Search Railroad Sites For:

N-scale Varnish Passenger Car User's Guide
ILLINOIS CENTRAL

UPDATED 16 JANUARY 2007.
Click here to visit Fred Klein's excellent N-scale Passenger Car website  
The following are cars that can be accurately modeled currently in N-scale using available car sides, kits and R-T-R models.  The list below are recommendations only, based on the best information that I have on-hand.  If you know of additions or corrections that need to be made, or know of suitable decals for lettering these cars, please email me by Clicking Here.

Below is a list of links for the manufacturers featured on this page:

American Limited Models	Des Plaines Hobbies	Union Station Products
Brass Car Sides	Lazer Horizons	Wheels of Time
	M&R Models

NEW ITEMS NOTED BY **.

SERIES	CAR TYPE	MAKER - ITEM #	NOTES
NAMED-series 1, 10	P.S. 11 DBR	LH N-4168   M&R 60-125   USP 4168A*
NAMED-series 1	P.S. 10 Rmt - 6 DBR	**LH N-B&O4167   M&R 60-124   USP 4168A*
NAMED-series 1	P.S. 6 Sect - 6 Rmt - 4 DBR	B.C.S. 173-509   DPN1520   L.H. N-4099   USP 4099*
NAMED-series 1	P.S. 10 Rmt - 5 DBR	B.C.S. 173-517   DPN1522   L.H. N-4072   M&R 60-34 or 60-34-2 12   USP 4072*	ex-NYC Cascade-series
NAMED-series 1	P.S. 22 Rmt	L.H. N-4122   M&R 60-54   USP 4122B*	ex-NYC
NAMED-series 1	P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR	B.C.S. 173-517   DPN1525   L.H. 4   M&R 60-33 12   M&R 60-33-2 12   USP 4069H*
City of Jacksonville   City of New Orleans	P.S. 18 Rmt	LH 4068   USP 4068
General Beauregard   General Jackson	P.S. 3 DBR - 1 Comp - 1 DR - bar lounge	USP 4101*
Gulford   Memphis	P.S. 2 DBR - 2 Comp - 1 DR -   lounge observation	USP 4102*
1900 Bougainvillia	P.S. baggage - dorm	M&R 60-119
2200 - 2202 5	Budd dome - coach	Kato R-T-R	ex-MoPac/T&P
2600 Camellia	P.S. coach/nurse room	M&R 60-120
2601 - 2603 2	P.S. 60-seat coach	M&R 60-123
2614 - 2640 3	P.S. 56-seat coach	M&R 60-60-122   USP 7531*
3300 Bamboo Garden	P.S. tavern - lounge obs.	M&R 60-127
4100 Palm Garden	P.S. dining car	M&R 60-121   USP 7585*
4125, 4126	P.S. twin-unit diner table car	**LH C&O7605   USP 7605IC*	R# 4175, 4176
4127, 4128	P.S. twin-unit diner table car	**LH C&O7605   USP 7605IC*	ex-NYC, nee-C&O
4125A, 4126A	P.S. twin-unit diner kitchen - dorm	**LH C&O7607   USP 7607IC*	R# 4175A, 4176A
4127A, 4128A	P.S. twin-unit diner kitchen - dorm	**LH C&O7607   USP 7607IC*	ex-NYC, nee-C&O

Foreign sleeper cars leased by Illinois Central.

In addition to the cars listed above that were purchased from various lines, the I.C. leased additionals sleepers from various lines to help meet peak demands for sleeper space on both the City of Miami and the Panama Limited.  While the best known were Budd dome - sleepers from the North Coast Limited (NP - CB&Q - SP&S), other sleepers from Chicago & NorthWestern, Lackawanna, New York Central, Norfolk and Western and Union Pacific also saw service in I.C. paint.  The table below lists all known cars that carried I.C. paint.

OWNER - SERIES	CAR TYPE	MAKER - ITEM #	DATES
C&NW - Named 7a	P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR	M&R 60-164	1957 - 1963(?) 7
C&NW Imperial-series 7b	P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR	B.C.S. 173-516   DPN1525   L.H. N-UP4069   M&R 60-26	1957 - 1963(?)
CB&Q 304, 305 6   NP 306-series 6	Budd dome - sleeper	B.C.S. 173-524	See Note 6.
DL&W Kittatinny   DL&W Lackawanna	ACF 10 Rmt - 6 DBR	L.H. DL&W9008	1959 - 1966
NYC Bay Bridge 8   NYC Suspension Bridge 8	P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR	B.C.S. 173-516   L.H. N-NY4069B   M&R 60-26 or 60-33-2	1960 - 1962 8
NYC Lorain County	P.S. 13 DBR	B.C.S. 173-521   DPN1523   L.H. N-NY4071   M&R 60-32-2	late-1960, to NdeM (1961).
N&W County 9	P.S. 10 Rmt - 6 DBR	B.C.S. 173-533	1961 - 1967 9
UP Imperial-series 11	P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR	B.C.S. 173-516   DPN1525   L.H. N-UP4069   M&R 60-26	1957 - 1959

Abbreviations:

	A.C.F. - American Car and Foundry	DBR - double bedroom	obs. - observation
	BE - blunt end	DR - drawing room	P.S. - Pullman - Standard
	Comp - compartment	Dup - duplex	Sect - section
	Dorm - dormitory	HW - heavyweight	SR - single room

* - It should be noted that the Union Station Products are Craftsman-level kits.  Some clean-up of parts and assembly is required, and care must be exercised when assembling these sides because of the delicate parts.

Note 1:  Lightweight sleeper cars of the Illinois Central carried named.  Below are the names for various sleepers.

Individual names of sleeper cars having 6 Rmt - 6 Sect - 4 DBR:

Banana Road	King Coal	Land O' Strawberries	Pelican State	Prairie State	Timberland
Blue Grass State	King Cotton	Magnolia State	Petroleum	Sugarland	Volunteer State

Individual names of sleeper cars having 11 DBR:

Baton Rogue 10	Belleville	Benton 10	Bloomington	Bradley	Brookhaven

Individual names of P.S. 10 - 6 sleepers. (Note:  The original series were ordered by the Chesapeake and Ohio but sold to the Illinois Central before delivery.  The cars were delivered with smooth sides.  Car names in red are former Norfolk and Western/Nickel Plate Road cars.  They were rebuilt by the Illinois Central to smooth sides.):

Cabden	Carbondale	Chandeysson	Clifton	Council Bluffs
Cairo	Central City	Charles City	Coles County	Covington
Calumet	Centralia	Chebanse	Cook County	Crystal Springs
Calvert	Champaign	Clarksdale	Corinth	Cynthia
Canton

Individual names of sleeper cars having 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR (car names in red are former New York Central Imperial-series cars):

Chicagoland	Gilman	Hayleyville	Hattisburg	Homewood
St. Louisan	Greenville	Hammond	HazeL.H.urst	Hyde Park
Galena	Grenada	Harvey

Individual names of sleeper cars having 10 - 5 (ex-NYC Cascade-series):

Fernwood	Flossmoor	Fort Dodge	Fulton

Note 2:  Coaches in this series carried the following names:

2601 Calcasieu	2602 Carondelet	2603 Clairborne

Note 3:  Some coaches in this series carried the names as noted below:

2614 Baronne	2617 Feliciana	2620 Maurepas	2623 Tulane	2626 Poydras	2632 Litchfield
2615 Dauphine	2618 Gentilly	2621 Orleans	2624 Pontalba	2627 Plaquemine	2633 Clinton
2616 Delgado	2619 Gravier	2622 Tangipahoa	2625 Ponchatoula	2631 Springfield	2636 Kankakee

Note 4:  Two Lazer Horizons sides may be appropriate for these cars, N-NY4069 and N-NY4069B.  I do not know the difference between these two plans so it is difficult to say which would be more appropriate.

Note 5:  Budd dome coaches were purchased from the Missouri Pacific in 1968 for use on various I.C. passenger trains.  While the Budd dome - coach from the California Zephyr trainset is close in detail it would be necessary to create the cutouts for the trucks in the skirting for the models to be more accurate.  These cars retained all the Budd fluting when repainted.

Note 6:  North Coast Limited Budd dome - sleepers were leased for use on the City of Miami from 1959 until and from until 1967, with the cars leased during for the winter season being used instead on the Panama Limited.  After the former Missouri Pacific dome - coaches were acquired, IC no longer leased the NP cars.  (Note:  Some sources have said that for the last season, 1967 and 1968 the cars were not repainted IC, but this has not been confirmed.)

CB&Q 304 used during the winter seasons of 1964 - 1965 and 1966 - 1967.

CB&Q 305 used during the winter season of 1967 - 1968.

NP 307 used during the winter season of 1959 - 1960.

NP 308 used during the winter seasons of 1963 - 1964.

NP 309 used during the winter season of 1959 - 1960 and 1964 - 1965.

NP 310 used during the winter seasons of 1959 - 1960 and 1965 - 1966.

NP 311 used during the winter season of 1966 - 1967 (repainted as NP 377).

NP 312 used during the winter season of 1965 - 1966.

NP 313 used during the winter seasons of 1965 - 1966 and 1967 - 1968.

Note 7:  The following C&NW sleepers were assigned to the Illinois Central after U.P. shifted operations of its Overland Route passenger trains from the C&NW to Milwaukee Road.  Starting in late-1957 the following sleepers saw use on the I.C., remaining there until the cars were returned to C&NW (circa 1963) and retired.

7a - The following sleeper cars can be modeled using M&R 60-164 sides:  Arcadia, Civic Center and Hunters Point.

7b - The following sleeper cars can be modeled using the B.C.S. 173-516 sides, DPN1525 kit, L.H. N-4069 sides or M&R 60-26 sides:  Imperial Drive, Imperial Leaf, Imperial Mark, Imperial Point and Imperial Ranch.

Note 8:  When these cars entered service on the IC their futures were already in doubt.  In 1962 Suspension Bridge and Bay Bridge were sold to the Atlantic Coast Line and were shipped to that line.

Note 9:  The N&W County-series sleepers first entered service on the IC in 1961 when Buchanan County was repainted on 7/31/61 and it continued to where IC colors until repainted in N&W's PRR styled paint scheme on 9/2/64. McDowell County entered service after repainting on 8/30/63 and wore that paint until repainted 5/31/66 to N& Pevler-blue.  Sussex County was repainted to IC colors 8/30/63 and repainted back to N&W 5/31/67.  Some of these cars saw use in IC paint prior to being repainted back to N&W.

Note 10:  IC sleeper Benton was repainted for use on Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited from 5/31/66 to 9/30/66, and sleeper Baton Rogue carried NCL paint from 5/31/67 to 9/29/67.

Note 11:  UP sleepers Imperial Bird, Imperial Letter and Imperial Rock served on the IC from 11/1/57 until 5/29/59.

Note 12:  Where two M&R numbers are listed it indicates that there are skirted and unskrited sides available.  Please refer to the M&R Master List, just click here.

Free Web Hosting Since 1996. Join & Become Part of the TrainWeb's Railroad Community.