Tropicana 50 foot double door plugged boxcar
This MTH model is painted orange with the familiar Tropicana logos. This is #20-93486 which was released in 2010 with two road numbers: 12050 and 12053. The paint scheme used on these cars is very similar to Tropicana railroad cars from the 70's. However the current fleet of Tropicana cars include only 60 foot mechanical reefers painted in an all white scheme.
Prototype photos attached.
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The current white Tropicana car shown is actually 64' scale length with the platforms, as the photo shows, the refrigeration unit is now on one of the front ends making it easy for the railcar team to service the unit.
The Orange paint scheme is a 57' length mechanical reefer with refrigeration unit on the bottom of the reefer box. Weaver's 57' mechanical reefer is the closest to that era boxcar. The MTH model you show is non refrigerated plug door boxcar in terms of Tropicana use. It, to my knowledge, was only painted the dark green that the Atlas O model was released as.
The paint scheme on the MTH model you show is a bit of a mix, the logo with Tropic-"anna" in her hula skirt (so named as a niece of the founder of Tropicana at the original plant in Bradenton FL in the 1950's) was a partially correct logo but used on the previous to the all orange boxcar paint scheme which was.......... back to white!
Weaver does a good job of capturing all the paint schemes for the most part. They released the current white paint scheme in their 57' reefer as CSXT which is partially correct, but only a few really run the rails that way. For now anyway.
Not sure if you were looking for more info but thought I would share, I worked at the plant in Bradenton for quite some time..............
Mark
The current white Tropicana car shown is actually 64' scale length with the platforms, as the photo shows, the refrigeration unit is now on one of the front ends making it easy for the railcar team to service the unit.
The Orange paint scheme is a 57' length mechanical reefer with refrigeration unit on the bottom of the reefer box. Weaver's 57' mechanical reefer is the closest to that era boxcar. The MTH model you show is non refrigerated plug door boxcar in terms of Tropicana use. It, to my knowledge, was only painted the dark green that the Atlas O model was released as.
The paint scheme on the MTH model you show is a bit of a mix, the logo with Tropic-"anna" in her hula skirt (so named as a niece of the founder of Tropicana at the original plant in Bradenton FL in the 1950's) was a partially correct logo but used on the previous to the all orange boxcar paint scheme which was.......... back to white!
Weaver does a good job of capturing all the paint schemes for the most part. They released the current white paint scheme in their 57' reefer as CSXT which is partially correct, but only a few really run the rails that way. For now anyway.
Not sure if you were looking for more info but thought I would share, I worked at the plant in Bradenton for quite some time..............
Mark
Both MTH and Lionel often release models in "fantasy" paint schemes that do not reflect actual prototypes.
Here is a photo of an HO scale model of the new Tropicana railroad cars
Early Tropicana lettering scheme - white car
The current white Tropicana car shown is actually 64' scale length with the platforms, as the photo shows, the refrigeration unit is now on one of the front ends making it easy for the railcar team to service the unit.
The Orange paint scheme is a 57' length mechanical reefer with refrigeration unit on the bottom of the reefer box. Weaver's 57' mechanical reefer is the closest to that era boxcar. The MTH model you show is non refrigerated plug door boxcar in terms of Tropicana use. It, to my knowledge, was only painted the dark green that the Atlas O model was released as.
The paint scheme on the MTH model you show is a bit of a mix, the logo with Tropic-"anna" in her hula skirt (so named as a niece of the founder of Tropicana at the original plant in Bradenton FL in the 1950's) was a partially correct logo but used on the previous to the all orange boxcar paint scheme which was.......... back to white!
Weaver does a good job of capturing all the paint schemes for the most part. They released the current white paint scheme in their 57' reefer as CSXT which is partially correct, but only a few really run the rails that way. For now anyway.
Not sure if you were looking for more info but thought I would share, I worked at the plant in Bradenton for quite some time..............
Mark
Here is an MTH car in the early Tropicana white scheme
Another MTH Tropicana model. This one is a white paint version.#20-5603A. Part of 20-5603-1 freight set containing 4 Tropicana models.
Similar to the prototype except it is a 50 foot boxcar and not a reefer.
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