Were all Weaver models scale?

Yes.

Not all 40' boxcars were the same height.

Rusty

Rusty

I wonder if he is talking about the steel sided box cars. I have wondered about those too. Markings indicate they are 14ft high. When I sit them next to the PS1 box cars that are marked for the same height, they are noticeably shorter.

Well, 1/4" = 1' so if that's the outside dimension data one might just be able to get out a ruler and check,

I don't remember Weaver selling anything but scale.

Although they did offer 15 inch aluminum cars that I believe were made by MTH. I guess you could say they were scale 60 footers...

The car that weaver called "steel side boxcar" was a model of an early still car, I think about 1923-25 era that was lower height than the PS1 or the 1937 ARA car.    Weaver got the molds from Crown models.   The car is basically the same size as a PRR X29.  

If the markings on the side say the same height as a PS1, the markings are wrong.   the car is just a model of an older prototype car.

That make sense. You would think they would use the correct data information.

Gentlemen,

    I do not know about all the different Box Cars that Weaver made, however most all of them are pretty close to scale, sitting beside my Atlas O WAG Steam Era Box Cars some of the Weaver's are a little smaller, however that could have been the actual way some of the steel side Box Cars were made in that era, they may have been produced in different sizes, or reconditioned from the original wood side Box Cars, as the WAG Box Cars were in that era.  

PCRR/Dave

All Weavers were true O.

The steel sided cars look a bit compresses next to the later PS-1’s. The old style cars in RR history were smaller, thus the difference in looks.

The only thing I noticed is with-in the last few years the graphics were printed (UNDERSIZED) almost “S” or HO size on many cars.

I questioned this but never noticed any corrections. Whoever printed the graphics off site, didn’t catch the smaller sizing.

The Weaver single sheathed box car represents features seen in the mid 1920s and early 1930s. Each side has one less pair of steel braces than the USRA single sheathed design and the Dreadnaught ends have fewer but deeper ribs than the older Murphy end. Car width and height remain similar to the USRA dimensions.

This is a Frisco boxcar built in 1926.

The American Railway Association adopted a standard all steel box car design in 1932. Weaver represents this design with their single and double door steel sided box car. Based on Crown Model Products tooling it features 4/4 Dreadnaught ends and a Murphy rectangular panel roof.  Again, car width and height remain similar to the USRA dimensions.

This NKP boxcar was built in 1934.

Here is an Atlas N scale model of a 1932 ARA boxcar.

By the late 1930s standard boxcars began to have interior heights and widths that prior to that time had only been common on automobile boxcars.  The 1937 AAR design (modeled by Atlas/Intermountain and MTH)  the Pennsy X-31 (modeled by Lionel) the B&O wagon top and Milwaukee Road rib side (from Weaver) and the post-war PS-1 (modeled by Weaver, MTH and Lionel)  all had 10' to 10' 8" interior heights.  That lead to great variation in boxcar roof heights in the 1940s and 1950.

For more historic photos see steam era freight cars.

http://www.steamerafreightcars...ry/boxautosmain.html

Markings indicate they are 14ft high. When I sit them next to the PS1 box cars that are marked for the same height, they are noticeably shorter.

Weaver cars may be scale but they often received decoration that belonged on other cars.  Weaver frequently put incorrect paint schemes on the smaller boxcars and the tank cars.  Weaver tank car data is almost comical if you start reading it.

Ted thanks for the link.

Yes.

Here is a photo of four cars all converted to 2-rail.

From the left to right, Atlas, Weaver, Weaver, Lionel.

All are different heights but scale.

Thanks. Roo.

 The Weaver cars that were purchased from CMP are scale as mentioned. One of the partners of CMP came up with using these two prototypes so that he could sell to both 2 rail scale, hi rail and traditional Lionel operators. A simple swap of the trucks and couplers. The size also matched up well with Lionel's 6464 boxcars giving train runners at the time affordable alternatives to collector priced cars. When first introduced I believe they sold for less than 30 dollars. They were a presence at both pretty much only 2 rail scale shows in the northeast as well as Greenburg shows. Remember these cars were built long before MTH was offering cars and Lionel had only had a few scale sized offerings. As far as 2 rail. I don't believe anything was offered RTR other than brass, a few Weaver cars, or some old Atlas for scale runners. Seeing the cars were still being made a short time ago. I guess it was a good marketing plan as far as starting a company and picking out 2 cars that would sell.

Well, I tend to cut some slack re prototype data and the model when it comes to O3R. 

For instance, using O3R trucks with their oversized flanges, and 'standardized' lobster-claw couplers attached to the trucks, and providing enough clearance for both on a model, I figure there has to be some compromise somewhere.  Yes?  No?

I mean, if you remove the O3R trucks and couplers, and then convert the car to O2R using body-mounted couplers and trucks with wheels having either proto-48 flanges or the NMRA RP25 tread/flange contour, I can't imagine that...voila!...the roofwalk is at the same altitude.   Or is it?

Re boxcars being of different heights, anyway, that's been well clarified in the prior responses.  And whether the car data they print on the side of these models is accurate or not?........Really?........ 

Besides, anyone visiting who would pick such nits and challenge wits can anticipate receiving the same hospitality as an IRS agent.

Not my hummock to die on.

KD (a.k.a., Lucas Gudinov)

O scale freight car size varies GREATLY by era, type and material the prototype is made from. Look at 1940-50's era photos of freight trains......almost every car a different size. Today cars are more uniform but not so in the past. I have almost every Weaver car....all scl\ale out full scale. 

Bear in mind besides cars built in the RRs own shop there were a number of freight car builders who built cars to a standard capacity but with there own variation of structural detail even today this is common. You are correct at the time Weaver introduced the plastic tank car the tooling was set up for both lengths, the first cars were kits you assembled as I recall. I have a 40' Tank I assembled painted and decaled later cars came finished.

The Weaver 40' tank car was based on a 1960's model. When researching for a tanker, this was one of our questions. We also got a list of road numbers that were in use at the time. As far as other data, we didn't go that far. Our club cars have additional text, suggested by forum members. 

Don

I heard they created a single tooling that could be used to make both 40ft and 50ft tank cars.  I don't know if either product is based on a prototype.

The Weaver, MTH and Lionel modern tank car models from the 1990s have been decorated for all manor of prototypes.

Take a look at the O Scale Freight Car Guide to Tank Cars for more info.

https://ogrforum.com/t...-car-guide-tank-cars

Weaver Boxcar models include three smaller 1920s-30s era cars.  They are the...

Single sheathed

Single door steel side

Double door steel side

Late 1930s-50s era Weaver boxcars are the...

B&O wagon top

Milwaukee Road Rib side

PS-1 with 8 foot sliding door

PS-1 with plug door

And the modern era...

50 foot outside post sliding door

50 foot outside post plug door

All are scale models of differently constructed and different size cars. 

Only owned one car, I was not impressed with the car but other stuff I have seen is really cool. They only made the best of the best

Weaver cars have provided me with a relatively inexpensive avenue to learn how to weather using scale-sized freight cars. There are plenty of great deals out there on the secondary market.

They may lack some of the finer add-on details, but they are scale (or very close to scale) size, and after some weathering, the addition of die-cast trucks & couplers and additional interior weighting, these cars actually look pretty darn good...and run very smoothly, too!