Looking For Help With Some U.S. Road Box Cars

[cjm413]

Appropriate 50' double-door models for the era, to start:

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Athearn #14150  50' PS1  NH (11/56)

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ExactRail #50802  50' Gunderson 5200  BN (3/70)

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Fox Valley #8077 & 80825  50' FMC 5283   SSW (6/74)

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Fox Valley #80816  50' FMC 5283  SP (1974)

All discontinued, but not elusive.

Latter two need Hydra-Cushion underframes

[nkalanaga]

That would be a simple kitbash, requiring only a set of MT doors and some styrene strip for new door tracks.

I did a similar conversion for CB&Q double plug door cars, many years ago.  If I was to do it today, I would start with an ESM X58 car, which is (apparently) the prototype for the CC cars as well.  The ESM car is much nicer, and easier to find.  The CB&Q car required cutting the original door out, and adding a new rib to narrow the main door.  All you'd have to do for the NP car is shave the door hardware off the plug door, as the new doors cover everything.

[Point353]

The MTL model isn't close enough to the prototype to "need" any modifications.

Suppose we let the OP make that decision - unless you have a better solution to offer?

[cjm413]

Suppose we let the OP make that decision - unless you have a better solution to offer?

For starters, the prototype doesn't have PS-1 ends, doesn't have a PS "bow tie" roof, has a smaller sliding door, has riveted side panels, etc.

On the other hand, the prototype was built with a roofwalk and full-height ladders that are present on the stock model...

[cjm413]

That would be a simple kitbash, requiring only a set of MT doors and some styrene strip for new door tracks.

I did a similar conversion for CB&Q double plug door cars, many years ago.  If I was to do it today, I would start with an ESM X58 car, which is (apparently) the prototype for the CC cars as well.  The ESM car is much nicer, and easier to find.  The CB&Q car required cutting the original door out, and adding a new rib to narrow the main door.  All you'd have to do for the NP car is shave the door hardware off the plug door, as the new doors cover everything.

Con-Cor model has a Murphy panel roof that is wrong for a X58, but is conveniently a better match for the NP cars than the correct diagonal panel roof on the ESM X58

[BCR 570]

ExactRail also made that Gunderson 5200 in SP&S, many of which remained in SP&S paint into the 1980s.  Since the BN cars were from the same order, the SP&S could show up anywhere the BN did.

I would love to have an SP&S boxcar; that was a railway I almost modelled way back when.  The problem is that I cannot find any of these Exactrail cars online anywhere.  Looks like they came and went a long time ago and most people are hanging on to them.

Good to know the GN cars could still be seen in late 1970s; I will post a photo of the one at Chetwynd and see if anyone can suggest a model for it.


Tim

[cjm413]

I would love to have an SP&S boxcar; that was a railway I almost modelled way back when.  The problem is that I cannot find any of these Exactrail cars online anywhere.  Looks like they came and went a long time ago and most people are hanging on to them.

Good to know the GN cars could still be seen in late 1970s; I will post a photo of the one at Chetwynd and see if anyone can suggest a model for it.


Tim

GN had some 50' single-sheathed cars that were rebuilt with new PS ends and roofs.   Also note that these cars also retained the original fishbelly center sills after rebuilding

[cjm413]

GN PS-1 matching new MTL car (albeit with dimensional issues) photographed in Vancouver, BC

[BCR 570]

GN PS-1 matching new MTL car (albeit with dimensional issues) photographed in Vancouver, BC

Taken by my friend and fellow N Scaler Wayne Sutton!

GN had some 50' single-sheathed cars that were rebuilt with new PS ends and roofs.   Also note that these cars also retained the original fishbelly center sills after rebuilding

Am I right in thinking that this looks a lot like the MT P-S 50' car with the PS ends and roof, and offfset doors  . . . . .

Tim

[cjm413]

Taken by my friend and fellow N Scaler Wayne Sutton!


Am I right in thinking that this looks a lot like the MT P-S 50' car with the PS ends and roof, and offfset doors  . . . . .

Tim

You could use a double-door PS-1 as a stand-in

[bbussey]

Latter two need Hydra-Cushion underframes

As does the New Haven car.

[nkalanaga]

"You could use a double-door PS-1 as a stand-in"
I have, and I believe MT made them in the original red scheme, which also lasted into the 70s, along with the later green and BSB.

If MT is making a PS-1 with a 10 ft sliding door I'll have to look into it.  I kitbashed mine using a "Railbox" door, so long ago the car is lettered with Walthers decals.

As for the NP cars, you're right about the roof.  The prototype has a PS roof.  this typical of the NP's home-built cars: Roof from here, ends from there, doors from somewhere else, sides by Brainerd Shops.  To go with these, they also had a batch of 40 ft cars with 10 ft sliding doors, which had PS ends and a diagonal panel roof...  It's no wonder it's hard to find a prototypical NP boxcar. 

And the GN isn't much easier.  They built, or rebuilt, a lot of their cars, and almost all of the 40 ft cars had 12-panel sides.  IM made them in the 10 ft IH, but nobody makes the 10' 6" cars.  Then there's the 50 ft cars rebuilt from 1920s cars, like the 40259 pictured above.

[wcfn100]

As does the New Haven car.

If your talking about this car:



I don't think it had a cushioned frame.


Jason

[cjm413]

"You could use a double-door PS-1 as a stand-in"
I have, and I believe MT made them in the original red scheme, which also lasted into the 70s, along with the later green and BSB.

If MT is making a PS-1 with a 10 ft sliding door I'll have to look into it.  I kitbashed mine using a "Railbox" door, so long ago the car is lettered with Walthers decals.

As for the NP cars, you're right about the roof.  The prototype has a PS roof.  this typical of the NP's home-built cars: Roof from here, ends from there, doors from somewhere else, sides by Brainerd Shops.  To go with these, they also had a batch of 40 ft cars with 10 ft sliding doors, which had PS ends and a diagonal panel roof...  It's no wonder it's hard to find a prototypical NP boxcar. 

And the GN isn't much easier.  They built, or rebuilt, a lot of their cars, and almost all of the 40 ft cars had 12-panel sides.  IM made them in the 10 ft IH, but nobody makes the 10' 6" cars.  Then there's the 50 ft cars rebuilt from 1920s cars, like the 40259 pictured above.

Here's the new MTL PS-1 that uses the existing MTL 10' Youngstown sliding door:



It still has dimensional issues that carried over from the original PS-1's, but it does have the gussets on the lower corners of the door openings in addition to the low handbrake and ladders.

[BCR 570]

Here is the photograph I have of a GN 50' plug and sliding door car next to the Chetwynd freight shed:





Car number appears to be GN 17858 - not sure if this would be a red or green car . . . probably red?


Tim