Exclusive decals to letter models of Michigan-prototype locomotives and rolling stock.

Decal Update

I have located a new supplier I can use to bring the Pere Marquette switcher decal set back in HO. I should be able to post details before Labor Day.

New decal sets are on hold for now due to obligations outside the hobby.

Thank you for your continued support.

-Fritz Milhaupt

Ann Arbor Steam Locomotives

Ann Arbor Mikado #2494 at Owosso

There are a number of good models out to represent the Ann Arbor Railroad's steam locomotives, and now there's a set to letter them! This set will letter one locomotive and tender for the Annie. It includes prearranged numbers for an 0-8-0, a 2-10-2, a 4-4-2 and an 4-6-0, plus an assortment of numbers to allow you to letter any other Annie steam locomotive.

HO Scale:	Set AA-1: $4.00 each
O Scale:	Set AA-1-O: $7.00 each
N Scale:	Set AA-1-N: $2.50 each

 

Ann Arbor Railroad GP38s

Ann Arbor Railroad GP38s at Milan

In the early 1980s, the Ann Arbor Railroad Acquisition Company, operating as the Ann Arbor Railroad, acquired three ex-Conrail/ex-Penn Central GP38 diesels. While they painted these orange with a black and white herald and black lettering, the arrangement was considerably different from that of the former Ann Arbor Railroad's DT&I-inspired GP35 paint scheme.

This set will letter one GP38, as #7771, #7791 or #7802 and, with his permission, is based upon the artwork originally designed by Craig Wilson

 

HO Scale:	Set AA-7: $5.00 each
O Scale:	Set AA-7-O: $8.00 each
N Scale:	Set AA-7-N: $3.50 each

 

Manistee & Northeastern Boxcars

An Accurail HO boxcar painted as M&NE #4011

During the 1930s and 1940s, the Manistee & Northeastern received a dozen hand-me-down wooden boxcars from the PM. Numbered 4000-4011, these double-sheathed cars were taken from the PM's 85000-86000 series. While no perfectly accurate models exist, available models of the USRA double-sheath 40-foot boxcars make acceptable stand-ins.

Each set provides enough white lettering for one boxcar.

HO Scale:	Set MNE-1: $3.00 each
O Scale:	Set MNE-1-O: $7.00 each
N Scale:	Set MNE-1-N: $2.50 each

PM Cabooses

An Atlas Trainman HO caboose lettered using PM-5

A901- and A950-Series Steel Cabooses, and A800-Series Wood Cabooses

In 1937, the Pere Marquette purchased its first steel cabooses, a group of 25 cars from Magor. In 1941, it purchased its final group of cabooses, 40 similar cars from ACF. These groups of cabooses were very similar to each other, as well as to contemporary cabooses purchased by the C&O and the Missouri Pacific.

Over the past 30 years, a number of models have been released in brass, and most recently in plastic, that are either accurate models or reasonably close stand-ins for the PM's A901- and A950-series steel cabooses.

Each set contains roadname lettering, dimensional data and servicing marks to accurately letter two of the PM's A901- and A950-series steel cabooses, or one of the A900-/A950-cabooses and one of the A800-series wood cabooses built for the PM in 1930.

The HO version of this set, along with Tahoe Models Works #104 or #204 Bettendorf swing motion trucks can be used to make a PM A800-series wood caboose from JJL Models' recent Erie C4900-series resin caboose kit.

HO Scale:	Set PM-5: $4.00 each
O Scale:	Set PM-5-O: $7.00 each
N Scale:	Set PM-5-N: $3.00 each

 

 

 

 PM A200- through A600-Series Wood Cabooses

The caboose most uniquely associated with the PM is the wooden "three-window" caboose with its cupola offset toward one end. This type of caboose, based on a Flint and Pere Marquette design, was built from the 1880s through the mid-1920s, with many lasting until the mass-retirement of wood cabooses circa 1971. These cabooses were numbered seemingly at random between A275 and the low-A600s.

Each set contains roadname lettering, dimensional data and servicing marks to accurately letter two of the PM's "three-window" cabooses as they appeared from the late 1920s to the late 1940s.

HO Scale:	Set PM-7: $4.00 each
O Scale:	Set PM-7-O: $7.00 each
N Scale:	Set PM-7-N: $3.00 each

Pere Marquette Wooden Refrigerator Cars

An Accurail HO wood reefer as PM #25010

In 1924, the Pere Marquette's Wyoming Shops built 300 wooden refrigerator cars to help handle its seasonal produce traffic. Now, for the first time ever, we are pleased to offer a decal set specifically designed to accurately model these cars, featuring prototypically-accurate lettering and dimensional data.

While no completely accurate models of the PM's 25000-series wooden reefers are currently available in HO scale, the illustrated instructions accompanying this set describe methods to modify Accurail, Tichy, or Red Caboose kits to make close approximations of these cars. The Intermountain Fruit Growers Express wood reefer is nearly identical to the PM car.

Each set letters one refrigerator car.

HO Scale:	Set PM-4: $3.00 each
O Scale:	Set PM-4-O: $7.00 each
N Scale:	Set PM-4-N: $2.50 each

 

Pere Marquette Steel Snowplows

The PM purchased its last two snowplows in April and September, 1944. Plows SP-21 and SP-22 were fairly typical steel plows from Russell which the PM painted boxcar red with black roofs.

Both Overland Models and Walthers have produced HO models of this style of plow, and this set will letter one for either SP-21 or SP-22. Each set provides enough white lettering for one plow.

HO Scale:	Set PM-3: $2.50 each
O Scale:	Set PM-3-O: $4.00 each
N Scale:	Set PM-3-N: $2.50 each

When calculating the cost of your order, please add $1.00 per order for postage and packaging (US and Canada) to the total cost of the decals ordered. Send remittance to:

Fritz Milhaupt
P.O. Box 7408
Ann Arbor, MI 48107-7408

Please pay by check or money order only, payable to Fritz Milhaupt. Please do not send cash through the mail. I do not accept credit card orders, or orders via phone or e-mail.

All orders are shipped via the postal system, unless other arrangements are made.

Orders placed without including payment for postage and packaging will be returned unfilled.

Future Products

Other Projects

Projects underway, but currently on hold, include sets to letter Detroit & Toledo Shore Line cylindrical hoppers, Michigan Northern E8B/Steam Generator Car #671, Manistee & Northeastern and Ludington & Northern 0-6-0s, and Manistee & Northeastern combine #9.

David Hedlund, of Midland, Michigan has released a very good set of decals for the Michigan Northern's GP7s and its RS-3u. Given the high quality of the printing and the thorough research that went into his set, I have chosen to drop further development of my own set, and to refer interested parties to his line of decals for that set, instead. You can get ordering details and a list of the decal sets he offers by sending a SASE to David Hedlund, 1207 Holyrood St, Midland, MI 48640-6310

 

Decaling Tips

I've put together a sheet describing the techniques that have worked the best for me when applying decals. It is available for download as an Adobe PDF file here.

 

Other Small Decal Manufacturers

There are many other people in North America who produce small lines of decals to model specific prototypes. Many of these are enthusiasts, like myself, who created sets to allow them to letter specific models they wanted for their own use. A very good list of these small manufacturers can be found at Bill Mosteller's Great Decals! site, at http://www.greatdecals.com/.

Bill produces a fine line of decals. Of special note to the modeler of Michigan prototypes is his set for the "scare striping" the New York Central applied to their Budd RDCs in the early 1960s. One NYC RDC which received this striping was M-497, the RDC3 which provided the last NYC passenger service from Detroit to Saginaw and Bay City. M-497 is one of the two numbers available on the Proto 1000 HO RDC3.

 

The Pere Marquette Historical Society

The single best source of information on the locomotives and rolling stock of the Pere Marquette and the Manistee & Northeastern is the Pere Marquette Historical Society. Members receive six issues of PM Tracks, the bi-monthly PMHS newsletter, and two issues of Pere Marquette Rails, the PMHS magazine, each year. Members also receive notices of special projects, such as NKP Car Company's HO brass car side kits for the Pere Marquette streamliners, and other special-run HO PM models.

For more information on the PMHS, and on the Pere Marquette and the Manistee & Northeastern, visit the PMHS Web site at http://www.pmhistsoc.org/