GOT MILK?

PRR Man,

   Real nice stuff, Great job!

PCRR/Dave

Those are interesting cars.    Did they insulate them more than just a wood liner?    It seems like getting the sliding doors to seal well would have been a big project.

Very nice job. I like unusual cars. Another oddball was a Santa Fe "Conditionaire" center flow hopper. They were covered with foam insulation and painted orange. I don't recall the commodity (I think it was potatoes). MTH did one in the right color, but it was just a regular ACF hopper (I bought a couple anyway). Their rough texture made them difficult to keep clean.

Chris,

   The cars look great.

   If you are interested in that sort of thing, while not based on the Lackawanna, Robert Mohowski wrote a great book several years ago on the O & W. I highly recommend it if it is not in your railroad library.

  Tom

Nice job, Chris!

Really an excellent modeling job!

George

Great looking cars Chris!!  Congratulations!!

Thanks guys!

EDIT: The conversion of the boxcars by the Keyser Valley shops was done in 1957, not 1950.

Jim,

the cars were equipped with diesel powered refrigerator units, ducting and were insulated similar to other reefer cars. I thought they had Pfaulder tanks installed, but cannot confirm that, so I believe they were used for milk cans. There's a photo in the Erie-DL&W Freight & Passenger Color Guide showing an open door, inside that the upper 1/3 of the opening is plated over.

Tom, thanks for the book tip.

Excellent job! Thanks for sharing an interesting subject.

Stephen

Being an Erie , Lackawanna , Erie Lackawanna fan. Phew! That was a mouthful!

I like those cars very much. Nice.

Well done mate.

Roo.

Chris,

You bring the milk. I'll bring the cookies!

Nice job.

Ed

It would make a lot of sense for them to have the Pfaulder tanks since they were built so late.   Maybe they did.    

Certainly beautiful cars. Having been raised on the DL&W M&E electrified line in New Jersey from the mid 1950s through 1960, I must admit, I've never seen one of those cars. Wonder what milk suppliers they were used out of.

Jack,

one photo in the color guide shows it in a drill working the Straders creamery in NJ.

Chris 

If'n ya wamts it, ya gotta make it yo-'sef'.  Nice job.

PRR man super nice job! can you tell us how you accomplished this conversion?

PRR Man,

Your two mechanical reefer cars are beautifully detailed and are a neat addition to your collection.

Both cars are finely made.

Enjoy,

Ralph

Where did you get the decals for these cars?  They look fantastic.

I purchased a couple of custom silver painted Weaver milk-box cars that someone had done about ten or more years ago. I don't recall who commissioned the work. They lack the vents and other details, but the numbers are right. Having been a student of the DL&W milk trains for quite some time I recall reading somewhere that indeed they were can cars.  PRMan's models are simply superb. Milk trains and the industry they served is a fascinating study. 

Earl   

Chris,

Outstanding. Cool cars. Thanks for posting those.

Chris.

Which book do you have mine says on pages 86-87 (3 photos) Becker Creamery at Straders.

Just wondering if there is another book. I have a few.

Roo.

all you need to do now is have the set pulled by a Train Master....

Roo,

you are correct. it is Beckers.

As I originally noted, #1799 was built by Matt Forsyth. Since Matt prides himself on accuracy, it was fortunate I had his version as a template to build my #1798.

The project started with an older Atlas Roco boxcar. New 6' doors were installed with fillers inserted on the car sides. The unique details were all built from styrene strips with a few brass details like lift rings on the roof hatch. A PSC roof walk replaced the original. Athearn trucks with IM wheelsets underneath. There is conflicting information whether these two cars had the unique Chrysler trucks under them during milk service. If that proves to be true, Bill Davis will be making them in O scale.

It took me some time to source the decals and to jog Matt's memory of what he used. The billboard LACKAWANNA is Champs gothic alphabet lettering, the car data is a Champs reefer data set, and other lettering is Microscale Railroad Roman lettering. The most tedious part was matching the lettering of the original.

I am fortunate to have several of Ben Brown's resin kits of the DL&W 42' wood milk cars, which will be next on my build list.

For those who model the DL&W Erie and EL. Prime Mover decals is a great source!

Thank you for the complements.

Pete, the trainmasters are coming... eventually.

Chris,

  Excellent work, sir !  Although I am not two rail/scale running in my consists, one of my favorite trains I run is my milk train.  I have two sets of the NYC milk cars (CC ll) and another ten cars of the various milk cars Lionel issued.  For motive power, sometimes the CC ll Niagara, or NYC F3s, Mohawk, etc.  Do not have NYC Trainmasters, only in S.P. and ATSF colors.  Looks like I may have to acquire some, would be nice to see pulling the milk train.  Again, very nice work!

Jesse

Since Jack (Hot Water) was curious, here's further information on the use of these cars:

There's a photo in the Rober Bahrs book: Railway Milk Cars Vol. 3 showing both cars in a consist of the SCRANTONIAN circa 1965 (which would be an EL train by then). The caption suggests that since Becker's creamery in NJ was closed by then, they may have been used out of Homer, NY on the Syracuse branch. The photographer stated that these cars were not regulars on the train, leaving more questions as to use.

Chris, 

Great post, and thanks for the kind comments about my original work. 

Matt Forsyth

Forsyth Rail Services

http://mattforsyth.com/