Southern Pacific heavy tool car

[johnb]

So a few years back, Joe D'Amato asked me to go to the Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler, AZ to take pictures of a Southern Pacific heavy tool car, that used to be a horse car.



Micro Trains used my photos as a basis point for their horse car. They decided to make it a 70' car instead of an 80' car like the prototype. The real car has since been restored to the original 1938 green. Since I don't model passenger operations, I modeled this car after the 1966 rebuild into a heavy tool car.

[up1950s]

Nice , I knew the horse car would find its way into many layouts . Just ideal for MOW , tool , storage and signal dept .

[johnb]

next up for this train is a SP crane tender

[SandyEggoJake]

A wise decision by MTL to do the 70' Horse Car, which ran longer and was more common.  Not sure which announced first, but Wheels of Time already ended doing the 80' Horse Car (Espee 80-BH-1) with both original and high speed mod. 

http://www.wheelsotime.com/80-ft-baggage-horse-car/

[johnb]

here is the real one in the 1980's. I am aiming for the 1960's for this one

[SandyEggoJake]

Hmmm.... you know, I'm thinking I need some of those MTL 70's ... for my prohibition era runs to Agua Caliente.  Another topic for research. 

If the MTL 70' was based on an Espee prototype, as you seem to suggest, seems to me they would have decorated one as such.  But so far just seeing UP, Santa Fe, NYC, CP, NH, Milw, B&O and PRR.


EDIT:  MR 2016 review states "Though the model doesn’t follow a specific prototype, it shares some features with cars in New York Central’s 8660-8669 series."
http://mrr.trains.com/news-reviews/staff-reviews/2016/05/quick-look-micro-trains-n-scale-70-foot-heavyweight-horse-car

But the A end does show much similarity to your Chandler pic.  And the SP Baggage horse cars did seem to have clerestory roofs.  Some box vents (shapeways?) and you're golden. 

[Mike the Modeler]

Great use for that car. Well done.
I see proto photos of some SP MOW cars in oxide red and some in the light grey.
Any idea when they started painting their MOW cars in the light grey?

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Its a nice model even if it is too short... definitely could be one that modelers will find of use for a lot of things, be it a horse car or express or MofW service.  It is really right nice, showing the level of detail that MT has now established for heavyweight car detail...

[jmlaboda - RIP]

Not sure which announced first, but Wheels of Time already ended doing the 80' Horse Car (Espee 80-BH-1) with both original and high speed mod.

I haven't been following the WOT horse car but looking at the page for it it says a lot about how popular their car is, everything is "Sold Out".

Both cars are really fine and do present some interesting possibilities not the least of which kitbashing possibly some former Pullmans rebuilt to baggage cars, which could benefit from the deeper letterboard of these models... definitely on my future to do list though not sure when I will have a chance to do such a kitbash myself... what with so much website development going on...