Modeling The PC (HO scale):
There are many PC HO scale models made by past and present manufacturers. Past being Tyco, older Life-Like, older Bachmann, etc. that are no longer made, but can still be found at garage sales, flea markets, etc., and present being Atlas, Athearn, Walthers, Intermountain, Broadway Limited, etc.). And then there are different types of train modelers- those who just have what they want, regardless if it's not the correct model compared to real-life, and those who model their layouts and equipment to the real-life prototype. Modeling types doesn't matter here- it's how you want to run your railroad. But for those PC & pred. modelers who want or need to know what's out there that is prototypical (or close to it), the following list shows that information. Most of the model manufacturers listen to the customer's requests, and pay close attention to the information made available to them, and they usually do their best at putting out great models. But also a lot of the companies should do their homework more (such as pay closer attention to photo details, check roster information, etc.), before putting some of these models out, because of the countless errors. If we as customers are expected to buy their models at such high prices in the first place, they must make sure these higher-priced models are correct in details. Of course there is the option of painting our own equipment, but paying high-dollar (in a lot of cases, overly-inflated for the hobby in general) for their errors is unacceptable, as with any hobby, product/service. For those who need to know, the list below will help you in your search for what's correct. The information that was gathered to determine which models are correct or wrong, is from extensive research using photos, books, drawings, measurements, rosters, calculations, and other resources for the best accuracy as possible.
Remember, there is always a chance that PC did have an exception to the rule on any of these models listed, but that is mostly found out from photos as proof. Use your own discretion. If a factory-painted model is found to be wrong, it is possible to just renumber the car into the proper car series, instead of repainting the whole model. Some models have the wrong style all together, so renumbering or repainting won't correct the problem, so read carefully for those notes. (Some information will be added later for certain models- spaces in some lines are left open- but we wanted to at least get most of the information out there, as a start.)
As of 2020, we now have more model train manufacturers that make protoypical models than ever before, especially in HO scale. With that said, our list below contains many model examples that we've studied, however a simplified way of looking for what's right and wrong out there in the model train world, is to mainly just look for anything made by:
-Top of the simple list are -Rapido (wow are they expensive tho), -Tangent, -Kadee, -Scale Trains, -ExactRail (watch out for a few that are wrong), then -*some* Atlas (they are now making some models that are wrong, so best to do your homework), -*some* Bowser/Stewart (same thing as Atlas, and if you are looking for detailed and correct parts, some models they have updated, some only half-or not updated from previously available models), -*some* Intermountain, -*some* Broadway Limited, -SOME Athearn RTR & Genesis (yep, they have made wrong models in their top of the line series!), and a few others we have not listed. Why not Walthers/Proto- they are starting to make a lot of wrong models out there while raising prices (wrong/missing details, car sizes, loco paint, etc.).
Some manufacturers are starting to see the more prototypical companies come out with expensive models. However, they don't see that the market is willing to pay for some of that due to their models being PROTOTYPICAL and FULLY DETAILED (not omitted parts on locos and cars!). So frankly, the other non/half-prototypical companies shouldn't think raising their prices as much as the prototypical manufacturers is even legit! At the same time, the prototypical companies that we commend, for taking the time to make things correct, and with lots of detailed parts, should back down a bit on their prices, or no one will be able to afford the hobby anymore. (No we are not affiliated with, nor sponsor these manufacturers, we are just picky prototypical modelers).
Please see the list below for different models with details:
PC MODELS BY TANGENT: EVERYTHING
PC MODELS BY RAPIDO: EVERYTHING (at least most modern in 2000s, if not all)
PC MODELS BY SCALE TRAINS: EVERYTHING (in Rivet Counter)
PC MODELS BY MOLOCO: EVERYTHING
PC MODELS BY KADEE: EVERYTHING (at least in 1990s-200s-now)
PC MODELS BY ATLAS:
-CORRECT:
-ACF 3-bay Covered Hopper (Marked as "Pre 1971" on the box). This works very close for PC(ex PRR) Class ________
-60' PS auto parts double door box car (main difference with the style of these cars are the bottom side sills, compared to Walthers 60' auto parts box). This boxcar is very close to the X___ built by PS for PC in the 19___, but the double doors should be changed to different PS door styles- (1) 6ft & (1) 10ft size, per side.
*INCORRECT:
-With Kato drive, yellow box- PRR C424 phase 2, with the regular style cut-ins on both sides of the rear (long hood) nose headlight)- PC/PRR only had the 1 locomotive in phase 1, with the triangular number boards.
-Trainline PC caboose w/ cupola. They have this classed as a NE or ___, but it is a total different caboose style (fits more as C&O), the windows with the overhangs are wrong, etc.
-RTR Masters Series NH C425- the locomotive tank has the wrong air res. on the sides, also it has a dynamic brake grid on the roof which should be removed.
-Most older Roco-drive 4 & 6 axle locomotives, such as the GP38, SD35, etc., because mainly the fuel tanks are shaped wrong, & have a vertical slot down the center of the tank that needs filled.
-Kato drive yellow box RS11 is wrong for NYC- the dynamic brake roof grid should be removed (& technically, the walkway is about a foot in real-scale too short for an RSD12.
-New PRR "rail whale" 33,000 tank car is not correct because it's the wrong tank car body style, plus it only has 4-axle trucks- suppose to have 6 axles per truck, & Atlas put out this car in PRR in several road numbers, where even if this car was correct, PRR only had 2 (surprised they even have done this fantasy car, because usually Atlas is pretty good at keeping things more accurate in their higher line of cars.)
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PC MODELS BY TANGENT:
*CORRECT:
-PRR & PC 70-ton, 52' 6" welded gon is very accurate, down to every detail. A usually high-priced model, but very accurate.
-PRR 60' early flatcar- very accurate, but pricey
-New PC & PRR gons that have come out in 2016. Even though they are pricey, basically EVERYTHING Tangent puts out is correct- we are not affiliated with them, nor promoting their product, but their models are accurate, & look great like they all should in this hobby!
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PC MODELS BY INTERMOUNTAIN:
*CORRECT:
-NH 52' flat
-NH 52' short bulkhead flat
-NYC 52' flat
-NYC 52' short bulkhead flat
-PC OB 3-bay covered hopper kit and RTR versions
-PC F7's (correct, but the lettering is questionable)
INCORRECT:
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PC MODELS BY TRAIN-MINIATURE:
*INCORRECT:
-2-bay 70 ton open hopper, with 9 outside braces, painted in PC. This car is not correct at all for PC, NYC, PRR -length and height is wrong (see the same car in the Walthers section below)
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PC MODELS BY EXACT-RAIL:
*CORRECT:
-RTR PC 60' "1973-built" hi-cube double superior door box car- one of the best looking and detailed boxcar they have made yet.
-RTR PRR Magdor OB Aluminum Covered hopper
-INCORRECT:
-RTR PRR & PC 46' gon w/ corrugated sides- the class and number are wrong, and the car doesn't seem to be close to any gon that PC/PRR actually had. Has wrong number of outside braces, height, etc.
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PC MODELS BY BROADWAY LIMITED:
*CORRECT:
-RSD15 locomotive- although the loco is pretty much ok, the handrails on 1 side ( ) should be bent upwards towards cab end, not straight, there is a roof-mounted bell on the end of the hood, that should be removed, and the fuel tank isn't exactly correct ( ).
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PC MODELS BY CON-COR:
-INCORRECT:
-100 ton open coal hopper- numbers are the wrong font style, and the car is not exactly correct to what PC had. Wrong number of outside braces, etc.
-PS ___ covered hopper 46'(?), outside braced NYC 803242- wrong road number series for this car- it should be 8835--- or 885---.
-52' OB fish belly gon- braces are wrong, slants of sill are wrong- wrong for PRR, NYC, NH, PC
*CORRECT:
-Correct, but not correct- some modifications needed- RTR/kit Airslide covered hopper in gray is correct to what PC had, BUT the number is wrong- it has a PRR car number that needs to be changed to the 897,900 series. Also the car has a ladder on the right side of the car that shouldn't be there.
-60' Greenville double superior door boxcar in PRR. PRR did have this type of car, but the paint job- especially the lettering & logo looks bad. The car number may also be wrong.
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PC MODELS BY ATHEARN:
*CORRECT:
-Blue box 86' hi-cube box 4 door plug PRR 110175 is ok if a Thrall
-SD45 RTR (eye bolts, wipers, MU hoses need to be added)
-SD38 RTR (same)
-Blue box 50' single plug door PC 265534 is correct -but the door is technically a 9' wide door, and should be a 10' door w/ this road number (about 1/8" too small). This is actually more closer to the PRR X38K & L possibly, but the sill should be filled on the ends. But still the door width is about 1 foot too small per regular scale.
-F7A/B Genesis set ex-DRGW w/ PC logo and numbers applied over DRGW paint. However, the number fonts are WRONG and are in the later PC corporate font. They are suppose to be the thicker PRR-white style PC numbers.
-PC RTR green airslide covered hopper
-RTR gray ACF covered hopper with small PC logo on black box is correct for the class and length, etc.
*INCORRECT:
-Blue box 50' OB single superior plug door box w/ 8 ribs PC 266245- wrong number of end corrugations, is painted PC, most likely the ladders were cut down, etc.
-RTR 50' insulated FGE yellow PC reefer. The number is in the real PC series 362700-799). The door is suppose to be offset by about 1 roof panel wide for this particular car, but the model has the door centered.
-Blue box 40' single sliding door box NH 40032 (door size, end corrugations, etc.)
-Blue box 50' flat PRR 460945
-50' double door Early Bird NYC brown painted box car is incorrect- they had this style along with other styles made by other model companies through the years. Ends, sill, etc. are wrong.
-Blue box 40' single sliding door box, PC 77040, wrong road number for car
-Blue box 50' mill gon with center depressed, NYC 715239- wrong # for class (change to 710 or 70-- or 75-- series)
-PRR 40' FM flat is wrong because of inside length, etc. Most likely not right for MofW use either.
-RTR NYC Mechanical Reefer (yellow & blue). End corrugations and louvers are wrong.
-Blue box PC ______ sing. sliding door 50' boxcar is wrong (end corrugations, roof seams, sill, door)
-Blue box 50' single sliding door box NYC 80775- wrong number of end corrugations & roof seams, sill is incorrect
-Blue box 86' hi-cube 8 door plug box NYC 67628, number is for PS car, which Athearn blue box is a Thrall (per vertical indents where side ladders are, and slight depressed center sill)
-Blue box 86' hi-cube plug 4-door box PC 295148 number is per Greenville car
-Blue box 50' single plug door PC 265542 is the wrong car with this number
-Blue box, 50' single plug door box, w/ PC black logo, 142770, wrong # for car
-PC Crane 6-axle-"Detroit Tunnel" wrong number- is numbered for 4-axle series of that crane.
-Found that MOST of Athearn's blue box 50' gons are incorrect, because they are too short for what car class they have painted them as. So most, if not all PC/NYC/PRR/NH 50' gons that are factory painted by Athearn, or custom painted, are actually wrong -that gon type PC did not have. The Con-cor 52' gon is more correct in length.
-Blue box 50' single sliding door box PRR is wrong because the wrong number of end corrugations and roof seams, and sill isn't exactly right
-ACF smooth side covered hopper 4-bay in green NYC. Although it looks great, the NYC had NO covered hoppers painted in green at all. They were all painted in gray/white; some black, depending on the type of covered hopper.
-ACF OB covered hopper in NYC (painted by Bevbell) is wrong. The NYC did not have this car- the sides are too short, which exposes the 3 bays too much, and it's not suppose to have side ladders, etc. It IS right for PC, but as a later class built new for the PC.
-Blue box 4-bay ACF PC covered hopper kit in green- this car is correct for PC having these cars, but it's assigned the wrong number and class. Not sure if just a simple re-numbering could work, because PC may have had these cars painted only in the gray scheme with the small white logo over a black square (which is the RTR version). It's classed as a ___, and should be classed as ____.
-The same car in NYC- this car is not correct to what NYC had at all (body too short, etc.)
-F7A Genesis PC black with red P logo #_______ is wrong because this unit has a dynamic brake fan, which this particular locomotive did not actually have.
-Most blue box locomotives because of out of scale body, etc.- F7A/B, GP"9" (actually a 7), GP30, 35, SD45, SD9, -the GE's are close but still too wide, although not as bad as the EMD units.
-Blue box 50' double sliding door box car kit, NYC-P&LE. This kit is wrong because P&LE had no DOUBLE sliding door 50' box cars.
-Blue box 40' hi-cube box car (PC/NH/PRR/NYC/P&LE/P&E had none of these)
Basically, the single sliding door 50' boxcar, w/ straight sill Athearn blue box isn't right for anything NYC, PC, PRR. The same for the 50' blue box double door boxcar. This is because of wrong number of roof seams, wrong sill, and wrong number of end corrugations, etc. The 50' single plug door boxcar blue box is an ok stand-in for PRR and PC (not NYC), but the door is technically 1 foot too small per roster drawings.
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PC MODELS BY MDC:
*INCORRECT:
-PC/PRR NE cabooses w/ cupola- 1 version had a wrong cupola design that was too square and tall, then they re-made the cupola, and made it more of the shorter and slanted style, but the car body, roof, etc. is wrong and over-sized.
-PRR MofW 3 bay OB ballast car is wrong because of 1 too many outside braces.
-40' single sliding door box P&LE-NYC 30890 is wrong because of end corrugations mainly
*CORRECT:
-40' single sliding door box P&LE-NYC 30890 is ok (as long as car builder type is correct)
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PC MODELS BY ACCURAIL:
*CORRECT:
-40' single sliding door box PRR 47005- is ok, but class is suppose to be x48
-40' NYC single sliding door boxcar ______ (door should technically be a ___ style)
-40' (same but different number)
*INCORRECT:
-NYC tri/bi-level open auto rack- the flat car part and racks are wrong (ok for PC even though they did not offer it in PC of all things)
-PRR tri-level open auto rack is wrong- flat car part and/or rack is wrong
(Basically MOST of these auto racks are wrong for just about every road name that they painted them into- C&O, B&O, PC N&W should be fine)
-40' NYC single sliding door boxcar __________ number not found
-40' PC single sliding door boxcar- should have a different style of door and number series is wrong for that car- it is correct as long as it's renumbered to ________ series.
-55'? NYC & PC painted 3-bay ACF covered hopper- the car is not the right type at all.
-PC 40' single plug door boxcar- ends are not really correct, sill questionable as well (better stand-in would be a Con-Cor but flatten the slightly depressed sill)
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PC MODELS BY BACHMANN (newer such as Spectrum, Plus, RTR, and older run, etc.):
-Spectrum RTR E-33 locomotive PC- but the short nose logo is too big (where did they even get this idea from? NO PC E33's had a nose logo this size).
-Spectrum NH E33 is correct
*INCORRECT:
-Spectrum RTR E-33 locomotive PC- the short nose logo is too big (where did they even get this idea from? NO PC E33's had a nose logo this size).
-class ____ ore car. This RTR car's ends are wrong, along with side braces, etc.
-Older run 50' single plug door box PC 160502- font style is wrong, but mainly the number series is wrong for this type of car. Car type is correct for PC tho.
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PC MODELS BY DETAILS WEST:
*CORRECT:
-50' single superior plug door insulated box PC 369249 is correct
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PC MODELS BY KATO:
-GP35 in PRR- cab numbers are in wrong size/style.
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PC MODELS BY LIFE-LIKE-PROTO:
*INCORRECT:
-U28B PC _____. Although the engine itself is correct, the paint job is WRONG. Number____ is painted with gold/yellow PC corporate font style cab numbers, which gold corporate font never existed on the PC. They did have gold/yellow PRR style numbers on engines, but that usually was the original PRR numbers left untouched, while they added PC logos/paint to the rest of the locomotives. It is suppose to have WHITE PC corporate style cab numbers. Also some see the PC nose logos being too large.
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PC MODELS BY WALTHERS:
-INCORRECT:
-Trainline NYC off-set 4-bay open hoppers. NYC & PC never had offsets with 4 bays, however is close to what New Haven had up to at least the merger in 1969 into the PC, and most likely saw service on the PC.
-a PC-painted 2-bay OB coal hopper, with 9 braces, listed as a 70 ton. Train-Min. originally made and painted this up in PC, and later made by Walthers- but the car is wrong for the class and type. According to most sources and photos, PC never had this car (It is also very wrong for anything that PRR, NYC, & N&W ever had-wrong class and car type)- and it's mainly because the length is too long (and possibly the height as well is too short) for the type and classes that PC & its pred. had- it's suppose to be more of the length of the MDC/Athearn coal hopper, a lower capacity, but with 9 braces. A NH website states that NH had these Walther's coal hoppers, but cannot find any information if these even made it into PC, or with PC paint.
-40' plug door ice hatch reefer Early Bird NYC orange #________ is wrong 100%, because none of these lower-profile style reefers ever received the orange Early Bird scheme. The correct version is the Con-Cor 40' single plug door box, that has a more regular/taller boxcar type profile.
-Many of their RTR passenger cars (heavy weights, smooth side & corrugated light-weights, etc.) have to be looked at closely, because window arrangements, car style, etc. may be wrong on certain models.
RTR 60' OB fish belly mill gon- too many outside braces. Also is not right for P&LE, CR, etc.
*CORRECT:
-Both the single and double door 60' auto parts box cars. Both can be used for PC class X62 and ____.
-Trainline 50' single plug door box PRR 45747 - is ok but should be an actual 10' door by real-life measurements), and the sill should be filled in on both ends, w/ grab irons added beneath the side-ladders
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PC MODELS BY STEWART/BOWSER:
*INCORRECT:
-(Lettering) U25B PC 25____, newer run. Although the engine itself is correct, the road name is too large mainly.
*CORRECT:
-NH cupola brown cab #______ is classed as an NE3, but should be an NE4, caboose style is correct tho. Also the brown paint is questionable.
-50' K9 Steel Cattle Car PRR (?) 131072- is correct.
-The new C430 Alco locos look great. But, the PC paint scheme is a little off because the road name font doesn't look right, and mid-sized logo has an odd slant compared to photos. Compare it side by side w/ Microscale's loco lettering decals, and it will show up more. The NYC paint scheme is better, but the front nose logo seems too small per photos. The rest of the loco looks fine, but the bells of the horns look too short.
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PC MODELS BY MCKEEN:
*CORRECT:
-100 ton OB coal hopper PC 483922 is ok
-NYC 3-bay covered hopper is correct if it is numbered in the proper class ( ).
*INCORRECT:
-PRR 3-bay covered hopper by McKeen is incorrect as an H54, because technically the inside length of the body it's about 1/2" to 3/4" too short for what the car is suppose to be in real scale, & the side ladders are wrong- left side should be 2 horiz. grabs, and right side should have ladders all the way to top, and end handrails should be modified on each end, per photos found in books.
-The McKeen car (box # ) that's suppose to be around 60' L, technically cannot be used as a PC class ____ , since it's technically too short, per drawings studied.
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PC MODELS BY KADEE:
*CORRECT:
-Might as well say all of the current RTR models that Kadee puts out in NH, PRR, PC, NYC, & any road for that matter, are correct- they even include the roster information on the back of the box to back up their models- something most manufacturers cannot or will not do (because a lot of the others' "prototype" models out there are wrong in a lot of cases). Very pricey, but very accurate & detailed.
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PC MODELS BY TYCO:
*CORRECT:
-40' lower profile single sliding door box PC 167012 is ok as a class 765-B possibly, but the font style & size is incorrect.
*INCORRECT:
-Green PC open offset hopper 4-bay (PC only had black open hoppers)
-Red slanted-style end cupola PC caboose (they did not have these cabooses, along w/ paint scheme being wrong)
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PC MODELS BY IHC/AHM/RIVAROSSI:
*INCORRECT:
-IHC NYC 60' double superior plug door hi-cube box car. This car looks to be what they tried to make as the 1973-built Greenville car that PC had, but it has a roof walk which is wrong, and the pair of doors per side look too wide. They have it numbered and classed as a 60' shorter Greenville boxcar. This car doesn't seem to fit anything the NYC/PC had.
-PRR U25C is wrong because the radiators near the cab and other details do not match any of the phases that PRR or PC had.
-AHM PC #_______ 40' gondola- they had these gons but with a slight dip in the sill, number of outside braces is wrong, and they really had corrugated side panels- also number and class is most likely wrong., etc.
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(This is a work in progress as time permits on this page- more model lists, corrections, edits, etc. will be made at a later date.)
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