Four different types of vintage models I find catch my collecting interests. One type is neatly built models with printed sides by any maker. The second type are Scale-Craft models with the original pre-war decals. A third type are cars nicely hand lettered. The final type are nicely built models from freelanced OO lines. The March and September of 2007 issues of The OO Road contain a list of the known “private name” OO lines. When these three models came to me those articles were my first place to look, and in all three cases I drew a blank.

First up is this S-C stock car for the Choctaw & Western. I like the road name choice, looking at it closer it is evocative of the name of a Rock Island predecessor line, the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (more here). That line came under control of the Rock Island in 1902. Looking at this car closer, Choctaw & Western is done with alphabet lettering but the CW logo on the right was drawn by hand. I bought this one originally with the idea of stripping it and lettering it with my Tichy MP decals, but I subsequently instead did a bit of light restoration. It was too nice a vintage model.

Then we have these two coaches. As to the Green Bay & Northern, a number of models for this line passed through eBay not long ago. This S-C coach was in a lot with other models of, honestly, more initial interest. Looking at it closer, I like the road name, it is similar to that of a Green Bay and Western predecessor line (1881-1896), the Green Bay, Stevens Point and Northern Railroad, and I could also see it was nicely built. There was one big problem when it got to me, the celluloid window stock was all badly warped. I removed that, but restored the interior as originally laid out by the builder, and repainted the roof. I like how he built the roof and actually worked up several more similar ones from parts on hand.

Also with a nice interior is this final model from the Northern Central. The real Northern Central Railway was a predecessor line of the PRR, having acquired controlling interest in 1861, but then surviving (on paper) for some 110 years. A nice bit of freelancing to give the line a physical presence in the late steam era. Note the trucks it came to me on, modified from HO, they really should be under a streamlined passenger car and they may find their way to one at some point.

The names of the builders of these models, nicely done for the time, are probably lost to history, but I do appreciate the craftsmanship and the prototypical sounding line names. Hopefully readers have other examples that peak your interest as well.