When Scale-Craft expanded their line of heavyweight passenger cars in 1940, they opted to model a Pullman Solarium car for their observation car.

A contemporary choice

I’ve always puzzled a bit about that choice, but looking into it more I can see it was a very contemporary choice. There is a nice write up about the Mt. Harvard, a car of this type, here. It had been built in 1923 as an open-end observation car, but

In 1939, its original floor plan was revised to Plan 3521-L with the enclosure of the open platform, addition of a buffet, and updated lounge appointments. The work took nearly three months at a cost of $13,383.44.

Of further note,

…when the Open Platform the car once bore was removed, the car was correctly identified as a 10-Section Buffet Lounge Solarium Observation.

The ladies’ lounge was forward in the car, then came the ten sections (five on each side), the men’s smoking room and Lavatory was next between the buffet and the lounge solarium observation room. The lounge had a seating capacity of 15. This included a table for four, a settee for two, and chairs for nine, separated by four tables for lamps.

The car had block ice air-conditioning, blow-fan activated.

Something for every collection

These models are easy to spot, with their stamped terneplate (steel) sides lacking of any rivet details and the sand cast aluminum frame. Their Pullman and dining car are of similar construction, and seem to be slightly more commonly seen.

Being 80’ cars, I don’t operate my examples much, they really need curves around 36” radius to operate well. 60-70’ passenger cars are what I normally run on my layout with 28” minimum radius. But the big Scale-Craft passenger cars can be modified to work on 26” radius curves, as described in this article from a few years ago.