For those of you who have been waiting, Rapido has just announced their Baggage car, so now finally the special run British Columbia Baggage car to complete your BCR 25th Anniversary Train is now coming.

We have 2 each left of the Cafe Bar Louge cars, we have no passenger cars (they were sold out a long time ago). We are only making enough Baggage cars for the customers who have them on back order. So if you want say so and order now!

These anniversary cars will not be re-run!

Over it's years of operation, many railfans and model railroaders alike rode the BC Rail Royal Hudson excursion train. This service was operated from 1974 until 2001, seeing many changes along the way and many thousands of passengers too. While the memories of these journeys last a lifetime, for many modelers that was simply not enough. So, in 2009, PWRS worked in conjunction with Rapido to bring this train to N Scale.

At the time, we were not able to produce the complete consist due to Rapido having other production commitments. We did produce a complete 11 car set of passenger cars for this train. This set was the mostly complete, but still lacked the baggage car and two cafe-lounge cars the real train had. It was always our desire to produce these cars too, allowing modelers to complete the entire train, to model the BC Royal Hudson as it appeared in its 25th Anniversary Scheme. 11 coaches, 2 Cafe Bar, & 1 Baggage car.

PWRS is pleased to announce that we are now moving forward with both the baggage car and cafe-lounge cars. Rapido will again produce these, so they should be a perfect match for the sets we did in 2009, complete down to the special 25th Anniversary Scheme the cars featured. Reservation due dates, price and release dates for the baggage car have not been finalized yet, but should come in 2015. The Cafe Bar cars will be made this summer.

Modelers who previously purchased the 11 car set are encouraged to order the baggage car and two cafe-lounge cars to complete their set (if they have not already done so). For our newer customers, we have a 10 complete sets of the 11 coach cars sets still available. Modelers who wish to order the 11 car set, will also need to order the baggage car and two cafe-lounge cars to get the entire consist. Only order for all 14 cars will be filled. We will only produce enough models to cover the number of orders we receive by the order deadline with a maximum production run to equal that of the number of 11 car sets produced. So any additional orders for the coomplete train is now limited to just 10 more sets!!! So if you are new customer of PWRS order now!

One other note: most of us would love to have a Royal Hudson to pull the 14 cars. Be careful what you wish for.

All cars in the set have the special 25th Year Anniversary Logo added to the cars in 1999, (pictured below is a close up of the graphics).

For modelers wondering about motive power for this train, it ran with either ex-CPR Royal Hudson N0. 2860, or ex-CPR FP7A No 4069.

So here's your chance, if you need to complete your set, you will not want to miss. The Day Coaches are named: Brunswick, Porteau, Sunset Beach, Birken, Whistler, Capilano, Exeter, Seton, Chasm, Dragon and Kelly Lake. The baggage car is named Shalalth, and the two Cafe Bar Lounge cars are Horseshoe Bay, and Lions Bay.

Additional Information On The

25th Anniversary BC Royal Hudson Train

The Royal Hudson steam excursion train from North Vancouver to Squamish was inaugurated in 1974 and quickly became one of the province's top tourist attractions.

By 1993, however, the ex-CPR passenger coaches comprising the train were exhibiting signs of structural deterioration and required replacement. Prior to the 1993 season the railway replaced the four worst cars with an ex-CNR/VIA cafe-bar lounge car and three day coaches leased from VIA Rail. For the 1994 season another cafe-bar lounge car and three day coaches were leased. 

These eight cars ran in VIA paint with white overlays to conceal the yellow VIA lettering.  At the end of the 1994 season the eight cars were purchased as well as a matching baggage car.  Five additional day coaches were purchased in 1995 to complete the replacement program and provide a consist of fourteen cars.  Following their sale to BC Rail, the coaches were repainted in Tuscan livery and named for locations along the BC Rail line, commencing with the PORTEAU in February 1995.

For the 1999 season the cars received a special logo commemorating the Royal Hudson's 25th anniversary of operation in excursion service. (The excursion train made its last trip on September 23, 2001.)

The day coaches purchased in 1994 and 1995 were built originally for the CNR by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1954.  The two cafe-bar lounge cars were converted from day coaches by the CNR in 1964. The baggage car was built by National Steel Car in 1955.  All were acquired by VIA Rail in March 1978. These coaches match the Super Continental Line passenger cars produced in HO Scale by Rapido Trains Inc.  They have also recently been announced in N Scale as the Panorama Line.  These fine models make it possible for a limited run of the post-1994 Royal Hudson consist to be produced accurately in HO and N Scales.

The Royal Hudson locomotive has been offered several times in brass by various importers, and the FP7A diesel locomotive is currently available from Intermountain lettered for in HO and N Scales.

Timothy J. Horton
Author & Historian

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JMP