60-foot long four-axle heavyweight observation cars were somewhat uncommon prototypes. However, several railroads including Jersey Central and New York Central did have examples in their passenger car fleets. Other roads, such as Santa Fe operated similar cars in track inspection service.
This new model is based on a Jersey Central prototype which was originally assigned to The Blue Comet in 1929 for its famed run between Jersey City and Atlantic City, NJ. In later years Jersey Central reassigned these cars as “extra fare” parlor cars on longer commuter runs. They were operated through the mid-1970s in this service before being retired.
Regardless of how they were operated by prototype railroads, this model is being offered as a complement to our existing fleet of 60’ passenger and head end cars. Modelers who enjoy operating these 60’ cars on smaller layouts can exercise a bit of “alternate history” by adding an observation car to their existing consist.
Two additional 60’ observation cars decorated to match popular road names from the previous production run are also being offered: NJ DOT and Chesapeake & Ohio. The NJ DOT car, being former Jersey Central, would have been assigned to the extra fare parlor car service noted above. Long Island’s six-axle heavyweight “Jamaica” and “Setauket” cars were also operated as parlor cars on long-distance Montauk commuter runs.