Please tell me what cars there is in the picture. And some info where you would buy the cars in HO scale? I really think it’s easier for you US guys to see the difference between the cars, for me it’s only a big mess. [:D]
I accept your mission and will do my best. Should I die in combat and go to the big switch yard in the sky,tell my wife to bury my trains with me.[:D]
But really ,it looks to be modren freight cars.You could purchase all these cars in HO from Walthers.
Patrick
Promise, I will tell your wife…
Is it 40’ or 50’ cars to begin with?
Looks like a string of standard 40ft box cars, modern era with one covered hopper (possibly a 3 bay center flow). Most of the cars are Southern Pacific 40ft. The yellow Railbox and Santa Fe box have more prominant outside bracing visible, the Santa Fe is a 50ft. As stated, all are available from just about any manufacturer you like. Pretty common looking American freight train, nice picture!
Can someone read the small text to the right on the last santa fe car?
The Santa Fe boxcar has their “Shock Control” slogan written on it.
Looks like the first 5 are 50’ cars, then 55 foot covered hopper, then a 60 foot car. The reason I say the first 5 are 50’, is the second one appear to be a Railbox, and virtually all of their stuff was 50’ . The 60’ Santa Fe car is proabably either for auto parts or appliances (like stoves, refriderators, etc). The covered hopper (can’t see roadname) could be modeled with and Athearn or an Intermountain car. The Railbox car could be done from Accurail or Athearn. The others, not sure.
RIck
Upon further review…
The 1st, 4th and 5th cars are Southern Pacific 50’ cars with 1 1/2 plug doors (8’ and 4’ respectively). The 2nd car is a 50’ Railbox, and the 3rd is a 50’ SP with a single plug door, probably 12’ door.
Rick
Wow, this is harder than it looks! I think you are right about the car lengths, Rick. Hard to see for sure with the forshortening in the photo. Either way, these cars are pretty standard stuff for NA railraods and every manufacturer and hobby shop should carry an assortement of these in different road names.
I found some picks of SP cars that appear to be the ones in the picture. It doesn’t appear that they are close to anything available right now. The plug doors are something I haven’t seen before. Here’s the picture.
http://www.nonotuck.us/kens/boxcars/SP-SZ/images/21SP,%20Southern%20Pacific,%2050’%20Double%20Plug%20Door%20Boxcar,%20693651,%2039,%20August,%201980,%20Donner%20Pass,%20CA.jpg
Rick
Close, it is a 14’ door. All of the SP cars are RBLs built by Pacific Car & Foundry. Athearn Genesis makes models of them.
For more information on the SP cars, go to the link in my signature. The 8’ & 6’ door boxcars are classes B-70-41, B-70-46, B-70-47, B-70-50, B-70-57, B-70-62, & B-70-66. The 14’ door cars are classes B-70-68, B-100-36, & B-100-38.
It is difficult to tell the manufacturer of the Railbox boxcar. The ribs appear to be too close together for it to have been manufacturered by Pullman Standard (Athearn RTR & Intermountain). The bottom of the car does not appear to go up enough toward the ends to be an ACF built car (Athearn, Athearn RTR). The most likely possiblities are Pacific Car & Foundry (no models), FMC (Athearn RTR), or Berwick Foundry & Forge (Branchline Trains).
The covered hopper was built by Pullman Standard. Athearn makes a model of these, as do other manufacturers (I cannot remember them off hand).
The Santa Fe car is probably also an RBL (60’ IL), these show up frequently on the wine train. No models exist of this car, to the best of my knowledge. Eel River Models makes models of 60’ IL, single door, RBLs built by PCF, which ATSF bought (the real ones, not the models).
Outstanding, looks like all except the Santa Fe is either available or a “close stand in” is. All we needed was a true SP expert! Thanks for setting me straight ericsp [^] , I got to learn how to tell door widths.
Rick
As the theme from Mission Impossible plays in the background…
Look for the # 1, 3, 4 ,5 Southern pacific 50 foot cars made by intermountain. I have 50 foot railbox cars #2 made by Athearn BBox, and Athern RTR, I also have some made by LBF. The hopper in position #6 can be bought from either Life-Like Proto 2000 series or Athearn BBox or for more detail with a little more cost buy Intermountain. I don’t collect or model the ATSF car in possision #7, so that one is up in the air.
I’ll take a shot. I’m guessing a little …but here they are from left to right.
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ATSF, ACF 50’ Double Plug Door Boxcar Mid 70’s
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Covered 3 Bay Hopper probably built by Pullman Standard mid to late 60’s
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SP, Southern Pacific, 50’ Double Plug Door Boxcar Hydra Cushion – built 1969-1972 for Evergreen
Purchased by SP 1978 -1979 -
SP, Southern Pacific, 50’ Double Plug Door Boxcar Hydra Cushion – built 1969-1972 for Evergreen
Purchased by SP 1978 -1979 -
SP, Southern Pacific, 50’ Single Plug Door Boxcar Hydra Cushion – built 1969-1972 for Evergreen
Purchased by SP 1978 -1979 -
Rail Box ACF 50’6” or Berwick 50’ Boxcar: Original Larger Red/Blue Logo Mid 70s –late 70’s
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SP, Southern Pacific, 50’ Double Plug Door Boxcar Hydra Cushion – built 1969-1972 for Evergreen
Purchased by SP 1978 -1979
Bruce
You are really really good, thanks for all your help.
The double door SP RBLs that were originally built for Evergreen had double 8’ doors (classes B-70-44, B-70-51, & B-70-65). The cars in the photograph have doors of two different widths, with the possible exception of the first car behind the locomotives. Also, SP had dropped the “For Fragile Freight” part of the Hydra-Cushion slogan by the time they bought these cars. The two double door SP cars closest to the camera had that slogan.
The sinlge door, ex-Evergreen cars (B-70-38) had 10’ doors. The door on the single door car appears to be wider than that.
The car closest to locomotives does appear to have the boxes on the sides for the vents that the ex-Evergreen cars had, so you are correct on that one.
All of the Intermountain boxcars I saw have sliding doors, which means they are uninsulated. The cars in the photograph have plug doors. Also notice that the cars in the photograph have interior posts, whereas the Intermountain cars painted for SP have exterior posts.
This could be a “beer” train. We’ve got insulated cars for shipping the final product, the Railbox could have brought in the bottles or cans, and of course the covered hopper would have the hops!
Of course all of this makes me sad as I cannot have a beer. We are forbidden to drink alcohol while deployed to middle eastern countries.
Rick
These cars are all way too new to be contemporary with the 1949 style California Zephyr and the Royal Gorge. These cars would be on the tracks at the same time as the last year of the Rio Grande Zephyr and the current Amtrak California Zephyr.