Model Railroading > HO-gauge single-level cab cars -- where to buy?

HO-gauge single-level cab cars seem to be a very scare item despite their widespread use of many real passemger trains. I need a cab car to go with Walthers Amtrak Ph 3 85' Budd 52-seat coach. I checked the archives, but there appeared to be no solutions that used equipment that is currently on the market. What are my options other than by a dummy diesel (powered ones on each end don't do well with DCC)?

John

At the beginning of the decade, Walthers made a cab Comet car in various Northeastern liveries. Try eBay/shows for these.

Or, you can also copy Boston's MBTA, and run single-level and bi-level cars in one consist, and use the Athearn Bombardier cab car (a superior model to the Walthers' one, IMHO)

Amtrak has only used a few types of cab car:

ex-Metroliner Cab Cars
Pullman Gallery Cab Cars
ex-F40PH NPCU

For a single-level Phase 3 consist, you would probably be using an ex-Metroliner Cab Car, which is basically an Amfleet-looking car with a cab at one end.

They were produced by Bachmann in the past and unpowered ones are pretty reasonable on eBay. I've only ever seen it in Phase I Amtrak livery, so you would need to repaint it.

-scax330

Metroliner Cab Cars will need to be pretty well rebuilt, but as far as rebuilds go its not a particullarly tough one. NPCUs as far as rebuilds go you need to look at each individual car to determine what you're dealing with in a rebuild. It also isn't uncommon to see trains with a unit on each end.
Cheers,
Nick

As mentioned by others, Amtrak's use of cab cars is limited to a few types.

Furthermore, I'm not sure I've ever seen any Heritage fleet coaches, like the one you describe, used in push-pull service with cab cars. Amfleet? Yes. Horizon cars? Yes. Surfliners and California cars? Double yes. But if you're modelling a short-haul corridor train with Heritage cars, push-pull operation may be unprototypical.

A big thank you to all of you for your help. We are not modeling any particular railroad so we have plenty of artistic license. My Son's end of our layouts has some tight curves beyond the main station while my end has 31" minimum radii on the curves, so we need push-pull trains much as the CNJ needed them when the Aldene plan went into effect in 1967.

Walthers is sold out of Horizon cab cars. Imperial Hobby Products makes a Comet III cab car, but it has a center door. Island Model Works LLC makes a Comet I cab car that looks like it could do the job, but it will still be much work detailing, painting, and adding the DCC.

Any other thoughts?

John