18" radius passenger cars

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

I was going to order a set of the ConCor GN coaches as well, but I lucked out and recently found a couple of sets of the 60' Rivarossi in the GN Empire Builder scheme as well as the NP scheme as well.

I've got an Athearn heavyweight GN RPO and coach in the Empire Builder paint scheme coming, and I'm currently bidding on a diner and observation--plus I've got a four-car set of the 60-ft. Rivarossis on watch on eBay! (Why couldn't these have showed up before I placed the order with Con-Cor?  )

I want these cars to run behind a late-model Mantua Atlantic in a GN paint scheme that I got for a song on eBay. I doubt it's accurate but I have to say I don't particularly mind. The engine looks beautiful and runs even better than it looks. It's a good engine for a small layout with 18"-radius curves--to bring this back to the subject of this thread. 

[Pacific Northern]

I've got an Athearn heavyweight GN RPO and coach in the Empire Builder paint scheme coming, and I'm currently bidding on a diner and observation--plus I've got a four-car set of the 60-ft. Rivarossis on watch on eBay! (Why couldn't these have showed up before I placed the order with Con-Cor?  )

I want these cars to run behind a late-model Mantua Atlantic in a GN paint scheme that I got for a song on eBay. I doubt it's accurate but I have to say I don't particularly mind. The engine looks beautiful and runs even better than it looks. It's a good engine for a small layout with 18"-radius curves--to bring this back to the subject of this thread. 
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I am running my 60' Rivarossi GN cars behind a Spectrum Ten Wheeler decaled for the GN as my Secondary branch line passenger coach.

On my Mainline I am running (alternate) the Walthers Empire Builder with the F units alternating with a Spectrum Heavy Mountain with the Vandy tender which was decaled for the GN.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

The RPO and the coach arrived yesterday. They look very nice behind the Atlantic!

And I won the diner and the tail car!

I haven't decided yet on bidding on the Rivarossi set, or what I'm going to do about the Con-Cor order. I need to look into whether I can cancel it, just in case, though I'm tempted to keep it just because those Con-Cor cars are lighted. I do most of my running to relax in evenings, and I confess that I like lighted passenger cars. 

I understand the Walthers "Builder" cars need a 22" radius minimum, and since I'm confined to 18" radius by space constraints, I'll be sticking with the Athearn, or the Rivarossi, or the Con-Cor cars.

I need to do some research into the history of the color scheme for the "Builder." I have a Mantua FA and FB pair, with a set of Mantua's streamlined cars lettered for the "Builder." The F units and the cars are painted orange and brown, which I thought was historically incorrect (I thought the "Builder" was orange and green), but the Athearn coach and RPO also came in painted orange and brown.

Clearly I have some homework to do!