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@das boot posted:

My maxim for toy trains, "if Lionel and MTH do not manufacture what you want, then create it yourself."

This is my first Groucho design, have two more brewing on my mental drawing board. On a limited basis, I do custom one-of-kind train cars for others.

@das boot

My E-Mail address is in my profile. Send me an E-Mail with the subject train cars. I am intrigued.

Something a little different here.

Pecos River imported a lot of 1937 50' ARA boxcars. Single door, double door and double door with doors in one end. They came undecorated as kits or painted and lettered for various railroads as ready-to-roll in 3 rail and 2 rail.

The cars have detailed plastic bodies, a pouched and formed steel sheet floor panel with a detailed plastic underframe.  While not all that popular with picky 2 rail O scale modelers, they are good looking cars with a moderate price tag.

I worked out a way to push them a notch or two over so-so, ho-hum RTR models by installing wood sheathing on the interior sides, and make computer printed paper wood flooring panels that were glued to both sides of the black steel floor panel.

Because the Pecos River boxcars are assembled with screws, they are relatively easy to take apart, apply the detailing and re-assemble. Just don't lose any of those tiny screws!!!  Doing it this way avoids making the steel floor too thick, which would happen with thin wood strip overlays on both sides. It would make reassembly more difficult and also change the coupler height when put back together.

Prototype box cars have unpainted wood flooring that shows on both sides - inside the car and underneath as well. It's rarely ever modeled correctly, except perhaps for a top rate contest model.

Not shown here is the car side interior wood sheathing. It was made with sheets of Micro Mark 1/8" decking, fitted between the floor and eaves line and between the door edges and car ends.

On the sheathing to the left of the doors at about 6' or so up from the floor, I used a pencil to put in the car's reporting letters on one line, and the car's number below that.  A very important detail for freight handlers in loading or unloading cars when they cannot see exteriors to identify the cars in question.  I have (or had) that photo, but I can't seem to find it.   ARRGhhh!!

S. Islander



PR 03PR 04PR 07PR 08PR 09

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Images (5)
  • PR 03: Pecos River box car as is - inside
  • PR 04: Pecos River box car underbody - as it comes.
  • PR 07: Printed paper wood panel overlay for the underside. Black edges model the side sills.
  • PR 08: Printed paper wood panel overlay for the interior floor, which fits wall-to wall.
  • PR 09: Assembled Pecos River box car with printed paper wood flooring..
@Sitka posted:

Ron did you buy or make those boxcars, Thanks Mark

Those are standard Atlas X-29 boxcars that I added the poster too.  The poster is pretty close to what the real cars had.

The Friendship Train, actually trains since there were several, eventually dropped off around 700 cars at NYC's docks.  The vast majority of these mostly boxcars were not specifically painted for the train, although there were several that were.  Both MTH and Lionel have produced the cars painted for the train.

I am trying to duplicate the signs that were on the cars that had pictures taken of them.  To help me with this, several years ago I took these photos of a HO set at a PRRT&HS convention.  Click on them to enlarge.  I have many more photos of actual cars, but due to the rules I can not post.  Search the web.

What I really want to duplicate is the searchlight car used to advertise the location of the train for food dropoff.

Searchlights-model

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  • Searchlights-model
Last edited by CAPPilot
@das boot posted:

My maxim for toy trains, "if Lionel and MTH do not manufacture what you want, then create it yourself."

This is my first Groucho design, have two more brewing on my mental drawing board. On a limited basis, I do custom one-of-kind train cars for others.

Here's a fun Don Martin Tribute Das Boot did for me:

20230102_035226[1]

The "MAD" logo is being taken over by some of Martin's characters as he was treated rather unfairly by MAD's publisher, Bill Gaines, in later years.

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Images (1)
  • 20230102_035226[1]
@Weston posted:

One of may favorites.
I wonder if Weaver did any more cars in this livery.

Happy New Year,

WestonBE12D1DE-328D-4003-BBCB-42213CBF0A94

I've got to find one of these boxcars. In my high school and college years in the mid to late seventies, I rode the "Insull Era" coaches caricatured in the "The Little Train That Could" graphic from Chicago all the way to South Bend on several occasions. The same graphic was featured on the coaches. The traction motors made a wonderful sound as the pinion gears meshed with the drive gears. On one trip, we lost a rectifier and had to wait a while for a replacement. I believe the 1926 Pullman coaches I rode had been lengthened and "modernized" in 1943-44 and had picture windows and A/C added in 1949-50.  These runs would prove some of the last for these grand old coaches, as they were all replaced by Nippon-Sharyo coaches beginning in 1982 when NICTD took over passenger operations on the South Shore.

My model of Maine Central #36123 was made by Atlas O (8687) in November 2006 with MSRP $49.95. It is a model of a single-sheathed 50-ton boxcar designed by the United States Railway Administration during World War I. Data on the car-side says it was built in May 1919. The Atlas O detail of the steel frame and wood sheathing is exceptional. One of my favorite boxcars. I didn’t realize that I had bought it as long as sixteen years ago.

MELGAR

MELGAR_2022_0512_09_MEC_36123_10X5MELGAR_2023_0106_05_MEC_36123_10X5_TRESTLE

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  • MELGAR_2022_0512_09_MEC_36123_10X5
  • MELGAR_2023_0106_05_MEC_36123_10X5_TRESTLE

Well here we are in the second Sunday in 2023.  Today I have, following Sitka's lead, two Lionel 0-27 box cars.  Indeed these were called a number of things, although Lionel always referred to them as 0-27.  Collectors often call them "Plug Door" boxcars (which they are not in reality) or as Sitka has mentioned "Scout" type - as some of the early ones did come with Scout type couplers. They are mostly just fun to collect as Lionel often saved its most colorful livery for these cars in addition they were always inexpensive and so were often used in special sets for particular customers.  These two fit that category, both appearing (in different years) in special sets made up for "Tru-Value" use at the Christmas season.

First the Lionel #9046 appearing in 1976 in Special Set 1698 with Steamer #8601, 9020 flat car, 9078 caboose plus 4 straight and 8 curved pieces of 0-27 track.

Lionel 9046 Tri Value Paint 0-27 box white

Next appearing in 1977 with the same livery except for the car # but in green.  This car also came as part of a special set, # 1792,  which was identical to set 1698 above except for one small detail.  In 1977 this Tru Value car was packed in a unique Tru Value bag placed within the set.  This is important because if you are a collector, to claim mint condition for this car you must also have the bag.  (to answer your question...No I don't have the bag).

Lionel 9053 Tru Value Paints 0-27 BOX [green)

Well all the best for starting off 2023.  May your week be happy and healthy

Don

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  • Lionel 9046 Tri Value Paint 0-27 box white
  • Lionel 9053 Tru Value Paints 0-27 BOX (green)

Here is a Weaver single-sheathed, or outside braced, 40' boxcar.  This WW1 USRA design had a steel frame and an exposed steel Warren Truss frame for the box that provided strength to the car, giving it a 50-ton capacity.

DSC_0005

Here is a Lionel double-sheathed boxcar.  Designed at the same time as the single-sheathed boxcar, the USRA double-sheathed boxcar sat on a heavy steel fish-belly underframe and had an interior of horizontal boards and an exterior of vertical boards with a wood frame sandwiched between them.  Since the box was wood it was cheaper to make but had less strength so it was limited to 40-ton capacity. 

DSC_0004

Because the double-sheathed car's box was wood it proved less durable then the single-sheathed cars.  The double-sheathed cars were mostly gone by WWII except for MoW service, while the single-sheathed cars lasted into the 60s.

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Last edited by CAPPilot

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