Time to look at another interesting upcoming SP Passenger Car announcement from Golden Gate Depot/Third and Townsend Models.
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| Announcement saved and reposted from TTM website. |
Taken directly from the Third & Townsend website:
"Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2026, MSRP: $129.95"
The plans focus around four major types of cars, which I'll cover the prototype information. I will be using a mix of my photos and photos linked off of the GGD/TTM website.
70-BP-30-2/3 Postal Baggage Car (11 cars)
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| Pre-1946, SP 5068 running baggage section first (note catcher arms pointed to the left) - from TTM website. |
SP 5123-5128 70-BP-2 (5 cars)
SP 5065-5070 70-BP-3 (6 cars)
Most of the 70-BP-30-2/3s stayed in SP Dark Olive Green (DOG) colors most of their lives. While TTM hasn't announced the 70-BP-2 version, I'm putting it in the title here for the community to evaluate the usefulness of this model.
San Joaquin Daylight
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| SP 5124, San Joaquin Daylight protection car at Oakland Pier, saved and reposted from TTM website. |
Sunset Limited/Golden State
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| 1953 repaint of SP 5069 into SSS for Sunset Limited/Golden State protection service from TTM website. |
Kitbash - SP 5124
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| My conversion of SC&F resin car to SP 5124. |
70-BP-30-1 - The Other 70ft RPO/Baggages
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| Soho 70-BP-30-1 |
70-B-5/6/7 "With and Without Windows" (52 cars, + 40 later cars)
This group of 52 cars, plus the following classes with another 40 cars made up about 2/3s of the SP's 140 "plain" 70-ft baggage cars. Many of the earlier class cars being similar or identical sides, but with the "early" style SP car ends with simple angled end panels.
SP 6474-6496 70-B-5 (20 cars)
HTC/T&NO 605-609 70-B-6 (4 cars) - to SP 6252. 6307, 6308, 6309*
SP 6055-6082 70-B-7 (28 cars) **
* SP 6309 was wrecked in the Tortuga wreck in 1938 and rebuilt.
** SP 6064 and 6073 were in the Owl wreck at Lerdo in 1947, I believe they were returned to service as were most of the cars in that consist.
I'll have to double check if the B-8+s are close enough to use the 5/6/7 TTM carbodies.
Also of interest is the 70-B-8 class, which had multiple cars rebuilt and repainted into Lark and San Joaquin Daylight service.
T&NO 610-629 70-B-8 (20 cars) - two cars renumbered to SP, T&NO 616 to SP 6443 and T&NO 625 to SP 6508.
I'll have to double check if the B-8+s are close enough to use the 5/6/7 TTM carbodies.
Also of interest is the 70-B-8 class, which had multiple cars rebuilt and repainted into Lark and San Joaquin Daylight service.
T&NO 610-629 70-B-8 (20 cars) - two cars renumbered to SP, T&NO 616 to SP 6443 and T&NO 625 to SP 6508.
SP 6083-6092 70-B-8 (10 cars)
Six cars: 6083, 6084, 6085, 6088, 6091, and 6092 were rebuilt with stream-styling in 1941 and 1942, which dramatically changes the exterior appearance of these cars.
SP 6444-6454 70-B-9 (10 cars)
With Windows
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| SP 70-B-5 as-built, from TTM website. |
This is the as-built version of the basic 70ft Baggage car. Over the years the ends were changed as structural designs changed, starting with the angled sheet ends, then having the cut-out end sheets, with the upper letterboard sections remaining with the angled profile.
Note that these cars also received the ply-metal doors, with one large thermo-pane window. This example is also repainted into the solid gray scheme from 1958-1960s. A few cars may have had the ply-metal doors installed circa 1954, but kept their over-truck windows.
70-BA-4 Automobile Baggage Car (20 cars)
This class of car was almost treated as a sub-class of the regular 70-B-series cars. The first car built in this series was classified as 70-BA-2, singular GH&SA 122, which shows that it used the 70-B-2 structural standards, modified to have the end doors. Likewise the 70-BA-4 used the 70-B-4 standards, and the 70-BA-5s upgrading to use the 70-B-5 type solid end.
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| An SP Baggage-Automobile car showing off its end-door in the 1920s from TTM website. |
70-BA-4 SP 6464-6473 (10 cars)
70-BA-5 SP 6454-6458 (5 cars)
70-BA-5 SP 6497-6501 (5 cars)
SP 7212-7217 70-BH-1 (6 cars)
One of the main issues with trying to kitbash these cars from MDC/Athearn parts is that the prototype cars have doors that cut up into the letterboard.
Jason Hill
70-BA-5 SP 6497-6501 (5 cars)
The 70-BA-series cars were basically the standard 70-B-series with the end doors replaced with automobile end doors. These cars were popular in the 1920s to move the new private automobiles around the country, as the first cross-country military truck convoy using roads only made the first expedition in 1917. Well off people with the new automobiles had to use rail cars to move their cars between the various unconnected sections of roads across the country.
In later years these cars with end doors were used for stage scenery and general Baggage-Express assignments. The REA leases could also get special express loads requiring these cars. I believe some of these cars had their end-doors permanently closed in later years to save on maintaining the doors.
In later years these cars with end doors were used for stage scenery and general Baggage-Express assignments. The REA leases could also get special express loads requiring these cars. I believe some of these cars had their end-doors permanently closed in later years to save on maintaining the doors.
70-BH-1 Horse-Baggage Express Car (12 cars)
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| SP 7217 in TTG (post 1954 scheme, probably more circa 1960) at Fresno from TTM website. |
SP 7212-7217 70-BH-1 (6 cars)
SP 7218-7223 70-BH-2 (6 cars)
SP 7224-7228 70-BH-3 (5 cars) - Clerestory cars iirc
Some cars renumbered into "straight" Baggage-Express cars into openings in 6200-series between 1954-1959.
The 70-BH-1 Horse-Baggage cars were developed to move race horses around between training and race tracks. The cars were also designed with collapsible horse rails to handle stage scenery and automobiles. As the need for specialized service dropped off after the newer 80-BH-1 classes of cars took over the race horse assignments in 1937, these cars dropped down to regular Baggage-Express assignments.Some cars renumbered into "straight" Baggage-Express cars into openings in 6200-series between 1954-1959.
Kitbash Attempts
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| My kitbashed SP 7220, 70-BH-1, but showing the 'easy' conversion not covering the correct door shapes. |
In Closing
I believe this offering will be an excellent follow-up to Third & Townsend Models' current plans to make the "Harriman V2.0" run of 80ft bodied cars for 72-IC-1/2, 72-C-1, 75-CS, and 77-D-1/3/4 cars which I've already written about in several posts. I'm not planning to make any timeline graphics for these headend cars, as there's not a huge number of cars or schemes used on these cars, outside of the few special cars that received them. Photos are the best reference of individual cars being repainted.
I have covered modeling some consists of SP mail trains, such as the Nos.55/56 (Tehachapi Mail). I'll probably pull together some other consists which will predominantly use these cars. It would be nice if TTM/GGD was able to remake their tooling for the 60ft coaches for use with all these head-end cars to make good SP mail trains.
I have covered modeling some consists of SP mail trains, such as the Nos.55/56 (Tehachapi Mail). I'll probably pull together some other consists which will predominantly use these cars. It would be nice if TTM/GGD was able to remake their tooling for the 60ft coaches for use with all these head-end cars to make good SP mail trains.
Jason Hill
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