Making a B&O M-15k wagon top box in N scale

[Snark45]

Which says:

"Cars were lettered in two series, 370000 to 370989 and 371000 to 371249.

Many of these cars lasted into the mid-fifties with 1156 of the original 1250 still being in service in 1955. But the age of the underframe, the “forty-year rule”, was starting to take its toll on the class. By 1956 only 375 were in revenue service and by 1960 the number was down to 18."

From Steamerafreightcars.com: 

"Between 1955 and 1957 all but eighteen M-15Ks were rebuilt with entirely new underframes, thereby extending their service lives." See reply#13.

From "Rail & Wire", Sep 2011:   http://www.irm.org/railwire/pdf/228.pdf

"...392  [M-15k] wagontops were fitted with new AAR-designed underframes at their [B&O] Washington, Indiana  shop. These cars were classified as
M-15n  and  assigned  new  numbers." Accompanying pics show a car looking much like the M-53's...

[Didn't have much to do today, so I went on an info hunt...   Harry]

[Sokramiketes]

I'm glad to see this neat car getting some air time!  Yes, pre-registered attendees for RPM Chicagoland were provided their choice of an HO or N scale conversion kit for a B&O M-15k.  These are referred to as "Mini-Kits" in that it is a conversion of an existing plastic freight car into a new prototype through the addition of resin/styrene/decals/etc.   Fox Valley Models (M-53 base model), Micro-Trains (fish belly underframe), and Tichy decals, plus some styrene, allowed the modeler to craft an interesting exposed sill model.

We have another car in the works for 2017, so check out the RPM Chicagoland conference at www.rpmconference.com and see if you can join us this year and get your hands on the next N scale Mini-Kit!

[cjm413]

I'm glad to see this neat car getting some air time!  Yes, pre-registered attendees for RPM Chicagoland were provided their choice of an HO or N scale conversion kit for a B&O M-15k.  These are referred to as "Mini-Kits" in that it is a conversion of an existing plastic freight car into a new prototype through the addition of resin/styrene/decals/etc.   Fox Valley Models (M-53 base model), Micro-Trains (fish belly underframe), and Tichy decals, plus some styrene, allowed the modeler to craft an interesting exposed sill model.

We have another car in the works for 2017, so check out the RPM Chicagoland conference at www.rpmconference.com and see if you can join us this year and get your hands on the next N scale Mini-Kit!

PS-0?

[Cumbo2000]

[quote author=OldEastRR link=topic=42517.msg536357#msg536357 date=1501882843 But what was the timeframe of these cars? It says they were built in 1936 but doesn't give how long they lasted.

[/quote]

As you noted the fishbelly M-15 box cars were rebuilt during 1936-1937 with new wagon-top steel bodies. This is the configuration for the mini-kit. These cars lasted until 1955 when most of the M-15 wagon-top fleet received new "AAR" steel underframes. This was an accelerated project as all conversions were completed by 1956. If you model before 1955 this kit is OK, but if you model after 1955 one needs to model the cars with their new underframes. It is probably an easier conversion as one need not do the old end sill. The ends of these conversions look just like the M-53 as modeled by FVM. Some of these cars lasted into to the 1970s.

There are several images on the web and here is a link to the one in Illinois Railway Museum.
http://www.irm.org/cgi-bin/rsearch.cgi?freight=Baltimore+&+Ohio=374065

Bob Witt