Business Train

[nkp_174]

{ puts dunce cap on and sits in the corner...}



Uh...what's a business train? :oops:

BTW - Things are looking good. Can't wait to see the finally coat of paint.

Railroads have traditionally operated 2 basic types of trains...revenue and non-revenue
Revenue trains are, of course, passenger, freight, mail, etc
Non-revenue are those which related to the operations of the railroad.

The best known non-revenue trains are the work trains, but they were not the only ones. The next best well known where the various business trains...the pay master's train, the local superintendent's train (usually just a private car attached to the end of a normal freight or passenger train), and the Presidents car. Inspectors cars may be considered either business or MOW...to the railroads, it would all be regarded as non-revenue. A third type of non-revenue trains were the supply train and such. The supply train was typically a once-per-month or so train which carried everything needed along the line...toilet paper, pencils, stationary for the stations, etc (perhaps you might call it the janitor's express .

Most railroads moved away from having business cars early in the diesel era...with the private cars being replaced with company automobiles and hotel rooms...except for the top officials.

For instance, the NKP had 8 such cars in the later years (#1-8). Car #5 was built by the New York Central in 1883 for an executive named Chance lepew (sic). It came to the NKP via the LE&W. By her retirement around 1960, she was a local division superintendent's car (and lacked AC). I have posted pictures of NKP Car #5 here: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=338">viewtopic.php?f=35&t=338</a><!-- l -->

The Colorado & Southern ng had 3...B-1, B-2, & B-3. The B-2, aka 911 was originally the paycar and currently sits in Silver Plume, CO. It was the car I was building here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.zealot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153242">http://www.zealot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153242</a><!-- m -->

In their day, private cars were the equivalent of today's private jets. The East Broad Top's car, Orbisonia (#20), was purchased primarily to pet the ego of their President. He was a fine President...a major reason for the road's modernity...but he loved to have a train crew with Locomotive #1 haul his business car weekly for his lunch meetings with friends. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.spikesys.com/Bin/EBT/ebt_03.jpg">http://www.spikesys.com/Bin/EBT/ebt_03.jpg</a><!-- m -->

There are a few which you can ride today...I've ridden the Orbisonia; you can ride the Edna (RGS) at Knott's Berry Farm; the Durango & Silverton uses three cars: William Jackson Palmer, Nomad, and Cinco Animas.

A few of the most famous private cars are/were:
-Lincoln's car...only used once, in his funeral train
-The Ferdinand Magellan - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan_Railcar">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan_Railcar</a><!-- m -->

I saw Conrail's business cars in Altoona a number of years back. IIRC, they were divied up between NS & CSX. My dad saw one of the NS or CSX business cars in DC a few weeks back. Some private cars (many of which are ex-business cars) are rolling palaces.

Michael

[eightyeightfan1]

I'm assuming (dangerous practice, I know) that he just removed the stock Athearn horns and filled the holes in order to install some better detailed ones after the paint is done.

Yep...I have some DW(Details West) horns that I'll be putting on.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

[MasonJar]

{ puts dunce cap on and sits in the corner...}

Uh...what's a business train? :oops:

For one a little closer to home, see <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bytownrailwaysociety.ca/car27.htm">http://www.bytownrailwaysociety.ca/car27.htm</a><!-- m --> . This one is housed at the Museum of Science and Tech in Ottawa, and you can ride it in the summer on Sundays and Wednesdays with your paid admission to the museum. It's maintained and operated by the Bytown Railway Society.

Andrew

[tetters]

Hey thanks Mike! That was very helpful and informative...

...can I take off the hat and come out of the corner now? :?




Oooo...cool. Thanks Andrew!

[nkp_174]

That one in Ottawa looks a lot like the South Park's B-3...which started life as an 1878-79 boxcar...
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstock/CandS/dsp-passenger/second025a.htm">http://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstoc ... nd025a.htm</a><!-- m -->

Here's a site with a bunch of photos of business cars...
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsRRList.aspx?id=24">http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsRRList.aspx?id=24</a><!-- m -->

While most modelers have out of proportion sized fleets of MOW...I'll have WAY too many business cars...some day (actually, I already do!)

Michael

[shaygetz]

Nice work, some few people ever model...

One of the nicest gifts I ever got was an HO scale private business car bearing my name and painted for a friend's road.

[Russ Bellinis]

I'm not sure about the Eastern Roads or Canadian Railroads, but BNSF & U.P still have business trains. Any time the Super Bowl is played in San Diego, both business trains come into town for the Super Bowl. They may also do the same thing for every Super Bowl where ever it is played, but I'm only familiar with So Cal. I think the 2 railroads throw a Super Bowl party and transport their best customers by invitation only to the Super Bowl. The two companies may even spring for tickets for their customers. The U.P. business train also is used for excursions behind the Challenger or the Northern when they do a steam excursion. Sometimes when 3751 goes out on an excursion, it pulls the BNSF business train, often it is a train made up of "private varnish." I think both railroads also run annual or bi-annual "employee specials" where the business train runs over the mainline and stops at all division points, giving rides and showing appreciation to the employees for the work done in the previous year.

[eightyeightfan1]

Thanks everyone for the comments and info.
I just read an article in Railpace Magazine, that the NS took a busimess train to the Kentucky Derby last year. Even built a siding near the the "Downs" to hold the train for the weekend. Also read about Kansas City Southern's business train in Railfan And Railroad magazine. That train was sweet looking, what with the paint scheme they use.

Anyway, built the shutters for the radiator section, and painted the sideframes. Loco still in paint shop. Got a little eager and started to paint the G/T car, before adding the shutters.

[viperman]

Thanks everyone for the comments and info.
I just read an article in Railpace Magazine, that the NS took a busimess train to the Kentucky Derby last year. Even built a siding near the the "Downs" to hold the train for the weekend. Also read about Kansas City Southern's business train in Railfan And Railroad magazine. That train was sweet looking, what with the paint scheme they use.

Anyway, built the shutters for the radiator section, and painted the sideframes. Loco still in paint shop. Got a little eager and started to paint the G/T car, before adding the shutters.

Happen to have any pictures of the NS business train?

[eightyeightfan1]

Loco is painted.
Had to re-do once, but I think it came out ok.
Just have to touch up, and apply stripes.

Shell on frame with side frames painted.

[jglfan]

Looking real nice 88, I like those shutters.

Gary

[eightyeightfan1]

Thanks everyone.

[ocalicreek]

Do you airbrush or paint by hand? Also, what sort of paint are you using? I like the scheme you have chosen.

Galen

[Empirebuilder]

Afraid to say the paint looks rather quite heavy, I"m assuming this paint job was accomplished using a brush rather than a airbrush,Also may I ask what brand of paint was used? Thought I saw some standard craft store paint in one or two of the photo's.
Not trying to rain on anyone's parade,the kit bash of the radiator and door opening on the business car was reasonably well done.

[eightyeightfan1]

Spraycan. Krylon Fusion.
I noticed that too. Thinking strip/recoat on this job anyway. I was going for white top, green bottom, black stripe seperated by smaller yellow strips. Something was wrong with the green paint so I painted over it with white....Not happy. I thought the smaller yellow stripes bordering the large black stripe would help, but the Micro-Scale stripes I had were bad because they just fell apart when soaked. Again...Not Happy.
Thats why this project hasn't continued.