The Executive Line

This series began in 2012. Seeing the need for a ‘Office Car’ or ‘Business Car’ as they are often called, this series will go down that path. A challenge of producing a business car is that most railroads had them, but in most cases, each and every one of them is different in one way or another. I know of several lines that had the same body style, but to the next railroad in almost every case, they are unique.

So for the Executive line I will produce cars that are accurately painted and as close to the prototype as possible. Do not ever expect these cars to match your prototype 100%! You’ll wait a long long time if that is what you want. In the mean time, we need cars for our managers and superintendents. In fact, YOU need one don’t you?

Do we model what we know and make up the rest? The fact is that most all railroads had executive cars. And they were moved when and how the boss said!  Over the district on the fastest way possible. We have photos of hot shot freights with the business car behind the caboose.

In a recent interview with a retired Southern Pacific and Union Pacific business car manager, he told me there were three ways the cars were moved. As expected, behind a fast freight, on the tail of a passenger train (although less likely as it could keep the train from being on time) and very often in a ‘special movement’ as he called them. With it’s own power!  We don’t often see many photos of business cars being moved in a train. But they had them, and they used them! You should as well!  Play hard! Life is too short…