I would not call it a fantasy paint scheme. To me a fantasy paint scheme is something that totally never existed. This is more like an inaccurate model.
I am going by the number Lionel used.
According to to the book Freight Equipment of the NYC Vol.1 in 1945 ACF built boxcar lot 736B. These were 50' 6" measuring from the inside and were numbered 74600-75999. There is a picture of one of the prototypes on page 19.
The Lionel model is fairly close but has two (IMHO) glaring errors. Number one the prototype has 3 rows of rivets on the left side of the doors and 5 rows of rivets on the right side of the doors while the Lionel model has 4 and 7 rows of rivets respectively. Actually those rivets are correct for other NYC Boxcars but as I said I am going by the number Lionel used. Number 2 is the paint scheme is, at least according to the one in the picture I am looking at, incorrect. The large NYC logo should be on the RH side and the markings with the number should be on the left hand side. They got the NYC logo and markings exactly right but put them on the wrong sides. The doors are not perfectly accurate either. The metal rectangle on the RH door is much lower and to the right on the prototype and there appears to be more ribs on the prototype doors. However, Lionel did get reinforcements of the doors very accurately. I cannot compare the sides of the cars because I can't see the sides of the prototype.
Of course it's up to each individual to decide if these errors bother them. For me the improper logo placement is worse and would bother me now that I know what is correct.
