I have been hoping Atlas would build a trolley with arch-top windows and such, well, not yet.
As an alternative I also have been looking at LaBelle kits. I was told that SOME of their kits have been updated to Laser-cut. Does anyone here have current experience with these kits?

Jim--Yes LaBelle does make trolley cars, but they are real craftsman kits. Before you get too wrapped up in building interurban cars check into prices and availability of trucks and motors. Thase blame things cost more than the car itself. Furthermore if you can build a LaBelle kit you can scratchbuild one just as easily and save some bucks. I know you can do it. Bob Ottosen Odd-d

To echo Odd-d -- he's absolutely correct. Craftsman kits = a box full of sticks with instructions that can challenge one's sanity at times since they cover more than one car frequently.

Those kits are just the boddy only as well - all exterior (and interior!) details are not included. They are almost all available thogh from Q-Car. Finishing set of detail parts will probably cost you as much as the kit itself.

The under the floor drive system - one power truck and a trailer truck will run you close to $125. These are the best drives around and can be ordered for overhead opartions or not in a variety of configuration and sideframes; they are hand built and there's usually a 4-6 week delivery period. So, you're going to invest ~ $225 in building one through to the final product.

The one thing you can save $ on is building the body and as suggested, that certainly can be scratchbuilt. OTOH, these kits generally sell for under retail on eBay and at swap meets....

Still, they are fun to build -- I still have several of the older ones to build, but have no experience with the newer variants that I have also heard are not available laser cut.

Check their web site or give them a call!

That is mainly what I had figured. I did talk to LaBelle about the laser-cut, but I must have caught him in a hurry. He was very vauge and said uh yea some of them.
Actually, maybe I should lean on ATLAS some more?!
Hey Odd-d, thoughly enjoyed your last trip, I will probably have my 2Rail line finished when you come up next.

quote:

Originally posted by R.R.:

Actually, maybe I should lean on ATLAS some more?!

I just HAVE to stir this pot...

What YOU can build will far excess ANYTHING that drops from a box.
I don't care what manufacturer, what prototype, what material, what you built will blow away anything mass produced.

Don't let a box of sticks, a drive from Q-Car and some time scare you. I used to, then decided that, if I stuck to what the big manufacturers kept offering, I would have a rolling stock fleet that pretty much looked like everyone else's!

Learn a few new skills, make a mess of the workbench, and best of all, have something YOU built, not some factory in Gawd Knows Where, that is not exactally what it should be.

Okay, rant off!

I agree with what you are saying, Bob. I am in the middle of building an old SUNCOAST model right now. The FM Coaling Station. I am getting annoyed with little sticks!
Then I have a brass engine kit to work on, and then there's my layout.
Right now, I am just gathering info.
We will see what is going on when these projects are done.
BTW....I really do know how to make a mess!

I guess Bob took my post slightly off from what I inteded to be a statement of neutral fact - in no way was I implying that you should not dive in up to your eyebrows - by all means, come on in, the trolley building is fine!!

Just to post a few examples; 1st 2 are scratchbuilt & the 3rd is a La Belle kit:







BTW, I would not count on Atlas or really too much from anyone else to get into the O scale traction/trolley market - if 2 rail O scale is a minority marketplace, O scale traction is truly a smaller market yet.

quote:

Originally posted by R.R.:
I have been hoping Atlas would build a trolley with arch-top windows and such, well, not yet.
As an alternative I also have been looking at LaBelle kits. I was told that SOME of their kits have been updated to Laser-cut. Does anyone here have current experience with these kits?

You want one like this. I didn't insert the actual picture due to the forum rules against stealing bandwidth:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8190/2084/320/Liberty%20Bell%20802.0.jpg


Lehigh Valley Transit's Liberty Bell Route car # 802, Jewett. Usual paint color is mountain ash scarlet (dark red) though.

I think maybe what you might want in a car body, if what Rob posted is indeed what you are looking for, is available as a kit from KND Enterprises, Inc!

Been meaning to pick one of these up myself and just keep forgetting to do it!

LVT Interurban Car #812 Modified 1936/42. Laser cut wood body & floor (No castings).
End No. 1 Oval windows & Train door. End No. 2 modified 700 end with Train door.

http://www.pknd.com/car812_o-scale.html

What about the offerings from Bowser as an alternative? They make a few cast O trolleys that are pretty decent. Not craftsman kits by a long shot, but not bad either with some care.

Bowser O Trolleys

Also, Jason's Brass Poles in Ohio, has a nice selection of O trolley products including the overhead stantions. He also sells beautiful O wood kits for about $45.00. Power, wheels, couplers extra of course. Also, he has brass traction parts available in 0 as well. I don't have a number but you can send a SSAE envelope with two first class stamps to:

Jason's Brass Poles
1337 Laura Drive
Lorian, Ohio 44053

I found his number online somewhere when looking for heavy electric parts.

Jason's Brass Poles

http://users.adelphia.net/~bweisman/

Was not aware that he sold any wood kits - none listed on his web pages that I could locate.......

Another source is East Gary Car Company. Andy Sunderland has several styrene carbody kits from Vane Jones' old ICC line, as well as lots of gubitzes, drives, and the like. I've never known him to be without a used built-up car or two for sale, either.

Andy is a bit of a technophobe (even worse than me) so your best bet is to drop him a letter at

3828 St. Joseph Court
Lake Station IN 46405

Chuck in a decent sized SASE and he'll send you a current list. Tell him I sent you; he'll treat you well.

He's a good egg.

Brian

R.R. Jim-----When I come the next time I hope you will have provided trolley service to those poor isolated little folks in that town in the middle of your RR room. I have a couple of Western Hobbycraft trolleys in two rail. They run as smoothly as wet glass and they really look good AND they are diecast metal. I run them on 10" radius curves with no trouble. They are available in three rail but I have a separate line built into paved streets. I used old Gargraves with the third rail removed for my street trackage. If you remove enough crossties you can bend it down to about 10" radius but no further because the surface of the rails gets kinky. I did use Pecos River Brass two rail flex track but it still required the removal of crossties in order to bend it to 10" radius. Good luck and I hope to pass through there again some time. Bob Odd-d

Jonathan brought up a great point with the Bowser trolleys.
(I had forgotten about them! Duh!)

Another item, one that even I, a confirmed non-traction type had considered, that is the Corgi PCC style trolley, with a Bowser drive. (Johnstown Traction had 'em, I remember seeing a few of the last ones sitting dead near Hooversville as a kid).

As for the kits/scratchbuilding, one should advance in skills and trying a few of these items, be it rolling stock, locomotives, Structures, or even traction can expand one's hobby enjoyment far more than you usually expect.

I just finished a Suncoast small town station. Styrene siding, applied board by board with Tenax. This was the first time I had built such a kit, and after the initial shock of the box-O-sticks, it was FUN!

Try one!

quote:

Originally posted by mwb:
Jason's Brass Poles

http://users.adelphia.net/~bweisman/

Was not aware that he sold any wood kits - none listed on his web pages that I could locate.......

I was surprised to see the kits as it is only in his mailing that he sends out. The website does not have most of what is sold through this company. It takes me back to the good old days of 57th generation photocopies of catalogs. Good stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by tsgtbob:
Jonathan brought up a great point with the Bowser trolleys.

The only reason I thought of them is because I own many a steam locomotive kit in HO and love the experience of building them and then fussing a bit to get them to run. I built my K4 with the super detail kit at age 16 and had a love for kits ever since. Unfortunately, I know have several un-built kits as my life and job take more time and I get less for the trains....

Jonathan, I have ALWAYS lusted after the Bowser T-1, even though I am not a PRR modeler.
I did a couple of the Mantua 2-8-2s last winter, just for grins and giggles, and loved building a steam loco kit.

Yinz realize that I now want to build a trolley...
(Yes, Martin, you heard that right...)

MWB....Yep, that is the style I want.
Hey, ANY of you get through southern Indiana, I would love to have you over. Basically I have a 60x20ft 3Rail layout. With a 40ft point-to-point 2Rail system. Made from Old Pullman and Micro Engineering mostly handlaid.

quote:

Yinz realize that I now want to build a trolley...
(Yes, Martin, you heard that right...)

Well, Bob, you do have 2 ends, 2 sides and a roof section as I do recall.....and I'm talking about train parts here,

Jim,

if you buy one of the KND kits please do let me know what you think of it!

quote:

Originally posted by mwb:

Well, Bob, you do have 2 ends, 2 sides and a roof section as I do recall.....and I'm talking about train parts here,

Yes, I know!
It's no PCC, BUT I may build that as an interurban car, or even as a gas car 'ala the Durban Mixed that met up with the Western Maryland from the C&O.

quote:

Originally posted by tsgtbob:
Jonathan, I have ALWAYS lusted after the Bowser T-1, even though I am not a PRR modeler.
I did a couple of the Mantua 2-8-2s last winter, just for grins and giggles, and loved building a steam loco kit.

Yinz realize that I now want to build a trolley...
(Yes, Martin, you heard that right...)

My T1 was not a complete build, but more like a rebuild as a $40.00 purchase at a swap meet. PRR goes cheap in the land of SP and SF! I've got a Penn Line E6 still unbuilt in the box, but I think that one may stay that way as I have few built ones anyway. I also have a few Mantua 2-8-2's with the Cary light Mikado casting to put on them which is a project I need to get to someday!

In traction I have the Bowser HO Jewitt Interurban. Another fun kit.

Back to the subject at hand, mixing traction and heavy rail during the depression years can be quite fun as the railroads and traction companies often competed with less than desirable tactics. A traction company built across the NY&LB at Red Bank, NJ and then the railroad tore it out the next day. Many a traction line crossed over this railroad since the railroad would not give permission to cross at grade. Where route 35 crosses the NY&LB, a trolley line once crossed.



I am planning on integrating a 2 rail trolley into my layout once I get the main track plan down. Traction has always fascinated me, although heavy electrics are still my first love.