Another "oldie"...?

Those wheelsets look a lot like Auel wheels.

Probably a scratchbuild; not aware of any kit for a rounded end hopper car, although it's certainly not impossible to have been a kit.  Wheelsets do look a lot like Auel, but the rest of the trucks do not, particularly that truck bolster.

Auel was my first thought as well, but I know Auel have the name cast into the bolster, and these have no markings, or any file marks to show any signs of removal.

While I had the truck off, I noticed that the couplers are mounted inside that brass channel, similar to what the photo on eBay shows on the Anderson car I bought. But...Arvid's cars were brass, and the main body of this is some kind of metal that a magnet will stick to...

EDIT: when I did the magnet test, I found the channel I thought was brass is also magnetic, so I guess steel (?)

The rivets are nicely done, so I'm not sure this is scratch built; I will attempt some better photos...

Mark in Oregon

Hello ..trucks are Monarch ...yes the,coupler folks ...circa 1938-41 ..wheels sets ?

Get your magnifying glass out and you can read monarch on the bolster here's a set of Monarch's found on a Walthers tank car with the modern (at the time 1940)  Tenite wheels ...for two rail

Cheers Carey

Carey

Sure enough, with the help of my Optivisor, there it is: "Monarch". Thanks!

Any guesses on the make of the car itself?  I'm willing to take some additional photos if it'll help...

Mark in Oregon

Rail Craft made several different O scale car kits with tinplated stamped steel parts before WW II.  They were sold less trucks and couplers, so finding an old kit-built car like that could have such period parts on it. Rail Craft also sold cars built up, ready for trucks, couplers, paint and lettering. 

Henry Beeson, I think, was the producer of this line of cars and kits.  Not sue if this is really so, but I've read that he was a high school metal shop teacher and often had students involved in making the parts and sometimes completing finished cars to sell as well.

I had one of them, this panel side two bay hopper, which is 17/64" to the foot scale, which was done by other kit makers as well in the late 1930's.  I have three other Rail Crafts, two kits and a not so well-built car to work on someday. One kit is a panel side gondola. The other is a B&O experimental "More Service" flat car, which could be made into a gondola by means of raising up drop end and side panels that folded down into the car deck. The last is a USRA rib side twin hopper that needs to be redone as some parts were not correctly located when soldered in place.

The Rail Craft cars tend to be light in weight when done and are usually made from tin can stock.  Using a magnet is a big help in determining if steel was used in their construction. It can help identify box cars by Athearn (and the later producers of that line) from General Models / All Nation box cars. Athearn used steel, GM and AN used sheet aluminum, which is non-magnetic.

Below are the Rail Craft panel side hopper and two other steel cars I am working on that date from before WW II. The hopper is a USRA rib side twin hopper made with thicker steel than Rail Craft used.  It scales at 17/64" to the foot and weighs 2 oz less than a pound.  The tank car has a Walthers under frame and dome, but all else is steel. The tank measures at an 11,000--gallon capacity. Walthers wood tank car body kits mainly of the 8,000-gallon size. I added missing parts in brass as well as a detailed brake system underneath.

S. Islander

@S. Islander posted:

Rail Craft made several different O scale car kits with tinplated stamped steel parts before WW II.  They were sold less trucks and couplers, so finding an old kit-built car like that could have such period parts on it. Rail Craft also sold cars built up, ready for trucks, couplers, paint and lettering.

Henry Beeson, I think, was the producer of this line of cars and kits.  Not sue if this is really so, but I've read that he was a high school metal shop teacher and often had students involved in making the parts and sometimes completing finished cars to sell as well.

The Rail Craft cars tend to be light in weight when done and are usually made from tin can stock.  Using a magnet is a big help in determining if steel was used in their construction. It can help identify box cars by Athearn (and the later producers of that line) from General Models / All Nation box cars. Athearn used steel, GM and AN used sheet aluminum, which is non-magnetic.

...and two other steel cars I am working on that date from before WW II.

                     

S. Islander

Great! Other than the flat topped ends, this looks close to what I have. The rivet detail looks like it might be a match.

I will attempt to get some better photos taken.

That panel hopper is beautiful. Bob2 is right; you should publish a coffee table book of your stuff...🙂

Thank you for your input.

Mark in Oregon

I just did a quick Google search, and there was a discussion here in 2018 regarding Rail Craft; since they were offered as kits, that would account for the "generous" amount of solder I'm seeing.

I think we might have an ID. 🙂

Mark in Oregon

The seven ribbed sides match the Scale-Craft/Thomas offset 55 ton hopper kit, which was a mix of castings and stampings. However the peaked/raised rounded ends are not illustrated in any of the catalogs I have.

A couple of close up photos:

Not a great picture, but you can see the rivets are consistent and straight.

Detail. Some large solder joints, but overall, the closer I look at this, it's actually a pretty decent model. And it is pretty light weight...

Mark in Oregon

As kind of a "post script" to this:  unless something else turns up, I'm going with the "Rail Craft" guess.

Normally I like to leave these old pieces as they are, but I should clean this up and re-decal. I'm thinking of stripping off the paint (any suggestions on what to use?), cleaning up some of the excess solder,then repaint and letter.

Any and all advice is encouraged. 🙂

Mark in Oregon

Mark I got some cars from that same fellow, at least I think it is the same fellow as he had a bunch of those hoppers listed as well..

I was pretty bummed when the box showed up and one of the Auel hinge lid trucks was broken on the Virginian hopper...  I will probably try to glue it together.  Three aluminum scalecraft and one railcraft.... I don't think Railcraft made the round end hopper like that though.

I'm also bummed that at least a couple o fthese scalecraft cars have the truck post hole drilled at an angle!!  Wish the build had been more careful.

Hey Dennis; I was wondering when you might "join in". 😁

Sorry about your cars; once again, I guess I just got lucky. 🤔

So...if not "Rail Craft", then...?

Mark in Oregon

Forgive me if I have posted these before, but they show the Railcraft line.  It could also be a kitbash where the fellow added the round ends on his own to kit sides,  Lots of possibilites,  It is true though that the railcraft cars can be a mixture of bras and tin.

Here you go, from the parts box, one real Railcraft NW peaked end hopper , one IMP ( I think) and a couple that I am not sure, maybe Arvid???  Details all over the place with these four cars, ladders on a couple instead of grabs,, rivets on ribs and no rivets on ribs,  and on and on and on, distinctly four different sources... if any are home made, I would bet the red one is as it is the cheezyest of the bunch.  That IMP is a mess, nothing straight or square on it but the two bottom ones are pretty good maybe if I get around to it they will all get repainted and decaled lol.

Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to dig those out and photograph them.

I suppose that, since whatever details added (or not) were up to the original builder, there might be no limit to the slight variations from one model to the next.

With that in mind, I'm gonna stick with Rail Craft... until someone tells me otherwise. 🙂

Mark in Oregon

On page 46 of Wills book American O Scale is a reproduction of an ad for Scale Model Railways Inc showing their C&O hopper.  It has the same arched ends as your car but based on the picture it has to be longer (your car has 7 braces on the sides at the top whereas the pictured car has 9). According to the book the company made kits in the late 1930's. The book does say the company offered a line of kits but it doesn't mention if one could buy separate components.  The rounded ends look so much like what you have that I would favor the idea of a possible scratch building using various commercial components.

Robert, et al

The ad for "Scale Model Railways" on page 46 states their stuff is cast aluminum. I double checked my car and everything (except the trucks and couplers of course) are of a "magnetic-compatable" material, like steel.

If not for high quality of the rivet detail, your guess about it being scratch built "using various commercial components" would be the best bet.

So we may never know for sure. In any case, it's a decent enough example of what is no doubt an "oldie". 🙂

Mark in Oregon

Here is my Scale Model Railways ARA box car, made with five aluminum castings a friend sent me back in the 1980's. Ther was no floor or underframe, so I made one for it in wood and styrene with detailed brake rigging and piping.  From 1937, its year older than I am.   The C&O car number is from a 1943 Official Railway Equipment Register for C&O 40' box cars assigned to automotive parts service. 

S. Islander

Gee, you do nice work. 😊

I'm guessing those are also Athearn trucks... like the ones you put under your Arvid Anderson hopper? (and by the way, the one I bought off eBay arrived today; will try to post some pictures tomorrow...)

Thanks once again for showing us your fine work. 👍

Mark in Oregon