# PRR Mountain and Tower View



## Britstrains (Feb 24, 2008)

Has anyone ever made either the Tower View or Mountain View PRR observation car in Gauge One? Would like to get one, but haven't seen any
Thanks,
Brit


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Brit 

Very bad news. I fear not readily available. 

David Leech did these cars as part of his complete range of PRR 1949 Broadway Ltd cars several years ago. 

I believe the observations made in 1:32 by Fine Art Models were round end cars for the 1938 Broad Way Limited. FAM planned to do the full train but only produce about 3 or 4 cars because they could not get the required reservations at $2400-$2600 per car for the full train of 13 cars. Mountain View and Tower View were built in 1949 for new Broadway train sets.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By Dr Rivet on 21 Aug 2012 02:50 PM 
Brit 

Very bad news. I fear not readily available. 

David Leech did these cars as part of his complete range of PRR 1949 Broadway Ltd cars several years ago. 

I believe the observations made in 1:32 by Fine Art Models were round end cars for the 1938 Broad Way Limited. FAM planned to do the full train but only produce about 3 or 4 cars because they could not get the required reservations at $2400-$2600 per car for the full train of 13 cars. Mountain View and Tower View were built in 1949 for new Broadway train sets. 
Hi Jim,
Sorry, but I did NOT do the 'flatter' ended Pennsylvania observation cars, only the rounded end ones.
I did do one of these, which were similar, but not the same.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Britstrains (Feb 24, 2008)

too bad I guess hopefully someone will make one eventually


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Brit 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings. Maybe if D L decides he is really retired and not just taking a long vacation, we can get him to pass his knowledge and methods on to someone else who can make cars again.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I think David did a big article for the G1MRA magazine a few years back on his car building.


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Jerry 
True enough, but it was a general overview of the techniques for forming and lining. It gave one great appreciation for the effort required to produce the cars. 

My comment was specifically directed at "being able to carry on the business" which really means getting into the "nits and grits".


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Brit 

If you are looking for 1:29 cars for your AML 1:29 K4, then this might be the ticket ==> http://www.usatrains.com/r31020.html 
Lettered as VIEW series, but cannot decipher the name they used. 

On the live steam forum [good or bad] using the term Gauge One is USUALLY interpreted as meaning 1:32. In fact it should be referred to as Scale I [or Scale 1 outside the European continent].


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Jim:

The lettering on the side of my PRR USAt observation (R31020) is SKYLINE VIEW.


Chuck


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

The USA Trains version is the earlier 1938 car with a rounded, or 'pointy' end. 
The Mountain and Tower View cars that Brittany is asking about is the 1949 cars built fir the Broadway Limited. 
Here is a link to a photos of those car. 
http://passcarphotos.info/Indices/PRR3.htm
Select 8419 Mountain View, or 8420 Tower View. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

David 

It is possible that she is not nearly as picky as you and I. These are the two cars that are still running [I think both are], so those are the names most widely known. Remember, she sold an Aster K4 to get an AML K4, so she undoubtedly has her reasons. These were not shared in the original post. I did see that some Amazon seller of "high end toys" has both FAM brass observations [PRR and NYC] listed at $3500 each.


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## Britstrains (Feb 24, 2008)

I am usually not extremely picky, however when it comes to the PRR I am. I am only interested in the flat face observation ie. mountain and tower view , I would even do paint and lettering myself if I had the bare car. I just don't have the skills or equipment to build the car.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi Brittany: Being into modeling the Pennsy myself, as you probably know by now, may I suggest this thought: We all know that the Pennsy dieselised its East West passenger service starting in 1947 to such a tune that by 1951-52 most of the T1 had been laid to pasture (Alas). So if you think about it, there is very little chance Mountain view or Tower view saw any through steam service at all (by that, I mean that there could have been snapper (helper in PRR parlance) service with steam but rarely road locomotives except as substitute for failing diesel road locos in 1949. That is why I descided for my 1935- 1958 era PRR modeling to order from David the fleet of modernism observation with the eliptical end which corresponds to my era in steam better. Just check out the videos that the T1 Steam locomotive trust has put on the web and you will see that it was mainly the eliptical observation that were used in the PRR east west trains during the late steam era. Now I too would like a Tower View too as I remember them well when I was a student at NYU in the early '70 seeing them round out their usefull life on corridor trains, as I run a GG1 also, after the advent of Amtrak, but not for my East West steam consist. If you are patient, I intend to make cars on commission when I retire in a couple of years, as I intend to build one for me I can make another... I shall also certainly turn out a few P70 in various state of betterment or original so keep posted, one and a half year to go now. Meanwhile ask David if he still can make one Juniata Narrows for your East West fleet.


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