Centralia Car Shops - CCS6907-02 - Passenger Car, Lightweight, Pullman, Coach, 52-Seat - Nickel Plate Road - 102

Prototype History: With their large windows and comfortable reclining seats, these coaches allowed passengers on shorter distance trips to recline and watch the countryside roll past. The 52 seat car was used for the commuter and shorter distance intercity travelers, say for instance from Reno to Sacramento. The P-S 52 seat car is a Plan 7600 car built for Lot 6856 for the C&O. Some were sold to SAL & C&NW (then to SP & CB&Q). The NKP coaches, also designed by the AMC were Plan 7600-A - they, like the 10-6s that were built at the same time, had an extra row of corrugations and their electrical systems were different (as were the lighting systems).

Road Name History: The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (reporting mark NKP), abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Its primary connections included Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Toledo.

The Nickel Plate Railroad was constructed in 1881 along the South Shore of the Great Lakes connecting Buffalo and Chicago to compete with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. In 1964 the Nickel Plate Road and several other mid-western carriers were merged into the larger Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W). The goal of the N&W expansion was to form a more competitive and successful system serving 14 states and the Canadian province of Ontario on more than 7,000 miles (11,000 km) of railroad. The profitable N&W was itself combined with the Southern Railway, another profitable carrier, to form Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS) in 1982.

At the end of 1960 NKP operated 2,170 miles (3,490 km) of road on 4,009 miles (6,452 km) of track, not including the 25 miles (40 km) of Lorain & West Virginia. That year it reported 9758 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 41 million passenger-miles.

The Nickel Plate Historical and Technical Society works to preserve the memory of the Nickel Plate Road.

From WIkipedia

Brand/Importer Information: Centralia Car Shops is an N-Scale manufacturer based in Des Plaines Illinois. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Des Plaines hobbies. Des Plaines Hobbies was founded by Ron Sebastian in 1984. Centralia subcontracts its manufacturing to InterMountain and 'piggy-backs' the production runs onto the InterMountain runs using the same factories in China as InterMountain. Shipping from factories in China is also coordinated with InterMountain as is distribution to retailers.

Des Plaines Hobbies is a old fashioned hobbyshop with an emphasis on Model Railroading. It was started 33 years ago when you could purchase a tube of glue and sticks of balsa wood. That is still true today, although we have added a few items. About 20 years ago we ventured into some light manufacturing and are also home to Centralia Car Shops, S Scale America, and O Scale America lines of kits, decals and parts. Also along the way we have purchased a few small lines that we still offer such as Microscale's S Scale decal line and Mullet River Model Works HO and S lines.

Des Plaines Hobbies is located 3 1/2 miles north of O Hare International Airport at 1524 Lee/Mannheim (US 12-45). Pace buses conveniently run north and south on Lee/Mannheim from O Hare and the Des Plaines Metra station (1 mile north). For drivers, there is parking for a couple hundred cars out front and on the right side of the store. We are located on the south side of the Jewel food store under the red awning. Come for a visit. ADA restroom available. Coffee is usually hot, if not, ask and we will put a pot on.