New Orleans Streetcars by Bowser in HO

[PaulRhB]

These are now in shops and available with or without sound.

http://www.bowser-trains.com/new/nostreetcar.html

 

I've found them singly for £115 incl shipping, excl. import duty from the States. Around £138 cheapest I've found on eBay incl import so similar but it's quite a saving on shipping if buying multiples from a shop rather than eBay unless you can get the seller to create an invoice

 

Photos from the Bowser link above.

Two numbers for each version plus a couple of the modern liveries too.

 

[PaulRhB]

Well it turned up and very nice it is too with crisp detail and livery.

 

The interior lights do rather show up the 'gurt big motor'

 

Runs well though and they recommend 9" radius min

 

[PaulRhB]

Well getting it apart was fun!

The light board was so tight to the trolley contacts it broke two wires that had to be resoldered.

I fitted a Lokpilot standard and turned down the light brightness to the values below.

Aux1 Cv 115 - 1

Aux2 Cv 116 - 1

Aux3 Cv 117 - 1

 

And the F buttons control the following.

F1 Aux1 compartment lights

F2 Aux2 headboard A

F3 ½ speed

F4 accel/ decel on/off

F5 Aux3 headboard B

 

The trolley poles are just loose drop in parts so will fall out if you unhook them and turn upside down.

[BR60103]

Are the trolley poles at all operational? Do they collect?

Bowser (and the previous Pennsylvania Scale Models) made a workable pole, and although the detail was rudimentary, it tracked the wire and collected current.

[PaulRhB]

No they do work and there's a switch on the bottom, visible above, to switch to overhead or track. The pole is very fine so I guess as close to finescale as possible.

Getting it apart was difficult and caused two of the etch gussets to fall off so beware

[PaulRhB]

Although it's difficult to compare to the shot above these are the lights dimmed to sensible levels.

 

And the poles removed

[roundhouse]

Might have to look out for a sound fitted one on our next trip across the pond. They do look rather nice.

[PaulRhB]

Second version with the grey roof arrived and came apart easier than the first but still broke one wire on the 6 wire lead getting the lighting board out!

The brass clips arrowed are so tight they mean you need a paperclip with the end bent over inserting to pop them out rather than pulling on the bottom of the chassis.

Anyway the little s#d is soldered back in.

 

 

And a view of the decoder and motor

 

[PaulRhB]

Here's my homemade extractor tool