Boxcar Sunday, Let's see your boxcars.

Sarah, that is beautiful model work, and I like the car marker’s graffiti, that you included.

Amazing artwork, Sarah! The paint work and weathering are top notch!

Tom

OK Box car fans...I have an "old" one for you...this guy was made between 1914-1925.  His exact dating will take a little more study but I just got him and wanted to post his picture.  He is a Lionel #800 PRR box car.  His condition, as one might expect, shows some play value... but he could be 108 years old... he is at a minimum 96 years old...Wow even older than me!! The key dating parameter at the gross level is that in 1926 Lionel stopped stamping the #800 on the end and put it under the door.  Hence the end stamp means he is 1925 or earlier.

Happy Sunday everyone...hope you have a good week

Don

The milk reffer car.

A day late, but better than never…

Two Weaver cars.

The Frisco car started as a undecorated 2 rail outside braced boxcar. Primed with Tamyia grey primer and painted with Scalecoat II paint. K4 supplied the decal set. Finished with flat finish and Weaver three rail trucks were installed.

The Penn Central 40’ car was painted as a Christmas commemorative car. I stripped it and repainted it with Scalecoat II paint and used a K4 decal set. I finished the car with Scalecoat flat finish.

Tom

Well hello BxCrSun folks, last week I posted pictures of the Lionel #800 boxcar which is somewhere between 106 and 95 years old. So this week, I will continue with "old" boxcars but this one is some 25-30 years newer.  This one represents Lionel's efforts at increased realism in the immediate post war period.  This is the Southern Pacific, X-6454 in "red / brown" color with a complete circle around the SP herald.  This indicates it dates from 1951-1952 so its a mere 70 years old.  It came to me with its original box that while showing some wear is still relatively complete.  The car itself, as you will see, is very much like new.

Here is the full side of the car, die cast trucks and automatic couplers on both ends.

A quarter view, showing the Southern Pacific herald in more detail

An end view, showing the great detail these older boxcars had including the add on brake wheel and the deep rivet and ladder detail in the casting.

The 3 sides of the original box.

Happy BxCrSun everyone, hope you have a great week.

Don

Wow, Don, that SP boxcar is in great shape. I think they did Erie and NYC as well. I’d sure like to find them for my little layout.

Artie

Artie :  Than you for the complement.  Yes they made an Erie and a NYC (in 3 versions: brown, orange, and tan) , a PRR (Baby Ruth), a PRR (not Baby Ruth), and a A.T.S.F.   They also made 3 variants of the SP car like mine (red/brown) and 2 versions in light brown.  By the way, the "orange" that I list is not the later bright orange of some of today's cars but a muted somewhat dulled brownish orange.

All of these are available and relatively modest in price on collector sites EXCEPT the orange/brown door NYC and the PRR Baby Ruth  which seem to command a very hefty price increase (especially the Baby Ruth) .  My advice unless you are a collector, these premium priced variations do not offer any operational advantage, its just the scarcity of the livery.   They are great boxcars, super detailed , die cast trucks, metal frame, and automatic couplers on both ends.  They were Lionel's premium in the late 40's to the early 50's.  Only caution is that by later MPC standards they are somewhat heavy.  Now the good news on that is that it makes them good trackers both pulled and pushed but you do have to use a locomotive with some power especially if you expect a long string.  My layout can't stand long trains, too small, so I have no difficulty with one or two in a train along with other type cars.

Good luck in the hunt, they are reasonably available but rare enough to be fun and challenging to find.

Best Wishes

Don

Thanks, Don. I may just casually seek them out. I fondly remember them from my youth, but was caught up in the 6464 series when they were introduced.

Here's another of the custom cars I did for the Mid-Continent Ry. Museum. The thoughts on this custom car was the Santa Fe's map cars. I used our map of our railroad line and produced a pretty nice car. No longer available. This car was produced in 2002!

Wow, time sure flies, I’ve been busy with honey do, then vacation, now trying to catch up with looking at the beautiful Box Cars posted. Don McErlean, that’s a nice SP box car. We traveled to North Carolina to see a friend, stopped by the North Carolina Transportation Museum to check things out, this Southern box car was on display. Happy Railroading Everyone… (earlier I said cabooses but we thinking box cars, so sorry)

Some recent repaints by me…

And a recent Weaver purchase…

Tom

B&O Wagontops by Weaver. . Northern Pacific by Weaver

Adaptive reuse:

Rusty

Oh well, it is Sunday and Don brought up the 2454/4454/6454 series which happens to be one of my favorites so...in for a penny in for a pound.

2454 Baby Ruth

2454 Pennsylvania - Brown Door

2454 Pennsylvania - Orange Door

4454 - Baby Ruth Electronic Set Boxcar

6454 - AT&SF

6454 - Baby Ruth -note the difference in color when compared to the 2454 version

6454 Erie

6454 - NYC - tan

6454 - NYC - Orange

6454 NYC - Brown

6454 SP - Maroon (Reddish Brown) - small letters in herald and complete circles in herald

6454 SP - Brown - small letters in herald and complete circles in herald

6454 SP Brown - thinner letters slightly larger herald - incomplete outer circle in herald (note gap between R and N)

6454 PRR - Brown - end steps, door casting #1 - latch and no small message board

...now, if you are a real glutton for punishment you can also chase variations within  a road type - for example the 6454 PRR car above has a door with a cast latch that matches the casting on the car and separate strap steps at each end of the car.

6454 PRR  Brown - end steps - door casting #2 door with no latch cast or large or small message board

6454 PRR Brown no end steps - door casting #3 - latch, large and small message board and other differences

You can also find some of these cars with black plastic doors - it is my understanding these are replacement shells supplied to Lionel repair stations.

P.S.  I knew I had a picture of one of these shells somewhere

6454 PRR Lionel Repair Station Replacement Shell

@leapinlarry posted:

Wow, time sure flies, I’ve been busy with honey do, then vacation, now trying to catch up with looking at the beautiful cabooses posted. Don McErlean, that’s a nice SP caboose, We traveled to North Carolina to see a friend, stopped by the North Carolina Transportation Museum to check things out, this Southern box car was on display. Happy Railroading Everyone…

And this is not just a box car that was repainted to look like the original 550555.  This is in fact the original 550555 that NCTM repaint into the original paint scheme as delivered by Pullman!

Ron

PRRronbh, thanks for the information on this beautiful Box car, and as you can read, I said cabooses, however I was thinking box cars, just having  a Senior moment…. It’s truly a beautiful paint scheme. Happy Railroading Everyone

Leapinlarry glad to have you back and posting. Thanks for the compliment.  Robert S Butler. That was some display, better than my references for sure and it visually showed the color difference especially between the 2454 and 6454   I am just starting on my quest in this series so your pictures are really valuable.

Don

Robert, excellent collection, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for a few of those cars, especially those with stirrup steps.

Thanks, Artie

Well hello BxCrSun fans,  We seem to be a little light today, but maybe I can scare up a few folks.  I have mentioned on this thread or perhaps another that I do really like what are often called Lionel "plug door" boxcars although they don't really have a plug door. So perhaps we call them 0-27 boxcars but that really doesn't help as most boxcars in the postwar era can go around 0-27 curves.  Anyway I really like these little guys even though they don't have opening doors and they are very much too short.

So here is one from the 60's (1963-69) although one example of this car did pop out in 1957.  Its the "Frisco" #6014 boxcar.  This car started out in orange in 1957 then came back in the same color scheme in 1969 so this guy was the "bookends" of this color run.  It is also available in white, red, and white with a coin slot.  Some of these also came with Scout couplers but this one has ordinary disc type automatic couplers on both ends.

OK everyone, enjoy your Sunday.  Best Regards

Don

Boxcars for this fine Sunday!  

Lionel MPC CP rail 9730 (Black lettering and White lettering variations)

Rusty

Love these outside braced box cars!!

Skip, I love those outside braced boxcars too, especially the Ann Arbor. Nice photos!

@NYC Fan posted:

Love these outside braced box cars!!

Like your "P-Mickey" box car once half owned by the P&LE and half by the NYC but controlled by the P&LE then in 1965 the P&LE acquired the NYC share.

The two P-Mickey box cars I kept.

Ron

@Sarah posted:

Atlas-O USRA boxcar, custom lettered for the WP, now proto:48 with car cement roof and light weathering.

And here goes Sarah again.........🎨..........⚾️ out of the park !!!

Rusty

                                                     BM #2044 for J.S.

How come I've never seen this thread before? This video has a selection of boxcars.

MELGAR

I picked up these 9 billboard box cars a few weeks ago at a train show.

Still looking for the Mail Pouch car at a reasonable price.

Doug

Boxcars for this fine Sunday!  Robin Hood Beer Reffer  ... Buy Robin Hood Beer!  It's a rich beer at a real steal!  Two Western Maryland Boxcars one with speed letters, the other with fireball logo.  

Photos when it arrives, but I just found a Pecos River 50' double door boxcar in ATSF green to go with my growing "Fast Mail" train.  Up to 11 cars and counting not including off-road cars.  The prototype ran at around 23 cars so I have a way to go and express boxcars on the list of things to seek out.

Do you prefer domestic or imported?

Box cars hauled by an MTH Proto 2 Pennsy turbine pass by Mrs. Robinson's nice suburban house:

Wonder where The Graduate is?  LOL, Arnold

@boomer0622 posted:

I picked up these 9 billboard box cars a few weeks ago at a train show.

Still looking for the Mail Pouch car at a reasonable price.

Doug

Certainly something you don't see on a lot of layouts Doug........maybe because of negative reactions.........but they are a part of realism .

Good looking billboard boxcars .🤓

@Rusty Traque posted:

Rusty

Extraordinary Rusty.

@SIRT posted:

                                                     BM #2044 for J.S.

Wow..........🤓

I've always been fond of Lionel's "waffle side" boxcars. They are a colorful complement to my collection of 6464 cars. I believe they first appeared during the MPC era.

Here's some in action on my layout: