Boxcar Sunday, Let's see your boxcars.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Rock Island by K-Line, K-Line & Atlas O

A little late to the game today, but when I saw Dave's silver K-Line CRI&P "Rockets," I had to include Lionel's PS-1 PW scale version that I just got from Mario's:

It even has boxed cargo:

The "Rockets" car above came in a "two-fer" with the same car in M&StL red livery:

I'd never heard of these PS-1 cars (I thought PS/1 was only an IBM PC) before I received these and I'm really happy with them, especially for just over $60 delivered for both. They've got laser-cut metal catwalks, a bunch of separately applied details (including brakewheel chain!), diecast undercarriage and they roll so easily I think one of my BEEPs might be able to pull about 50 of 'em on the level. I hope I can find more.

P&W

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Lionel Boston & Albany Hudson (late 1980s model) hauling box cars:

Arnold

Beautiful consist, Arnold. In the early 80’s, I was uninformed about the history of the B&A… had I known it was, at one time, part of the NYC - one of my favorites - I might have purchased one. I did get the NYC 783 from the same period and the slightly later NYC 785. One question - I love the two NH boxcars (no surprise there)… are they post war??? Somewhere in the basement I have 2 PW NH boxcars which look quite similar.

@MELGAR posted:

One of my hobo boxcars.

The car is K-Line K765-1751 New York Central O scale classic modern Boxcar #92102.

MELGAR

That’s a beautiful paint scheme, Mel - I don’t remember seeing it before. Do you know if it is an actual NYC scheme or is it a fantasy???

@Apples55 posted:

Beautiful consist, Arnold. In the early 80’s, I was uninformed about the history of the B&A… had I known it was, at one time, part of the NYC - one of my favorites - I might have purchased one. I did get the NYC 783 from the same period and the slightly later NYC 785. One question - I love the two NH boxcars (no surprise there)… are they post war??? Somewhere in the basement I have 2 PW NH boxcars which look quite similar.

Paul, the black NH boxcar is postwar; the orange double door NH boxcar is modern.

The B&A Hudson is one of my favorite locomotives. The one in my video is a Lionel conventioal made in the mid to late 1980s. It's a little too peppy. Would love to get one with speed control (PS2 or 3, LC+ or Legacy) that runs on 031 curves, but that may never have been made. I think it may have been made for wider curves. But that won't work on my layout. They may have made a TMCC that runs on 031, but that is not ideal for me because I don't have TMCC installed on my layout yet. Arnold

Thanks, Arnold. Here are pics of my two PW cars - the orange 2-door was from my brother’s set from the early 60’s and the black was from one of my cousin’s sets (probably late 50’s - early 60’s). I am the keeper of all the family’s PW trains including my own.

@Sitka posted:

Have a good Sunday all, Hobo family going on vacation

Those hobos seem to have a pretty good clothing budget, Mark!

@texgeekboy posted:

On the tracks in the Houston area, I don't see many box cars, mainly tank cars, auto carriers, gondolas, and hoppers.  Unfortunately I can't remember too many details of the boxcars from when I grew up in the Pittsburgh area.  My fading memory, along with the few recent sightings of boxcars is that they are all pretty dull, no color graphics only road names.  My question is, do boxcars have the advertising stuff painted on them, like the olive oil, Baby Ruth, etc.?  Or is this merely a whimsical thing?

Sadly, economic forces have ensured that containerized "multi-modal" freight is about all one sees today instead of "traditional" boxcars. I live near I-10 and the major UP mainline that runs along it through the Coachella Valley and about all I see is containerized freight consists from Port of Los Angeles headed east with 3 lead locos and 2 helpers following up filled with, you guessed it, mostly Chinese-made products. Nothing against the people of China, but I sure would like to see fewer of those trains because we are making more products here.

Regarding the advertising boxcars, most of them are "fantasy" schemes that the maker licenses from the advertised product companies. It's a "win-win" since the maker sells more rolling stock and the advertised product gets promoted via another advertising medium.

@Bill Swatos posted:

Sadly, economic forces have ensured that containerized "multi-modal" freight is about all one sees today instead of "traditional" boxcars. I live near I-10 and the major UP mainline that runs along it through the Coachella Valley and about all I see is containerized freight consists from Port of Los Angeles headed east with 3 lead locos and 2 helpers following up filled with, you guessed it, mostly Chinese-made products. Nothing against the people of China, but I sure would like to see fewer of those trains because we are making more products here.

Regarding the advertising boxcars, most of them are "fantasy" schemes that the maker licenses from the advertised product companies. It's a "win-win" since the maker sells more rolling stock and the advertised product gets promoted via another advertising medium.

Bill, if you are like me and want to see more traditional boxcars, you need to make a trip back in time, which you can do when you return to: THE TWILIGHT ZONE!

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Bill, if you are like me and want to see more traditional boxcars, you need to make a trip back in time, which you can do when you return to: THE TWILIGHT ZONE!

Now that I have the Manhattan Transfer album out, perhaps if I play "Twilight Zone" at just the right speed in reverse, I can manage to get there, Arnold!

Here is a Weaver Norfolk & Western.

R.I.P.

For the B & S Railroad, N.Y.

New Haven Dairy “Safe Milk” refrigerated car GICX300 by Weaver runs frequently on my freight trains.

MELGAR

Good morning gentlemen and ladies and this is the last Sunday January 2023 and yes it’s the great football playoffs for those teams aiming at the Super Bowl. It’s an exciting Sunday, both here on this fun to review thread, and on the fields where possibly our favorite teams will be playing. I pray no bad injuries. For today, you will see two shelves of box cars, see how the 86 foot boxcars look so hugh. Happy Railroading Everyone, be safe, stay healthy, pray continually.

I have two new additions to the fleet that I picked up this week.

First is a 40' refer from MTH. Two Cousins Seafood was founded on Long Island in the 30's and is still in business today. Their retail store is located on the Nautical Mile in Freeport, NY. I grew up one town over in Baldwin and used to go their with my mother as a kid.

Second is a Lionel LIRR car that was done for the 75th anniversary of Nassau Hobby. Also a store I've been shopping in for as long as I can remember.

Two great custom runs done by Nassau Hobby!

Bob

Have a good Sunday All! Thank a Soldier!      

Western Maryland 40 ft boxcar by Weaver.

A couple of MTH cars with added details and repainted with Tru-Color paint and K4 decals….

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern…

Tonopah and Tidewater…

Tom

As the world began to emerge from the Depression, Marx observed that people  might have more resources they were willing to devote to more expensive toys for their children.  He noted that both Lionel and American Flyer were doing well with "scale trains".  This put pressure on Marx to enter the scale market.  He started development in 1939-40, likely planning to use the 999 engine as the "scale locomotive".   The plan was to produce the full line by Christmas 1942.  Of course this was interrupted by the War and restrictions on production.  Marx decided to select "S" scale for his cars or 3/16" to the ft, however to take advantage of all the development work for tracks, crossings, and switches, unlike American Flyer he maintained "O" gauge and used his existing track.  These freight cars were all metal, lithographed  and equipped with metal automatic couplers.  Two boxcars were made before the war , these are pictured here.  Here are Marx "S" scale but "O" gauge box cars from 1941 (Note- they are placed on Lionel 3 rail track) , likely designed beginning in 1939-1940.

The #3200 NY, NH,&H box car

The Union Pacific # 9100 , note the clever use of lithographed "shadows" behind the ladder and stirrup steps to give a 3 dimensional look to the lithography.  

Finally, since all things when pictured alone in a photo appear the same size, here is a comparison between the Marx 3/16"to the ft scale car  and a Lionel 6464 (-100 in this case) which is very close to full  1/4" to the ft scale for a 40 ft box car.

The Marx scale line did add some new cars post 1945 but was never very extensive and they lasted until about 1957.  The metal automatic couplers were replaced by plastic about 1953.

Best wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

As the world began to emerge from the Depression, Marx observed that people  might have more resources they were willing to devote to more expensive toys for their children.  He noted that both Lionel and American Flyer were doing well with "scale trains".  This put pressure on Marx to enter the scale market.  He started development in 1939-40, likely planning to use the 999 engine as the "scale locomotive".   The plan was to produce the full line by Christmas 1942.  Of course this was interrupted by the War and restrictions on production.  Marx decided to select "S" scale for his cars or 3/16" to the ft, however to take advantage of all the development work for tracks, crossings, and switches, unlike American Flyer he maintained "O" gauge and used his existing track.  These freight cars were all metal, lithographed  and equipped with metal automatic couplers.  Two boxcars were made before the war , these are pictured here.  Here are Marx "S" scale but "O" gauge box cars from 1941 (Note- they are placed on Lionel 3 rail track) , likely designed beginning in 1939-1940.

The #3200 NY, NH,&H box car

The Union Pacific # 9100 , note the clever use of lithographed "shadows" behind the ladder and stirrup steps to give a 3 dimensional look to the lithography.  

Finally, since all things when pictured alone in a photo appear the same size, here is a comparison between the Marx 3/16"to the ft scale car  and a Lionel 6464 (-100 in this case) which is very close to full  1/4" to the ft scale for a 40 ft box car.

The Marx scale line did add some new cars post 1945 but was never very extensive and they lasted until about 1957.  The metal automatic couplers were replaced by plastic about 1953.

Best wishes

Don

Yes, Don, the "shadow effect" is very effective as I initially thought the grab irons and ladders were separately applied. Do you have the 999 loco that would've complemented these cars? It would be nice to see.

@Bill Swatos - Here is the Marx 999 locomotive.  Marx made only 3 die cast locomotives, the 999 was the first and most authors comment that it was likely created to work with the 3/16" scale cars.  It is a 2-4-2  designed in 1941 and offered at least until 1959.  The other 2 locomotives are the 333 which came along in 1949 and was the most detailed engine Marx produced, it was a Pacific 4-6-2 with a highly detailed casting for the boiler and came equipped with the ONLY die cast tender Marx produced (I have one and its so heavy you could use it as a door stop!!). The final engine was the 666 initially offered in 1955 and while it started as a die cast it was later converted to a plastic boiler and re-numbered 1666.

The picture below, shows the 999 with some of Marx's much later plastic boxcars.  These were not really any scale and are short when compared with the Lionel 6464 series (8 1/2 " long vice nearly 10" for the Lionel).

Best wishes and thanks for your comment Bill

Don

Everyone posted very nice boxcars.  Technically these are refers, but I’ve seen lots here before.

I remember Otto Milk growing up here in Western Pennsylvania.  I was so surprised to see an Otto refer made by MTH a few years ago, so I bought it.  I learned last year that MTH was going to make two more, Numbered 5 and 7.  Then I got Number 9 here on the forum to go with my original number 6.  The newest ones arrived last week, so here is my foursome.

Here is a closeup of one of them.  It has Pittsburgh printed above the door, but what surprised me when I first saw one was the printing to the right of the door ‘Plant New Bethlehem, Pa’.  My wife’s grandma was from nearby New Bethlehem and her grandpa not far from there.  

@Don McErlean posted:

The #3200 NY, NH,&H box car

The Union Pacific # 9100 , note the clever use of lithographed "shadows" behind the ladder and stirrup steps to give a 3 dimensional look to the lithography.  

Don

Tinplate is not my thing, but the graphics on those cars is absolutely amazing, Don. Thanks for sharing

@Apples55 posted:

That’s a beautiful paint scheme, Mel - I don’t remember seeing it before. Do you know if it is an actual NYC scheme or is it a fantasy???

Paul,

Sorry for the delay in reply. I didn't see your question until 01/29/23. It was difficult to find a reference online but here's what I did find.

It was an experimental blue boxcar scheme applied to cars 92102 and 220539 in September 1958. Reporting marks and data were Gothic style. A photo of the car taken in Mott Haven Yard appears on page 85 of the book “New York Central Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment” [Volume 1], by David R. Sweetland and Robert J. Yanosey – Morning Sun Books 1994. I also saw a black & white photo of 220539 online and that car seems to have been painted a light color.

I have this K-Line model for many years and your question never occurred to me. So, now we both know.

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

Paul,

Sorry for the delay in reply. I didn't see your question until 01/29/23. It was difficult to find a reference online but here's what I did find.

It was an experimental blue boxcar scheme applied to cars 92102 and 220539 in September 1958. Reporting marks and data were Gothic style. A photo of the car taken in Mott Haven Yard appears on page 85 of the book “New York Central Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment” [Volume 1], by David R. Sweetland and Robert J. Yanosey – Morning Sun Books 1994. I also saw a black & white photo of 220539 online and that car seems to have been painted a light color.

I have this K-Line model for many years and your question never occurred to me. So, now we both know.

MELGAR

Thanks for the history, Mel. Looks like the NYC was doing all sorts of experimentation around that time. One of my favorite NYC rarities is the Jade Green E8’s - NYC called it Century Green - which were in service in 1960 - 61 (and which Lionel is doing this year!!!). While they ended up going with a more pedestrian dark gray, the green was kept for freight equipment. One of the E8A’s is currently in the collection of the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey.

Right of Way wagon top REA leased from the B&O.  John

@Bill Swatos posted:

Those hobos seem to have a pretty good clothing budget, Mark!

Heard some glass break down in the train room, went down with my trusty .45 and behold some Hobos got into the clothing store Not a bad looking crew LOL

@Apples55 - Just  now going over posts from yesterday, sorry for taking so long to respond.  Thank you very much for your compliment on the Marx boxcars I posted.

Best wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

@Bill Swatos - Here is the Marx 999 locomotive.  Marx made only 3 die cast locomotives, the 999 was the first and most authors comment that it was likely created to work with the 3/16" scale cars.  It is a 2-4-2  designed in 1941 and offered at least until 1959.  The other 2 locomotives are the 333 which came along in 1949 and was the most detailed engine Marx produced, it was a Pacific 4-6-2 with a highly detailed casting for the boiler and came equipped with the ONLY die cast tender Marx produced (I have one and its so heavy you could use it as a door stop!!). The final engine was the 666 initially offered in 1955 and while it started as a die cast it was later converted to a plastic boiler and re-numbered 1666.

The picture below, shows the 999 with some of Marx's much later plastic boxcars.  These were not really any scale and are short when compared with the Lionel 6464 series (8 1/2 " long vice nearly 10" for the Lionel).

Best wishes and thanks for your comment Bill

Don

Thanks, Don! It looks great! And I'm a bit surprised they opted to number one of their later locos "666."

@Sitka posted:

Heard some glass break down in the train room, went down with my trusty .45 and behold some Hobos got into the clothing store Not a bad looking crew LOL

I think you might need to count the trains...

Finding nice yet inexpensive boxcars or reefers to repaint for Railway Express Agency.  I did not like the fact that the ice reefer had roller bearing trucks while the modern boxcar had friction bearings...oh well.

Here is a lighter shade of green for the REA done by MTH. I was curious on the color and was able to find a prototype photo in this scheme.

I just got this nice 027 "Coke" boxcar:

I love Coke's WWII "pinup" advertising; beauty respectfully presented. And, inspired by mike.caruso, I'm going to pair this car with a flat loaded with 2 '55 "Coke" t-birds. I've got the t-birds coming; I just need to find a good flatcar.

Move over "Lenny" and make room for the new "Silver Meteor" aka the Black Cat with her "Spy vs Spy" pals, crime and international intrigue will never be the same on my three-rail pike.

Here's my boxcars for this fine Sunday!

It is a cold winter morning as workers at the public delivery track dock load less-than-carload cargo into a B&O boxcar.  The cargo will transfer to other cars at a main distribution center to continue their journey to new owners.

The B&O boxcar is Atlas and represents a M-26 class car, built in 1925-26.  The M-26 was a direct copy of Pennsylvania's X-29 boxcar and, along with the M-27 double-door version, made up over 55% of B&O's boxcar fleet in 1950.  As comparison, the wagontops popular with modelers made up only 15% of the fleet.

A couple cars, one  custom(GTW), one factory painted (VGN)…

Tom

Have a good Sunday all, much warmer day then -16 today we have 37 go figure, God Speed All!  Boss giving some guidance to some workers.