I must have been under a rock lately. I didn’t know that the Durango & Silverton has recreated the famous Silver Vista observation car.
Now we need a 1:20.3 model of it.
Gee John - Sounds like a project car for you 
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1270/873760589_a645c20835.jpg)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1157/873762337_6d3f71f26a.jpg)
There IS a 1:20 model…
(http://www.classicreflections.biz/Images/Silver%20Vista/Colorado%20Western%20-%20Durango%20Yard.jpg)
Not cheap. http://www.classicreflections.biz/DRGW%20Silver%20Vista.htm
Not cheap indeed $1200 - Ouch !!!
Just get yer self an LGB sightseeing car, and make yer own!!! Doesn’t look too difficult! $75 or less for the car I believe on Evil Bay now and then. I had a couple but sold em. Regal
Don’t count on getting one from Classic Reflections cheap - OR fast! I’ve been order number three on the books for over THREE years now, and I still have NO clue when the car is coming (and I paid a deposit). Ward Hammond, the guy building these, is - shall we say - not the best communicator, or prioritizer…
Ward builds all sorts of stuff for Barry Bogs, and as such - he’s always pushing other orders further down the build list as he doesn’t want to upset Barry, his “cash cow.” Dean Lowe ordered the first SV, and got it, finally, and then had to do several modifications to it - this was TWO years ago and not another car has been made since. Tom Miller (the 1:20.3 King of Oregon) is order number 2, and is still waiting. AFAIK there is a 4th order after me, but I don’t know who. So far, every few months I or Tom have to email Ward saying “when?” and we get some new excuse, followed by “I hope to have it ready next month.” To date excuses include: I moved, Someone died, there was a bad storm, we had bad tenants, I’m with family, I have to fix the rental, the computer crashed, floods, my insurance company is giving me trouble… etc…
While I feel for someone who clearly has the worst luck of anyone I know - this has not stopped Barry from dotting on Ward’s amazing work time and time again during this same period. So like I said, even if you order one, and find the money for it, there is no guarantee it will show up anytime soon!
(Also - if you don’t like that price, just hang on, as it changes from time to time… it started at 600, they went to something like 1000, then like 1700 or some crazy price, then back down to around 1000, and now it’s at 1200… so who knows where it will be tomorrow!)
Here are some photos of Dean’s 1:20 car: http://120pointme.blogspot.com/2008/03/silver-vista-comes-home.html (The photos above are of, surprise, the first one in 1:22 he built for Barry)
If I ever do get the car - I’ll be sure to post photos of it here!!
Jon Radder said:Methinks that one is way to detailed for my fat fingers to build. I've just moved from flat cars to gondolas. :) :)
Gee John - Sounds like a project car for you :D
“Ward builds all sorts of stuff for Barry Bogs”
The baseball player? I did not know he was in to Garden railroads.
Geoff,
Don’t think it’s the same Barry… this is the one I’m speaking of: http://www.frolin.net/cwrr/index.html
Well in that case screw him he should be getting you your stuff.
John Bouck said:jb, it's just a gon with a top. You should be able to handle that! :PJon Radder said:Methinks that one is way to detailed for my fat fingers to build. I've just moved from flat cars to gondolas. :) :)
Gee John - Sounds like a project car for you :D
Don’t look that difficult to me John. The front and rear glass lines might be a bit troublesome but overall don’t really look that bad. Try it!!! Don’t say you can’t until you made an attempt??
I have two of the LGB open cars. They look rather good, after having gone for a ride or two on the real ones at Durango.
All I did to them was to easily body mount Kadee 820 couplers, and reletter them for the IPP&W. I was fortunate to have a friend locate the cars for me, after they had gone out of production; at a reasonable price. I only see the little 4 wheeled ones in ads occasionaly.
After body mounting the Kadee 820 couplers on them, they look just that much better. Truck mounting , as I have seen some people have done, just doesn’t cut it…