Pennsylvania’s Broadway Limited, 1949-1967, second string (non Kato) cars

 

Fred Klein, 2010, 2016

See my page on the Broadway Limited using the Kato set of prototype cars for more information on the train, and a better N scale model of the train. It is a challenge to assemble an accurate Broadway Limited from off-the-shelf but non-Kato cars. Here is my attempt to make a decent looking but not quite prototypical train.

 

The Broadway Limited backing from PRR’s Chicago coach yard to Union Station in the summer of 1966. From page 109 of Joe Welsh’s book Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broadway Limited, Voyageur Press, 2006, Alan Bradley photo.

 

The consist of sleeping car types changed slightly over the years, and the train below is from Harrisburg PA on 5/23/1953 in Wayner’s 1923-1973 consist book and differs slightly from the Kato consist. I list the exact prototype of the 5/23/1953 consist below. I substituted E7 diesel power as found on the Chicago to Harrisburg segment, in place of the GG1 electrified power used east of Harrisburg. Allowing for a couple of prototypical and near- prototypical sleeping car substitutions, the model train is fairly accurate except for lounge and dining service cars and the 12 duplex-4 dbr sleeper, which are only available in the Kato set.

 

 

Power and head end

 

East of Harrisburg, the Broadway used the beautifully streamlined GG1 electric locomotive, but typical power on the non-electrified line west of Harrisburg to Chicago was a pair of E7 diesel locomotives built in 1945-49. Later, E8 diesels (built 1950-52) were also used. The first car is a Railway Post Office. The Broadway usually ran with a BM70m prototype with a 60’ RPO section and a 10’ baggage compartment. The closest non-Kato model I have to this prototype is a BM70k car with a 30’ RPO section and a 40’ baggage compartment. The model is a custom painted Hellgate kit. The Santa Fe sleeper is a 4 compartment-4 double bedroom-2 drawing room car in the Regal series that ran through Chicago to Los Angeles. The model is an old Des Plaines Hobbies (M&R sides) kit with brass sides decorated as Regal Manor.

 

First sleeper section

 

The 1953 Broadway prototype train then had a 10-roomette-5-double bedroom cars in the Cascade series, prototypically modeled by the Centralia-Intermountain car Cascade Brim. Following was a 21 roomette sleeper in the Inn series. The closest model I have is the 18-roomette car City of Canton (from Centralia), which appears very similar to the 21-roomette car. I do not have a non-Kato model of the 12 duplex roomette-4 double bedroom sleepers in the Creek series, but I substitute the 13 double-bedroom Philadelphia County and Lancaster County. Both the 12-4 and the 13 dbr have an aisle along one side of the car with nearly identical window patterns, so the substitution is not obvious until you look at the other side of the car. If the railroad made this 13-dbr for 12-4 substitution, riders would have been pleased with the double bedroom for duplex bedroom upgrade. The next car is a 21-roomette sleeper in the Inn series substituted by an 18-roomette City of Reading. The five models above are all from Centralia car shops.

 

Lounge, dining and sleeper section

 

I do not have a non-Kato model of the buffet-lounge Harbor series car, so I substitute a 10 roomette-6 double bedroom car in the Rapids series. 10-6s were popular cars found on many railroads. The prototypical Walthers model is decaled as Racoon Rapids. I do not have a proper diner-kitchen car set, but a Con-cor coach and Con-cor diner simulate the wide window patterns of the prototype diner. Another 4-4-2 Imperial car follows.

 

More sleepers and an observation-lounge

 

The last section starts with two 10-6 cars, prototypically modeled with the old smoothside Rivarossi cars Fishing Rapids and Catawissa Rapids. Then the prototype consist has a 4-4-2 sleeper, here Imperial Range, and another 10-6 (Kalamazoo Rapids) substituting for a 4-4-2. The last signature car was always a sleeper-lounge-observation car in the View series. It also had 2 master bedrooms and a double bedroom. The prototype model is an old Rivarossi car named Mountain View. The tail sign on the rear door initially carried a lighted keystone with four tracks (symbolizing the PRR “broad” way of 4 tracks). It was later replaced with a larger black sign (shown below, decaled on the Rivarossi car) with only the words “Broadway Limited” in white letters.

 

 

References

 

McGonigcal, Robert, The 1949 Broadway Limited, Model Railroader, October 1994.

Rosenbaum, Joel and Tom Gallo, The Broadway Limited, Railpace Company, 1988.

Welsh, Joe, Pennsy Streamliners, Kalmbach Books, 1999.

Welsh, Joe, Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broadway Limited, MBI Books, 2006.

 

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