Identifying older O scale box car kits

@rattler21--Yes, you're absolutely right that pictures would be best.  Don't have time today, but I will make measurements and take some pictures.

There were a lot of kit manufacturers...I have a Rail Chief one out on my workbench

now...the old Vandenboom catalog shows photos of kits I have never seen...Walthers

did a lot of passenger car kits, but I have not seen a freight car from them, which

surprises me...

I have several Walthers freight cars - nicer than recent All- Nation.

  "I'd appreciate any suggestions about how to identify the cars."

 

    I can probably identify some of them if you can post photos. Athearn metal boxcars are very common, they have thin tin sides,roof, and ends over a wooden core. Athearn made lots of metal side reefers too but wooden sided reefers are likely to be Walthers, Scale craft or maybe Westbrook. You could browse ebay listings and might see some examples of your models listed there. There's quite a bit of old O stuff floating around considering it's relatively high cost when it was made....DaveB

I've posted this before, but once again:

 

How to tell whether a 40' steel sided boxcar (with metal roof, metal ends, and metal underframe) is an Athearn car or an All-Nation car:

 

1) If you measure the length of the car from the underside, from the inside of one metal end to the inside of the other metal end, an All-Nation car will measure 10", whereas an Athearn car will measure 10-1/8".  This is the same dimension as the car sides.

 

2) If you open the doors, an Athearn car will have a wood or composition inner wall, whereas an All-Nation car will not.

 

3) Just below the right end of the lower door slide, the scalloped edge along the bottom of the car side, an All-Nation car will be cut vertically, whereas an Athearn car will be cut at an angle, just like all of the other scalloped edges on both cars.  Obviously, a modeler could trim an All-Nation car to look like an Athearn, but an Athearn car would never be made to look like an All-Nation.

 

4) Along the bottom edge of the roof overhang, along the side of the car, most Athearn cars will have a row of rivets, whereas an All-Nation car will not.  Do not confuse this row of rivets with the row of rivets along the top edge of the car side, which both cars have.

 

There are other more subtle differences between the two, but the above differences will enable you to determine which it is. 

 

How to tell whether other car types are Athearn or All-Nation:

 

Athearn had a 50' steel sided boxcar (with metal roof, metal ends, and metal underframe).  All-Nation did not.

 

Athearn had a 40' steel sided reefer (with metal roof, metal ends, and metal underframe).  All-Nation did not.

 

All-Nation had a 36', 40', and 50' wood sided reefer (with wood roof, wood ends, and wood underframe).  Athearn did not.

 

All-Nation had a 40' wood sided reefer (with metal roof, metal ends, and metal underframe).  Athearn did not.

 

All-Nation had a 40' outside braced boxcar (with wood roof, metal ends, and metal underframe).  Athearn did not.

 

Both All-Nation and Athearn had a 40' wood sided boxcar (with metal roof, metal ends, and metal underframe).  However, the above 1st and 4th rules still apply.

 

Athearn also had a few one-of-a-kind cars that do not follow all of the rules of their other 40' steel sided boxcars. The Rock Island 20060 aluminum boxcar is one of those exceptions. There was also a GN 2500 aluminum boxcar, a GN 44424 orange sided boxcar, and a GN 47872 wood sided boxcar.

Thanks to everyone who responded.  I've not found the time to photograph the cars, but the suggestion to check listings on Ebay was a good one; several sellers post detailed photographs of the components contained in unbuilt kits from Athern and All Nation.  Finally, mwb's post is especially informative.  

The problem of identification becomes challenging when you run into a car with parts from 5-6 sources like some that I've built....