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Memorial Day is tomorrow, a day we honor those who died in military service for our country. Our flag is flown from daylight until noon at half-staff in honor of our fallen.  At noon, the flag is raised to full-staff by the living "who resolve not to let their sacrifices be in vain, but to raise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all."  Quote from Home of Heroes.

Memorial Day is not a day of  celebration, but a day of remembrance.  I do not have any specific Memorial Day items to show, but I do have several cars with our flag in my Red-While-Blue collection.  Here is my favorite:

Lionel NS Support Our Troops

While I do not have a flag pole, I will be flying my porch flag all day with the Black Mourning Streamer until noon.

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  • Lionel NS Support Our Troops
Last edited by CAPPilot

Here is a series of cars I did as volunteer manager of our Museum's gift shop for the Mid-Continent Ry. Museum in North Freedom, Wis. I had been wanting to do this for some time, and finally we did. I started out in HO only, and when I found Seymour Knight, of Pleasant Valley Process in Cogan Station, PA. I could now do all the cars I did in HO, in O gauge. And from then on, Seymour did new releases in HO and O. Unfortunately Seymour passed away on October 7, 2015 and my custom cars have come to a halt. I hope someday to find people to do these cars in HO and O in small quantities. I also did a few more boxcars, a caboose, and a couple of tank cars, and hopper cars. All these cars were using blanks from Weaver, who had a nice working relationship with Seymour. Keep in mind these were for fun, and I incorporated our Museum in many ways, including that  the Museum fictitiously leased out the cars. Our slogan is used on some items at the Museum.MCRM Ruhland's BeerMCRM Effinger BeerMCRM Russell's DairyMCRM Benders Feed West Div.MCRM Benders Feed east Div.MCRM 50thMCRM NF canning Co.MCRM Ruhland's BeerMCRM Ruhland's BeerMCRM Effinger BeerMCRM Russell's DairyMCRM Benders Feed West Div.MCRM Benders Feed east Div.MCRM 50thMCRM NF canning Co.

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  • MCRM Ruhland's Beer: This was one of the first cars. My numbering system consisted of the first year our Museum started at N.F. 1963; and the year I did the car, using the last two digits of the years. Thus this car was done in 2001. In business from 1867 to 1920.
  • MCRM Effinger Beer: All my cars had to do with businesses in North Freedom and Baraboo. This is the second beer reefer for the other Brewery in Baraboo. They closed down in 1965. This artwork came off an old piece of their stationery. This car was actually printed by Weaver!
  • MCRM Russell's Dairy: North Freedom had several farm bottling milk businesses. Russell's Dairy was one of two who had their own milk bottles. The artwork came off of the bottles.
  • MCRM Benders Feed West Div.: My in-laws owned two feed mills. I worked at each. The logo on this car was actually painted on our mill many years ago.
  • MCRM Benders Feed east Div.: This car represented our mill in Baraboo with a hearald I made up. Also note the funny slogan they used at one time, I put in a C&NW ball & bar style background.
  • MCRM 50th: To commemorate our Museum's 50th Anniversary I did up this car using the old color scheme that the Burlington Route once used on their boxcars.
  • MCRM NF canning Co.: North Freedom's biggest business was a canning factory, in which they canned corn and peas. this was to be our last car done by Seymour.

jushavnfun:

      Seeing that Baby Ruth car again made me smile! That car was in my first Lionel set from 1951 that my parents gave me when I was 6 years old. The set consisted of a Lionel 6110 steam engine and tender, that Baby Ruth car, a gondola and a caboose. I played with that set for hundreds of hours and my family added to it with Lionel accessories. I still have the set. If it was considered a starter set to get kids interested in trains, it WORKED!

   John

Well here we are on BXCRSun: (Ok I just made up that acronym)...Great pictures all.  corsair29 - love the wagon top B&O, CNJ#1601 great Jersey Central Box, Jeff B. Haertlein - great custom cars, wish I had one of those Russel's Dairy or Benders Feed Mill cars, they would fit really well on the Leonardtown and Savannah. CAPPilot - really liked your paragraph on the celebration for Memorial Day, afraid almost all our local celebrations, even the one at the Veterans Home (here since the Civil War!) were cancelled. 

Perhaps making a small note of another kind of passing, here are some pictures of some businesses that are now or have previously passed into bankruptcy.  These were stalwarts of most of the 20th and early 21st century (at least in my life) and are now gone or nearly gone.  Victims of our new ways of shopping or consumer trends or ???? who knows.  Anyway for Box Car Sunday, here is a small remembrance. The cars are mostly from my "plug door" box car collection.

First - my kids dream store - Toys R Us, founded 1948, modernized under a new mgmt team in '57, bankrupt 2017.  By the way, Lionel made around 10 of these cars for this store, mostly differing in details,number, and decoration in the 70's and 80's.  Two of them (at least 2 which is all I have) are "Giraffe" type cars with Geoffrey's head activated to duck down as the car passed a track trip.

Box Car 1

Sears...my goodness where would we have been with out Sears?  Founded in 1886 and by 2018 bankrupt. This plug door box car is from a Sears special Lionel set for their "Centennial Celebration" in 1986

Box Car 2

The Kiddie City Hopper, note toy train fans that this was LIONEL Kiddie City from the 1980's onward although it was started in the 1960's.  It grew under Lionel to be the 4th largest toy store chain in the US!  In 1991 they filed for Chapter 11 and reduced their store count and by '93 they were gone. (OK I know its not a box car but I couldn't resist the Lionel connection)

Box Car 3

Finally, where we always took our kids (born in the 70's) for their "good clothes" - after we shopped at Sears for most everything else.  Founded in 1902 and filed for bankruptcy in 2020.  This car from their 75th anniversary in 1977.  Special car made by Lionel.

Box Car 4t w

 

Best wishes for Box Car Sunday to all

Enjoy the Holiday

Don

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  • Box Car 1
  • Box Car 2
  • Box Car 3
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Well here we are on BXCRSun: (Ok I just made up that acronym)...Great pictures all.  corsair29 - love the wagon top B&O, CNJ#1601 great Jersey Central Box, Jeff B. Haertlein - great custom cars, wish I had one of those Russel's Dairy or Benders Feed Mill cars, they would fit really well on the Leonardtown and Savannah. CAPPilot - really liked your paragraph on the celebration for Memorial Day, afraid almost all our local celebrations, even the one at the Veterans Home (here since the Civil War!) were cancelled. 

Perhaps making a small note of another kind of passing, here are some pictures of some businesses that are now or have previously passed into bankruptcy.  These were stalwarts of most of the 20th and early 21st century (at least in my life) and are now gone or nearly gone.  Victims of our new ways of shopping or consumer trends or ???? who knows.  Anyway for Box Car Sunday, here is a small remembrance. The cars are mostly from my "plug door" box car collection.

First - my kids dream store - Toys R Us, founded 1948, modernized under a new mgmt team in '57, bankrupt 2017.  By the way, Lionel made around 10 of these cars for this store, mostly differing in details,number, and decoration in the 70's and 80's.  Two of them (at least 2 which is all I have) are "Giraffe" type cars with Geoffrey's head activated to duck down as the car passed a track trip.

Box Car 1

Sears...my goodness where would we have been with out Sears?  Founded in 1886 and by 2018 bankrupt. This plug door box car is from a Sears special Lionel set for their "Centennial Celebration" in 1986

Box Car 2

The Kiddie City Hopper, note toy train fans that this was LIONEL Kiddie City from the 1980's onward although it was started in the 1960's.  It grew under Lionel to be the 4th largest toy store chain in the US!  In 1991 they filed for Chapter 11 and reduced their store count and by '93 they were gone. (OK I know its not a box car but I couldn't resist the Lionel connection)

Box Car 3

Finally, where we always took our kids (born in the 70's) for their "good clothes" - after we shopped at Sears for most everything else.  Founded in 1902 and filed for bankruptcy in 2020.  This car from their 75th anniversary in 1977.  Special car made by Lionel.

Box Car 4t w
Yea Don:

Thanks for the compliments on our custom cars. About all that is left is the nice Effinger car and maybe three of the Canning Factory car

Best wishes for Box Car Sunday to all

Enjoy the Holiday

Don

 

@John Knapp posted:

jushavnfun:

      Seeing that Baby Ruth car again made me smile! That car was in my first Lionel set from 1951 that my parents gave me when I was 6 years old. The set consisted of a Lionel 6110 steam engine and tender, that Baby Ruth car, a gondola and a caboose. I played with that set for hundreds of hours and my family added to it with Lionel accessories. I still have the set. If it was considered a starter set to get kids interested in trains, it WORKED!

   John

This is pretty close

20200524_15330220200524_153211I20200524_153218

20200524_153228

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Wow everyone, there’s a Lot of box cars out there, Don McErlean great lineup of famous billboard box cars, and CAPpilot great looking box car with the american eagle as this is a great time to reflect back in our memories of those that fought and gave their All for our freedom.  Yes, we are blessed in so many ways, and our hobby brings us together. Stay safe, stay healthy, pray continually.... Happy Memorial Day Everyone... Happy Railroading 3766B685-D794-4233-82AE-FCAC7C138996BB40EFD9-234E-4004-A5DF-9B13F315F831

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  • 3766B685-D794-4233-82AE-FCAC7C138996
  • BB40EFD9-234E-4004-A5DF-9B13F315F831

The Pennsy built over 29,000 X-29 boxcars from the late '20s through the early '30s, and there were many thousands more ARA boxcars used by most railroads that were copies of the X-29.  The X-29 was easy to spot due to its short height.  By itself, it looked longer than 40' but when next to another boxcar you saw how short it was. Here are some photos of an Atlas X-29.

AtlasO X29

DSCN0355 [2)P1050927 [2)

 

An X-29 next to a re-built X-26c.

DSC_0034 [2)

 

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  • AtlasO X29
  • DSCN0355 (2)
  • P1050927 (2)
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Last edited by CAPPilot

Well Hokie71 opened the door on Cattle cars so I will add to the mix.  The Leonardtown and Southern (Tx Div) is contemplating some new Cattle cars (we ship a lot of cows) and is even going abroad for possible examples to buy...(Management of the RR is CHEAP to the extreme) and has imported a few examples to run on their home road to see how they perform.  One of the test evaluations is shown below:

Hornby Cattle Cars with cow X2

On the left is a Hornby No 1 Cattle Wagon made from '49-'54 and still carrying the pre-nationalization RR name of "LMS" in the car data.  The one on the right is a Hornby Type 50 wagon made from '57 to '62 as listed in the catalog but sales continued (IAW Hornby announcements)  "until stock was expended" which perhaps is as late as '69.  What about that creature in the ski cap???  Oh, that is BESSIE the L&S "Test Cow" and a member of managements evaluation team.

Happy BXCr Sun everyone.

Don

 

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  • Hornby Cattle Cars with cow X2

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