I visited Frank Rash’s “Frank’s Roundhouse” train shop all the time when I was growing up. I used to watch Frank’s son, Jack, assemble all these awesome cars in the shop.
The boxcars would arrive to them with the painted/lettered shells separate from the stamped metal floors. I can’t remember if the doors and door guides were also separate pieces that needed to be installed, or if they were already attached to the body shell. There would be cases upon cases of decorated bodies, and boxes and boxes of steel floors. The trucks were also separate—if my memory serves me correctly.
Jack had to install the trucks on the floors, then attach the shells to the floors. Then he put the finished cars in those classic stamped, white boxes. He had quite the process down and was able to turn them out pretty quickly!
I remember thinking how they looked so much bigger and better than the equivalent Lionel boxcars of that period. I suppose it’s no surprise that a few years later—when I had a job and some disposable income—I bought a LOT of these great cars!
This thread has taken me down memory lane!
