# Aster S2 - coaches?



## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

I was looking at the USA Trains corrugated aluminum 1/29th scale passenger cars and they appear really nice.  I understand that the heavyweights would be more "period appropriate" to hitch to the S2, but would it be unheard of for the prototype to pull an aluminum consist?


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## chooch (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron,
  I know I'm going to get blasted here because you're opening up a can of worms.  Whenever you 'mix' scales (1/32  vs. 1/29) there are always comments on how wrong that is.  My feeling is whatever looks good to you, run it.  It's your railroad, your train and your money.  Spend it as you like, and run your trains as you like.  I run Aristo Heavyweights (1/29th) behind my Aster Mikado at times.  Shame on me, a freight locomotive pulling passenger coaches!  And the wrong scale to boot! /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif  I like it , it looks good, and it's my money.  I say go for it if that's what you want to do.

 My two cents worth, now for the other point of view./DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/whistling.gif


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## dcplasterer (Jan 4, 2008)

Ron, 

I've been running a set of six USA coaches behind my Accucraft Daylight for two years now. You can just tell they are a bit off scale but the overall train set looks fantastic. I don't think you can beat the quality/price of the USA coache compared to the alternativess. All six have been very durable and very smooth running 

Don


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Don,

How about a picture of your train?

Here is a picture of Fred's Mikado pulling his heavyweights.  If you leave your micrometer at home, it is a great looking train.


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## WeltyksWhistles (Jan 3, 2008)

Ron,On Aster web site it said 14 were delivered in 1930, So if You were running a 1930 train Heavyweights would be right.But it also said that they were ran into the Late 50's.So if You were running a Passenger train in the 50's the Budd Cars would be right.What ever You choose,I agree with Fred,Don and Tom HAVE FUN It a Hobby But remember this The USA CARS ARE HEAVY.don't think it is going to pull 12 or 14 of them.And check on the web for best price.


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Keep in mind that the streamlined consists on the Great Northern were smooth-sided and painted in the orange and green Empire Builder scheme. There may have been exceptions to the rule in terms of individual cars, but you would not have seen an S2 pulling an entire train of bare corrugated stainless steel cars. On the other hand, you could always use the excuse that it's suviving S2 no. 2584, hypothetically restored for excursion service (she was rumored to have been one of the engines considered by North Star Rail before they selected Milwaukee Road 261 for restoration instead, so it's not _too_ far-fetched), in which case you could run pretty much whatever you want with it and still have it be prototypically plausible.


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## dcplasterer (Jan 4, 2008)

Tom, 

You will have to wait until the snow melts. I don't have any on my PC to upload. Check back in June when Spring arrives in Cleveland!! 

Don


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## Ron67 (Jan 14, 2008)

Thanks for all the input!   I'm just blessed that I have this decision to make in the first place, since my black S2 is on order.   I really like the USA smoothe-side coaches and will probably order a few.


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

I do think we should discuss potential sources and encouragement for 1:32 heavyweights for the S2. 
The Kerns cars seem a bit expensive to me. 
Something less than $500 per car and in the right consist, Pullman sleepers 8-1-2. etc. See the Great Northern historical site. 

In the mean time I will be using Aristo heayweights. Add body mounted couplers and diaphragms so the cars touch. 
A spray paint job with Pullman green sides and steam power black for the roof gives a nice non plastic looking flat finish. 
Some people lower the cars a bit. I have heard of others sawing them in half to make them thin, but that seems a bit much 

1:29 looks OK behind a Hudson but not behind the Mikado. Go figure. The S2 is a bit over 6 inches tall and the Aristos are under 6 inches. 
So maybe we are OK 

While I believe in the 10 foot rule, am not a purest, and in favor of free form, the Seattle GN guy in me just has to come out. Do what you like to add some weight to pull, but the S2 Empire Builder was green heavyweights. In later years the black version pulled freight (not very well with those big drivers. ) Stream liners were diesel pulling orange and green cars (see David Leech web site). 
Cheers 

jim o


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## Dave -- Use Coal (Feb 19, 2008)

I too pull 1:29 scale coaches with my Coal Fired Aster Mikado.  They are green Southern coaches and go okay with my green Southern Aster Mikado.  Me--I prefer to spend my money on locomotives than on cars.  I do have a lot of cars but none cost as much as $100.00.

Please note that Mikado 4501 was in passanger service in green Southern livery.  The Pentrex video Chattanooga Steam Reunion shows the Mike pulling passanger coaches.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Not to hijack the thread but to clarify:
4501  has been called "The Green Mikado" because, for some of its excursion career, it received the green paint with gold trim that was historically used only on Southern Railway's passenger locomotives (4501 was built primarily to haul freight).
In the original colors:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=123209&nseq=36

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=123425&nseq=35


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## PeteH (Jan 3, 2008)

The S2 pulled heavyweight coaches - exclusively - and the last few years of it's life freight. 

When the lighweight coaches arrived on the GN they came with diesels attached to the head end! While the multi-colored lightweights looked pretty I don't believe you will find any information stating they were pulled by an S2 - except for maybe the rare occurance of being forced into service due to a dismal diesel. 

Having said that, you of course, may (and should!) do whatever you please. 

There is one other up-and-coming coach builder that hasn't been mentioned here yet. At Pete Comleys (Sunset Valley Railroad) table at DH there was an unfinished prototype for a heavyweight coach on display. The detail was lovely. There are also plans for a GN caboose from them. Bend there ear for more info: www.svrronline.com


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

As per reference:

http://www.gnflyer.com/1924original.html
In March and April 1930, 14 S-2 Northerns were acquired. These fine locomotives were intended for the Oriental Limited, Empire Builder and the Fast Mail.


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

Charles, 
Nice site. It would be nice to have a similar site for the Empire Builder. Peter c and I have been looking at consists for the Builder and this site may talk about 
Empire Builder Emigrant coaches which were carry overs from the Oriental Limited. 

Or we can ask Aster to build a the GN P-2 Mountain and run the Orientlal Limited!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Jim Overland on 02/19/2008 10:10 AM
In the mean time I will be using Aristo heayweights. Add body mounted couplers and diaphragms so the cars touch. 
A spray paint job with Pullman green sides and steam power black for the roof gives a nice non plastic looking flat finish. 
Some people lower the cars a bit. I have heard of others sawing them in half to make them thin, but that seems a bit much


Jim,

Did you solve the problem of spray painting over the non-removable windows?  I recall there was a big flap about the un-decorated ones which came from China with glued-in windows, making a repaint rather tricky.

Has anyone else solved the problem, or is it no longer a problem?


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete
Easy just use art masking fluid paint over the windows. Then remove once repainting is done.


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

Pete, 
Ditto, 
Put bits of tape over the windows while watching television. For the spray painting it is best to do several cars at once so the paint can dry between coats. With my sprayer about 10 coats does it with about a half a bottle of paint per car 
jim


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## Pete Comley (Feb 28, 2008)

I'd like to add that yes, we are coming out with the correct 1930's era heavyweight  Empire Builder cars for the S2, starting with the 8-1-2 and 12-1 sleeper cars and then the observation and baggage cars. Others can be added later if there is a demand for them. They will be in Pullman green, per the prototypes. The emphasis will be on good exterior detail ( but no fragile bits that get easily knocked off), low running friction and tough construction to take the outdoor environment. They will be 1:32. We plan to have at least the first available and on show at the Sacramento steamup in July. We will also have the GN caboose, early style with wooden plank siding. Again, these will be available in July, and the construction will be similar to the Nickel Plate caboose we offered for the Berkshire.


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Pete 

Are you actually going to get down to Jim O's requested unit price ( Something less than $500 per car and in the right consist, Pullman sleepers 8-1-2. etc. )? 

Are you quiting your day job, or making J.O. come down and do "slave labor"? 

Jim


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## tony23 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Pete Comley on 02/27/2008 9:18 PM
I'd like to add that yes, we are coming out with the correct 1930's era heavyweight  Empire Builder cars for the S2, starting with the 8-1-2 and 12-1 sleeper cars and then the observation and baggage cars. Others can be added later if there is a demand for them. They will be in Pullman green, per the prototypes. The emphasis will be on good exterior detail ( but no fragile bits that get easily knocked off), low running friction and tough construction to take the outdoor environment. They will be 1:32. We plan to have at least the first available and on show at the Sacramento steamup in July. We will also have the GN caboose, early style with wooden plank siding. Again, these will be available in July, and the construction will be similar to the Nickel Plate caboose we offered for the Berkshire.

Yes,  that's the answer I have been waiting  for 

Tony


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## Pete Comley (Feb 28, 2008)

We don't know the price yet as the amount of labor has not been calculated. I'm very aware of the price escalation of cars over the last few years and so am aiming for Jim's price range. Whether we can achieve that  I don't know. A decent train will have 6-10 cars, so the price of a consist can be daunting. Pete.


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## Jim Overland (Jan 3, 2008)

And six is too few for prototype and potential aster pulling power! 

But prorated over 20 years of running , the 1:32 vs 1:29 difference is worth it.


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## PeteH (Jan 3, 2008)

WooHoo 

Please feel free to post some pictures!

I believe the shortest "prototypical" train would have been the 'Fast Mail' train #27 and #28.

BTW, for those who are interested - Great Norther Pictorial - volume 4, by John F. Strauss, Jr. from Four Ways West Publications, ISBN 1-885614-01-2 is an excellent resource for GN passenger trains.  168 pages with B/W pictures of steam and color of Diesel.  Although only the first 60 some pages are about the steam powered trains it is still a worthy collection of information.


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## privero (Jan 18, 2008)

If I am not mistaken I think I saw today that ASTER Japan might produce or sell S2 coaches for the new S2. Take a look at their homepage.


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By privero on 03/07/2008 8:22 PM
If I am not mistaken I think I saw today that ASTER Japan might produce or sell S2 coaches for the new S2. Take a look at their homepage.



Privero,

Doing a rough (and I do mean rough) translation of the file, it appears that Aster is just reccomending the Kern Valley coaches, or something like that...like I said, it was a rough translation.  Still, It would be interesting if Aster were to go into the coach business, although it is likley to be very expensive.


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Dear Mr Bednarik - as you know Aster have made passenger cars; JR cars to haul behind their home-line models like the C62, as well as a series of suitable freight cars, including a very fine hopper.

Sadly, I am unable to locate the reference you make to the Kern cars - please send me a link to the requisite page.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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## rbednarik (Jan 2, 2008)

Tac, 

I am plaenty aware of the very nice and excellent craftsmanship in the aster rolling stock. I guess I should have said the North American rolling stock business. Even their Southern Railway coaches from ~1975 had a elegant look about them. 

Did you want the home page for the Kern Valley product? Here's the *Link*

The aster information can be found on the Japanese site, under the main news header.  Here is the link to the PDF file: *Press Release*


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Dear Mr Bednarik - thank you very much for your fast response, and yes, they are recommending that intending buyers look at the products of Kern Valley.

tac
www.ovgrs.org


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