Model Railroading > Amtrak CA Looking for HO Models

I have been contacted by CA Dept of Rail and they are looking for HO scale Amtrak CA F59PHi's and Amtrak CA passenger cars. I know Walther's makes one passenger car (albiet it is not an authentic CA car but one of the leased ones). CA Amtrak wants to have a photographer take video footage of these models. The photos will be used to make a cool t.v. commercial using CGI type graphics to make it look like the train is following a bicyclist on a road. The commercial will be aired in CA later, promoting rail passenger service.

Anyway please PM me if you have an Amtrak CA car and/or loco you can provide for a photo shoot in Sacramento CA sometime soon. I would really appreciate it if someone has a completed custom Union Station CA car that they can provide.

Thanks.

Why not just buy the models yourself and have commercial people reimburse you for the models. Don't expect the models back. Somewhere in Fort Worth are some BNSF custom models I made long ago for some BNSF sponsored television production. This was long before BNSF stuff was widely available in the model train market.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

I have the Walthers Amtrak Surfliners cars for sale at my store if you can't find them. Still have one Amtrak CA car left too. The Athearn F59's are always out of stock... that's going to be tough. Good luck!

Here's someone that shows the F59 in stock.
http://www.nicholassmithtrains.com/store/product/41680/ATH-AMTRAK-CAL-F59PH-I%232008/

Thanks to everyone for the posts and PMs... We have some F59PHi locos and a Bay Area modeler was located who has a full train of Overland brass Amtrak California Superliners. I'll post when the commercial is online or on t.v.

BTW hamltnblue I just sent you a PM. I finally got around to that MTH SD70ACe Tsunami install and it was a snap thanks to you.

I recommend having a written agreement for the safe return of your models by a specific date. This should include the location and to whom the models are to be returned, with the original boxes, undamaged, etc., or they pay you for the complete new MRSP replacement cost for each individual model missing or damaged.

Inventory and photograph each model (including original boxes) before delivery. Have someone of authority sign for the reciept of the models, not a secretary or a mail room clerk. The reciept should contain an inventory listing.

If they balk at this agreement, no deal. Too many times things get lost (usually taken, i.e., stolen) and nobody seems to know what happened? Did you see any model trains? I dunno, they were here a few weeks ago...saw them in a box in the back...not here anymore...did someone already pick them up? Sorry fella, no one has seen them.

And that's it! Game over. Your models are gone and nobody knows anything. Good luck ever finding them or getting paid for replacements.

I recently loaned my circular saw to a neighbor. The neighbor brought back, finally, after I asked for it twice, and then complained that he had to buy a new saw blade when he was using it, claimed my blade was dull (it wasn't, I witnessed him using the saw in his garage for an entire weekend cutting plywood and strand board). After handing me the saw, he told me again about buying a new $8 saw blade, expecting me to reimburse him. I told him thanks for returning the saw and the new blade. Told him it was nice of him to replace the blade. I could see he was miffed about the $8. He hasn't sked to borrow anything since, which is fine with me. Buy your own saw, moocher.

I rarely loan out anything anymore. Been burned too many times by irresponsible people.

Why doesn't the State just buy some....

How many times have we said "Stay off the tracks and the train can't hurt you" and now they're going to show a train going down a bike path?

W.C. Fields once told Charlie McCarthy "On the trip, our train ran over a deer." Charlie said, "The deer got on the tracks, huh?"
Fields: "Ahhhhh..... no..... the locomotive chased the deer into the woods, and cornered it between two trees."

Our store has loaned built-up model airplanes to several production studios over the years. The standard procedure is to charge them a "loaner's fee" for the use of your items. You estimate your figure plus a margin for your time and effort, then mutliply the figure by three. Because nine times out of ten they will damage the goods and it's hard to put a value on the labor it takes to repair them. A decent production company knows this as the rule of the way and will usaully go along with such agreement. If not, forget it. The models always get some damage and you don't want to be out in the end.

Amtkrd4man Wrote:
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> Why doesn't the State just buy some....


The state's Broke. ;)