Boxcar Sunday, Let's see your boxcars.

Some Northeastern repaints by me…Weaver, Atlas and MTH ….

Tom

When am I going to learn to research the car before I buy it  Here is my latest not quite right car.

It is an Atlas Trainman 50' double-door outside braced boxcar.

This car would be perfect if I knew how to remove "AUTOMOBILE" from the side without damaging the red paint.

WP built 150 of these boxcars in 1929, numbered 12001-12150, and they lasted into the 50s.  The problem is, these cars were not automobile cars.  The WP did build 100 more of these cars, but with an end door for automobiles and those were numbered 13001-13100.

This model does not have an end door, so "AUTOMOBILES" must go.  Just got to figure out how to do it.

Morning all on a Frigid Box car Sunday in Russia, NY, a Lionel Erie Lackawanna operating car. Enjoy your day.

I was thrilled to find a C&NW grain boxcar for sale.  Have one of the two numberings Lionel did. By the way for folks wondering what the blob is on the door, it is representing the logo shape of the Miller beer logo now worn off.

Well happy BxCrSun everyone...today I decided to go back to pre-war American Flyer and their sometimes confusing numbering scheme.  These boxcars could be numbered 1112 or 1115 theoretically using 1112 if 4 wheel and 1115 in 8 wheel but many exceptions to that rule have been found (see below).  So here are two 1112 or 1115 boxcars from American Flyer ...all made for quite awhile from 1919-1935 for the #1112 and 1919-1929 for the  8 wheel # 1115 and 1935 for the 4 wheel .

For example, here is an 8 wheel AF "automobile car" labeled 1112???

Here is the same car in the yellow orange color scheme, dating to 1922-25.  Note that this 8 wheel car has the "correct" 1115 number.

Well happy box car Sunday everyone.  Have a great week.  Watch the snow and those treacherous streets.

Don

Here's a favorite of mine. A really old All-Nation car...I got it in very bad shape, repaired it...repainted, lettered  for my Sierra & Northwestern,  then loaded  with Navy beans painted two shades of green.   They are hard to find (the car, that is),   beans are easy.  The straw is corn silk.

Anybody fond of the MPC era Baby Hi Cube cars? They're about the same footprint as a traditional 6464 boxcar except for the additional height.

They fit well on a smaller layout and add a nice variety to a more modern freight train consist.

Weaver GN boxcar which I lightly weathered.

@Don McErlean posted:

Don Winslow in your post above you used the term..." 6565 Lionel Wellspring era" to address the UP boxcar that you posted.  Back on 11/21 I posted a CP boxcar which also was listed in my guide book as "6565 series" but the book did not use the term "Wellspring"  however the characteristics of the car were very similar to your UP.  Superb quality, die cast frame and fully sprung trucks, heavy weight body etc...far in excess of the MPC 9700 series cars.  I was curious where you found the term "Wellspring" and what it refers to???  I had not found any other 6565 cars until you posted your UP car.

Best wishes

Don

This is indeed an odd term. It does refer to a mid cap equity firm that assisted in the ownership transition at the time. Reportedly it also represented the interests of the heirs of certain owners. I believe that that they no longer have any interest in the current Lionel ownership structure.

Some older repaints…various makers…

Tom

Good evening everyone, thanks for posting the beautiful box cars this Sunday. This is one of my favorite box cars, C&EI, made by Atlas O. Happy Railroading Everyone

Also during the Wellspring control of Lionel, they made some all diecast tank cars and hoppers, around 1998 through the early 2000’s.
Artie

@trumpettrain posted:

Weaver GN boxcar which lightly weathered.

Patrick, I love the look of your layout, it has that railroad grittiness of an organized mess! Great looking rail car, fits into you theme perfectly!  I like the figure with the hard hat and his hands behind his back holding the pallet.

@Krieglok posted:

Some Northeastern repaints by me…Weaver, Atlas and MTH ….

Tom

Tom the Erie is my favorite great job as always

Here’s my Reading Weaver RS-3 pulling some Vintage Atlas O boxcars

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Patrick, I love the look of your layout, it has that railroad grittiness of an organized mess! Great looking rail car, fits into you theme perfectly!  I like the figure with the hard hat and his hands behind his back holding the pallet.

Thanks so much Scott!  I sincerely appreciate your comments. The grittiness of real railroads has always intrigued me, even as a young kid, so I try to imitate that grittiness on my layout.  

When creating scenes the kind of figures used and the placement of those figures is highly important in elevating the overall  ascetic quality of the scene.  I spend a considerable amount of time choosing and placing figures into scenes.  

Ready to move it......

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Ready to move it......

Petty sharp Dallas , that is a like.

Mark

@Sitka posted:

Petty sharp Dallas , that is a like.

Mark

Thanks Mark.

I keep trying to figure out how to limit the noise of the motor on this and my caboose with a similar type of mechanism without harming the movement. 🤔

Part of my mass purchase of cars included box cars like this, expect only the mechanism is inside and nothing else, I was wondering what they were and have not and time to investigate! Now I know! Thanks!

Dallas...that is a cool car!  Not seen one operate before, thanks for the video

Don

Nice looking cars guys! One day I will take the time to post some of mine. Just too busy right now! LOL

Here are some of my favorites.  First up are 4 MTH 50' PS-1 Chessie "Cameo series" boxcars.  There were 6 cars in the series on the 1:1 C&O.  I wish MTH or whoever owns the tooling would produce the remaining two cars in the series.  Note that I include both sides of the car as many of them had non-matching sides.

And another of my favorites:

Andy

@CR Cole posted:

Part of my mass purchase of cars included box cars like this, expect only the mechanism is inside and nothing else, I was wondering what they were and have not and time to investigate! Now I know! Thanks!

@Don McErlean posted:

Dallas...that is a cool car!  Not seen one operate before, thanks for the video

Don

The track needed for the operation..........

The operating Lionel boxcar needs to have the boxcar center metal plunger...... lined up over the magnetic button in the center and the switch moved to the one side........

The operating MTH caboose needs to be centered on the track like the MTH boxcar with the switch thrown the other way ......the MTH operating cars use ceter pickup rollers like 3 rail engines have....

The uncoupling of either Lionel or MTH cars need the trucks centered over the magnetic button .

Thise track also turns the light on and off ( even on the fly ) on the Lionel Spotlight Car.

OK, the ones I have are Lionel x3464 Operating Box Cars. I actually have 5 of these. 4 AT&SF and one NYC. From what I googled they were made from 1949-1952. The one Brown door was 1948 and the black doors were later. I have three men. Not sure if the work or not, but hopefully I can get one working. I am not really sure what they are doing or why they are in the box car. Appears the door just opens, and they say Hi! Possibilities....

@CR Cole posted:

OK, the ones I have are Lionel x3464 Operating Box Cars. I actually have 5 of these. 4 AT&SF and one NYC. From what I googled they were made from 1949-1952. The one Brown door was 1948 and the black doors were later. I have three men. Not sure if the work or not, but hopefully I can get one working. I am not really sure what they are doing or why they are in the box car. Appears the door just opens, and they say Hi! Possibilities....

CR.........I'm not sure what the little guy is supposed to be doing either.   Maybe he is supposed to be waving that the boxcar is ready to be moved.

To find out if the mechanism is working ....you can just pull the plunger at the bottom of the car after the door is pushed closed .  The door had a little tab and the man was on a spring loaded platform.

When I bought this car I had to put a small amout of silicone from a spray can on the plunger .   After that I  did open the boxcar and applied some silicone on the metal platform and spring to further aid smooth operation.

Good luck with yours.  Have fun.

Thanks for the tip Dallas! I haven't really had anytime to mess with all the cars I got. It seems every other day I find another gem! They are all pretty gunky, I figured when I have time I would take them apart and clean them up and now add a little silicone. If I can get the ones working without the little guy, I might experiment at what else I could have popping out the door! My inner 10 year old is just screaming about possibilites from a frog to an army man to a PlayBoy Bunny! (he is an old soul 10 year old)

@CR Cole posted:

I might experiment at what else I could have popping out the door! My inner 10 year old is just screaming about possibilites from a frog to an army man to a PlayBoy Bunny! (he is an old soul 10 year old)

Happy Box Car Sunday all, here are Lionel State of Maine cars along with a Rivarossi Box car from the 60s that was my dad's.

I bought this a while back but just recently opened it up. It's a custom run Lionel stock car done for the Railroad Museum of Long Island. Duck farming was a major industry on LI starting in the late 1800's. Most of the big farms are housing developments now but there are still some in operation today.
The railroad was instrumental in moving Daffy and his friends to the markets in New York City.

A local farmer built a giant duck in 1931 and had it along the road in front of his farm.

More about the duck here.

Bob

YOUTUBE Video about the 1967 BEE LINE SERVICE

https://youtu.be/pj0bTemV2Bo

                                                                      #2125

Great looking cars, so far!

I have nothing new to offer just yet. I have a couple cars in the paint shop…

Tom

@SIRT posted:

YOUTUBE Video about the 1967 BEE LINE SERVICE

https://youtu.be/pj0bTemV2Bo

                                                                      #2125

Nice detailing again SIRT with that weathered boxcar and even the floor.

So this made a Bee Line all the way from Pottsville ? 

@RSJB18 posted:

I bought this a while back but just recently opened it up. It's a custom run Lionel stock car done for the Railroad Museum of Long Island. Duck farming was a major industry on LI starting in the late 1800's. Most of the big farms are housing developments now but there are still some in operation today.
The railroad was instrumental in moving Daffy and his friends to the markets in New York City.

Bob

Certainly a rare look for a cattle car  Bob .

@Krieglok posted:

Great looking cars, so far!

I have nothing new to offer just yet. I have a couple cars in the paint shop…

Tom

Can’t wait to see what you come up with Tom

@SIRT posted:

YOUTUBE Video about the 1967 BEE LINE SERVICE

https://youtu.be/pj0bTemV2Bo

                                                                      #2125

Alway enjoy the cargo shot Steve. Very nice.

Well since Steve has put me in Reading mood and I’ve been that way all last week here’s my contribution this week.These are a couple Weavers I bought a few years ago  

@RSJB18 posted:

I bought this a while back but just recently opened it up. It's a custom run Lionel stock car done for the Railroad Museum of Long Island. Duck farming was a major industry on LI starting in the late 1800's. Most of the big farms are housing developments now but there are still some in operation today.
The railroad was instrumental in moving Daffy and his friends to the markets in New York City.

Bob

Wow, Bob... an awful lot of quacks in the sides of that boxcar (sorry... couldn’t resist)

PW 2055 moving a string of box cars, HAGD

@Apples55 / Paul :  I am afraid that your last joke was so bad, it will require a fine...so we will send you a "bill"  and don't try and "duck" out of it!!

Hey, building on Sitka's theme with the State of Maine boxcars, here is Mr. Marx's take on that theme with a 7" lithographed car circa 1956.

With a GE 70 ton type switcher from NYC.

Behind a Marx 994 type steamer (out of sight) .

Happy BxCarSun everyone...the sun is out and the snow / ice is gone here in central Texas !

Best wishes

Don