Since Lionel did the unthinkable by releasing full O scale 89' auto carriers, perhaps they could be persuaded to make an 86' Hi-cube. Is there any interest out there?
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Count me in
I have them in HO....so an O version I have to have!
I think if you build it, they will come.
I would buy em.
I have three old kits to build, but if Lionel (or MTH or Atlas) did an 86-footer I'd buy. If they pull off the right tooling, they could do the four and eight-door variants.
Given my druthers I'd rather if it were done that Atlas O do it, as they tend to do their prototype homework better than Lionel or MTH. Plus you have the choice of 2-rail or 3-rail so in my case I wouldn't have to convert it if it were Lionel (at least MTH makes them more 2-rail convertible-friendly than Lionel since they come with pre-drilled Kadee mounting holes).
But yeah, I'd love to see those offered mass-produced.
YES!!!!
I'd take a couple "layout shrinkers", sure why not!
I have wanted some for years. A 2 rail friend has several made from kits but are no longer available. Sounds good.
AL
Count me in.
For some reason, this car has been overlooked by manufacturers and is long over due. When Atlas produced the 89' pig flat, lobbied them several times but to no avail. I've been on the lookout for the Quality Craft but usually miss them on Ebay. Plans are to take the kit and cut the larger parts from styrene and see what we can do.
With the shift in our economy and more carload freight being converted to stacks, I'm always looking for nice auto parts cars to shoot.
I'd buy them if someone made them.
I'm going to have a Ford assembly plant on my layout. They are a little dated, but I remember seeing them back in the 70's outside the real Ford plant (which is scheduled for demolition starting Monday). The St Paul plant opened back when they were making model T's, and closed a couple years ago.
I would like to have some if done correctly.
This is pretty much the kind of response I expected. I think Matt's suggestion to make both the single and two door versions is great. I'd like to suggest that they make them heavier than the autocarriers which are very light.
Originally Posted by archdalecurve:
Count me in.
For some reason, this car has been overlooked by manufacturers and is long over due. When Atlas produced the 89' pig flat, lobbied them several times but to no avail. I've been on the lookout for the Quality Craft but usually miss them on Ebay. Plans are to take the kit and cut the larger parts from styrene and see what we can do.
With the shift in our economy and more carload freight being converted to stacks, I'm always looking for nice auto parts cars to shoot.
I have three kits -- two Lykens Valley and one Quality Craft. The plan was to clean up the parts and build up the car sides (two-door and four-door) and ends to a point where I could make resin castings. Unfortunately, I've been so busy with two hot projects at work I haven't had the kind of time necessary to get this done. I figure as soon as I do that there will be an RTR announcement from Atlas (preferred), MTH or Lionel. I'd still buy them.
yes!
In four and eight door versions please!
GTW, Conrail, DT&I, Chessie System & Southern Pacific for starters.
- RICH
Yes, I'd like to see those no matter who makes them, as long as they're not fantasy.
Yes, I would definitely buy these. Santa Fe, Conrail, GT and UP would be my first choices, but like auto racks, a variety of road names show up in vehicle and auto rack trains.
These are a natural complement to the full-length Lionel auto rack cars. Like the auto racks, I'll even put Kadees on them in hopes one day my layout rates a "10" and I'm fit to post pictures on the new "Safe Only For Tortured Artists" edition of the three-rail scale forum...:
RM
These are a natural complement to the full-length Lionel auto rack cars. Like the auto racks, I'll even put Kadees on them in hopes one day my layout rates a "10" and I'm fit to post pictures on the new "Safe Only For Tortured Artists" edition of the three-rail scale forum...:
RM
Lionel has to produce the 86' Auto Parts Double Plug-door Boxcar
Railroads that I would purchase:
ILLINOIS CENTRAL GULF
GRAND TRUNK WESTERN
Detroit & Toledo ShoreLine
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton
DT&I Pink
DT&I Blue
DT&I Green
Chicago & North Western 1980's Safety Yellow
Southern Pacific 1970's Red & Gray BIG ARROW SP
UNION PACIFIC in the 1970's scheme: Armour Yellow Sides with large Shield graphic and Silver Ends.
Andrew
This is the Union Pacific Box Car scheme to make. The 1970's Armour Yellow version with Silver Ends.
Andrew
Why did some cares have 2 doors and others four?
Also, there are two Cotton Belt liveries One has SSW reporting marks, but is painted like the big arrow SP cars. The other has "Cotton Belt" in the center of the big white circle.
NYC
New York Central 86' Thrall Car Auto Parts Box car
This is Trainworx artwork.
Andrew
What has to be made in the first run are Thrall Car 86' Auto Parts Box Cars in the
original 1960's Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway schemes.
Andrew
Originally Posted by Dominic Mazoch:
Why did some cares have 2 doors and others four?
I would think that you could load and unload twice as fast with 4 doors. Put 2 forklifts on one car. Of course with that logic, why would they ever make a 2 door version at all? Unless those were an early design, and they wised up after the first run.
Another thought, didn't the modern 89' auto racks, like Lionel is making, come along after the 86' boxcars were mostly retired? Thus putting them together would be anachronistic.
Great Suggestion Neal!
You better believe I would buy a few!
Photo of X60A class (ex NYC) from CRHS web site
Those are beautiful Ben! Never knew anyone was making them.
Thanks,
Alan
Originally Posted by Big_Boy_4005:
* * * *
Another thought, didn't the modern 89' auto racks, like Lionel is making, come along after the 86' boxcars were mostly retired? Thus putting them together would be anachronistic.
Elliot,
They did overlap, and running the two kinds of cars would not be inappropriate depending on time period and railroad practice. For example, Santa Fe's dedicated "vehicle" trains in the 90s commonly mixed auto racks and auto parts box cars, including 86 foot models. That is why I am interested in these cars: The mix of racks and 86 foot cars would be entirely prototypical. The practice continued even after the BN/ATSF merger. The 86 foot cars seem to me less common today, though at least a few are still out there. My sense is that it is indeed less common for them to show up mixed in with trains of racks today.
RM
Why did some cars have 2 doors and others four?
I've read, though I don't remember where, that GM preferred the 4 door cars while Ford used the 2 door. Don't recall any mention about Chrysler.
There are still many in use today. CN/GT uses a nice light blue scheme, NS and UP a rather plain brown. Many out there in very weathered 'classic' schemes such as Chessie, DT&I, ICG and others. Check out..... http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/ ......to see lots of photos of these big guys in service in the 2000's and earlier.
For example, the following picture was taken in 2010.
Attachments
Images (1)
These would look rather silly behind my articulateds and 4-8-4's, BUT:
I would buy one or two as shelf queens if they came in:
Illinois Central Gulf (I think that these post-date the GM&O, but I haven't researched)
New York Central
And, just because I like the car: The Rock
So, importers (or Weaver!): at least one of the above would make it to my doorstep.
Count me in! Santa Fe & Southern Pacific!
Originally Posted by Big_Boy_4005
Another thought, didn't the modern 89' auto racks, like Lionel is making, come along after the 86' boxcars were mostly retired? Thus putting them together would be anachronistic.
NS 154 thru Kings Mountain has a block of 3 - 7 auto parts cars on a daily basis. I've seen south bounds on 119, 153, and 348.
Nothing like railfanning the Pokey back in the day and seeing 184 with hi cube and racks.
Originally Posted by falconservice:
What has to be made in the first run are Thrall Car 86' Auto Parts Box Cars in the
original 1960's Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway schemes.
Andrew
Andrew, we may need to slide in a Central of Georgia as well.
Originally Posted by Rich Montague:
Originally Posted by Big_Boy_4005:
* * * *
Another thought, didn't the modern 89' auto racks, like Lionel is making, come along after the 86' boxcars were mostly retired? Thus putting them together would be anachronistic.
Elliot,
They did overlap, and running the two kinds of cars would not be inappropriate depending on time period and railroad practice. For example, Santa Fe's dedicated "vehicle" trains in the 90s commonly mixed auto racks and auto parts box cars, including 86 foot models. That is why I am interested in these cars: The mix of racks and 86 foot cars would be entirely prototypical. The practice continued even after the BN/ATSF merger. The 86 foot cars seem to me less common today, though at least a few are still out there. My sense is that it is indeed less common for them to show up mixed in with trains of racks today.
RM
Thanks for clearing that up Rich. I was just thinking of the evolution of the auto rack. They started out open then went to closed sides, and finally to covered tops. I'll bet it's been 30 years if it's been a day since I saw the first one with a top. If that's the case they would easily overlap.
The Twin Cities only ever had the one Ford plant, so it was never a hot bed of auto manufacturing, thus my exposure to the 86 footers was pretty limited. In the waning years of the plant's operation, UP and NS had teamed up to bring many of the parts via Triple Crown roadrailers. Frames arrived on flatcars, and any boxcars were of the shorter variety.
I would buy the 4 door and 8 door modles as rich pointed out way above me. This 8 door unit below is very well done SCRATCH BUILDER. I would the following roads to be considered.
Canadian National..Car to be in Brown trimed out in white
Grand Trunk.Car GTWBLUE and trimed WHITE LETTERS with 8 SILVER DOORS #5 Pic,
ATSF...Car to be done in the SANTA FE RED and trimed out in WHITE and black#6 Pic
IC ...Car to be in the IC Orange
Ann Arbor...See the 3rd picture for the Ann Arbor color scheme
DT&I....The color SCHEME should match the 2nd picture below.
CP RAIL Car to be done in Black WITH THE PAK MAN LOGO in white & Red #7 Pic.
ONTARIO NORTHLAND...Car to be done in DARK BLUE with Yellow
Go on YouTube and do a search to see all the recent videos.
Search terms: 86' Auto Parts Box Car.
Too many to post here.
Andrew
ILLINOIS CENTRAL GULF 86' Auto Parts Box Car recently photographed on the CN/GTW mainline in Michigan.
This is one that has to be made by the second production of the 86' Box Cars.
Andrew
Grand Trunk Western 86' Auto Parts Box Car with an end-of-train device in the coupler.
These are still common on the CN/GTW trains in Michigan.
Andew
Since the response to my question regarding the possible production of these cars was pretty much a unanimous "Yes!", I printed up the thread and mailed it to Lionel. Who knows, maybe they will listen and we will see these in a future catalog.
Neal Thanks, it will be intresting to see what might develop.
Bernie I have been having some issues with my pc since I tried posting the pictures above on Sunday and don't want to send any e mails until I know what my issues are. I can;t open pictures on my pc eith which is killing me right now. Thanks
