N Scale Ancient Wiking Containers

[Mark5]

I've been watching these on Ebay for months, but was on the fence due to poor photos. I bit the bullet and bought a set - a long shot ...

I was surprised and amused that the rib side containers had the "rib" missing across the mid section. This is because the set comes with lettering - stickers!

I'm guessing this set is circa 1970s - gotta love some of this early N scale!

The containers are 8' and actually scale out to 40' and 20'. The only one that I think I will end up using is the 20' "smooth" side, as this was a common container in the early 70s.

Wasted money for the most part, but at least I now know what's what (and here's the historical document). 

Mark

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[peteski]

That was very informative - thanks Mark!  Not only the missing rib detail in the sticker area, but the very crude door hardware details shows just how far the N scale has come since those early years.  At least when it comes to containers.

I also found your N scale ruler interesting.  I have the same exact ruler but with Con-Cor name etched in it.  Looks like the same manufacturer made those for several companies.  And I always thought that it was only sold by Con-Cor.

[cfritschle]

That was very informative - thanks Mark!  Not only the missing rib detail in the sticker area, but the very crude door hardware details shows just how far the N scale has come since those early years.  At least when it comes to containers.

I also found your N scale ruler interesting.  I have the same exact ruler but with Con-Cor name etched in it.  Looks like the same manufacturer made those for several companies.  And I always thought that it was only sold by Con-Cor.

The Flint rulers pre-dated the Con-Cor rulers.  I purchased my Flint ruler in 1969, along with my first NP5 container set.   

Flint Balsa Distributors was the U.S. distributor for Wiking at that time, and here is their ad from the December 1969 issue of Model Railroader.


While the containers lacked detail, they did fit into the wells of the Interrail Thrall LoPac 2000 double stack cars.  They were the only "assembled" container that would when the double stack cars were first released in the late 1980s.
 

[peteski]

The Flint rulers pre-dated the Con-Cor rulers.  I purchased my Flint ruler in 1969, along with my first NP5 container set.   

I'm thinking that there was (or still is) some company out there which makes steel rulers, and they were simply offering to produce a batch of rulers with whatever name someone wanted etched in them.

[jagged ben]

The Flint rulers pre-dated the Con-Cor rulers.  I purchased my Flint ruler in 1969, along with my first NP5 container set.   

Flint Balsa Distributors was the U.S. distributor for Wiking at that time, and here is their ad from the December 1969 issue of Model Railroader.


While the containers lacked detail, they did fit into the wells of the Interrail Thrall LoPac 2000 double stack cars.  They were the only "assembled" container that would when the double stack cars were first released in the late 1980s.

Good to know.  I think these are still the only rib-side 40ft containers available in N.

[Mark5]

Good to know.  I think these are still the only rib-side 40ft containers available in N.

Also Micro-trains, though they hardly ever release them:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41063.0

All part of my frustrating quest to model mid 70s intermodal.

Mark

[jagged ben]

Also Micro-trains, though they hardly ever release them:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41063.0

All part of my frustrating quest to model mid 70s intermodal.

Mark

Don't know why I forgot about those.  (They're not any good for double stacks though, too wide.)