There are a few additional cars in my building plan that I will have to build from scratch, a 2600 series coach (NYC/Pullman, 1941), a few sleepers not commercially offered, a Falls series Sleeper-Lounge (Pullman, 1939), and the NKP 80 series modernized coaches. What will be first is dependent upon the quality of the ECW kits. I plan on trying out some new resin on these cars.

[Russ Bellinis]

I have a couple that I haven't built, yet. They are packed away during our house remodel. If I remember correctly, they have almost no detail, but they also have no cast on grab irons to carve off. I think the bodies are a good "jumping off" point for a model that you would plan to detail. The trucks detail are on par with Athearn blue box or MDC rather than the new stuff from Walthers or Kato.

[nkp_174]

Hmm, interesting. So they are sort of like the old Spartan Series locomotives. I might have to buy one to examine it/put it to the calipers.

Thanks Russ.