Rutland Railroad #8086 is a recent MTH Premier model (20-99353) made as a special run by forum sponsor Public Delivery Track. It arrived on my doorstep on 01/06/2024 and is the most highly detailed O gauge plastic boxcar model that I’ve seen. In my opinion, it’s at least as good as boxcar models by Atlas O. I’m including several photos to show the fine details of this car. I’ve previously posted photos of my New York Central and New Haven versions.
These cars were designed by the United States Railroad Administration during World War 1. They had a heavy steel underframe, steel ends and roofs, and wooden sides. Some 24,500 cars of this USRA design were accepted by 24 railroads and many remained in service during and after World War 2.
The Rutland Railroad had 300 such cars with road numbers between #8000 and #8299 - built in 1924. About 100 were still in use in 1953 and 16 lasted until the end of the railroad.
MELGAR