There are no commercially-available kits that even come close to these cars. Nor are there any trucks available that match the inside-bearing trucks used on the train. The modeler who cares about accuracy is left with one basic option: scratch-building.

I began by doing just that. I started by building a single coach, to work out the bugs in the design; later I planned to mass-produce a larger group, so as to save time in parts layout, etc. For the prototype I chose MOUNT EVANS. It's made from sheet styrene; the only commercial parts are the diaphragms, wheel sets, and couplers. This approach has worked out very well. It's just too bad the scratch-building takes so long.

Here are some photos of the cars, complete or nearing completion.

MOUNT BIERSTADT	Coach, Car No. 2.  This car is the only one of its exact configuration on the train.   This is the B side.  The model is nearly finished; it just lacks grab irons and number boards, and the final details on trucks.
NORTH PARK	Lounge, Car No. 5.  This is the A side. The model is in the same state of completion as MOUNT BIERSTADT.
NORTH PARK	Lounge, Car No. 5.  Here is the B side.   Note the large blank area in the middle of the car.  This is the back wall of the snack bar service area.
MOUNT EVANS	Coach, Car No. 6.  It is essentially identical to MOUNT ELBERT and MOUNT MASSIVE.  The window patterns on each side are mirror images. This was the first car I built.
Business car UTAH	Private/Business car (diner).  This car brings up the markers on my model train, although on the real train it's nearly always followed by business car KANSAS. This model is a conversion from a Con-Cor slumbercoach. I haven't gotten to the underbody details yet.

Update: I have installed draft gear and wheels on LA PLATA PEAK, though the trucks have not received final details or paint.   PYRAMID PEAK is the final car to be rigged out. Watch for pictures here-- as soon as I finish them and take their portrait, I'll be posting the images.

I actually scratch-built the trucks out of styrene, using commercial wheelsets. Although I didn't get down to the brake-caliper level of detail, they turned out quite satisfactory, and work well. Of course, you could just opt to use standard commercial trucks; most people wouldn't notice the difference. But the trucks are pretty distinctive, so I want them to look right. A recent option is to use the trucks that Athearn makes for their Bombardier commuter coaches. They're not an exact match, but are a lot closer than anything else on the market.

One thing in our favor is that Microscale does have a set of decals available in HO scale. The catch is that they will only do three cars from one sheet, since certain critical decals are only repeated three times. You end up with a lot of unused decals. But the set does include the markings for the power car and the business cars.

The power car would be a fairly simple conversion from an Athearn PB-1 dummy. It would require replacement of the trucks with 2-axle EMD trucks, the fuel tank would need to be rebuilt, and the radiator panels and roof fan need removing. The main details to add would be the roof hoods, and the recessed doors.

If You're More Interested in the Past...

The Patterson & Forrest book has a lot of good information on past Ski Train equipment, including dimensional drawings (something it does not have for the newer train!). You can probably get away with using some of the 1920's series coaches from IHC/Rivarossi, or even the Athearn standard coaches, though these are shorter than the prototype. You could get enough decals off the Microscale sheet to do the cars, since the older ones didn't have individual names.

The first car on the train was always one of the ex-Prospector combines (# 1230 or 1231). This is available in brass; Tyco used to make a combine which was too short but can serve in a pinch. Nickel Plate Car also makes carsides and car cores that can be assembled into the car. Since the Bicycle Car on the later train is the same car, it's worth checking into. One of these same cars would always serve on the Rio Grande Zephyr as well.

Motive power would depend on the time frame you're modeling, but a pair of GP40's (or GP40-2's) were the typical power in the late '70s and early '80s, with occasional appearances by the F9 set. The F9s were the sole power during the 1984 season (which was the last season they were used on the train, being retired later that year).