Hi,
I’m currently working on a project in HO, building an ATSF BX-12 with raised roof and a BX-11/BX-12 without raised roof.
I read that a few cars without raised roof survived until they were put out of service. I can easily find the car numbers for the raised roof version, but can’t find nothing about unmodified cars. What car numbers survived untouched until the end?
If you have any idea about decals available in HO for this project, I would also be glad (Westerfield had some, but seems discontinued according to their website).
Thank you,
Matt
Hello Matt,
It’s difficult to come up with particular car numbers for a case like this unless you can find a dated photograph. The original number series for the Bx-11s was 124000-125999, with the Bx-12s continuing as 126000-129499. Sources say that more than 900 cars were bypassed in the raised-roof modification program, but their numbers were scattered through those two series.
If you have an Official Railway Equipment Register for the year you want to model, you may be able to identify a group of cars with their original roof height by the inside height measurement (9’-6-3/4"), but at best that will give you a group of car numbers with probably a smaller number of cars extant within that group.
Your question about decals suggest that you aren’t using the Westerfield kits. Although Westerfield isn’t producing right now as the new owner gets started, I’d suggest that it’s worth waiting for production of the Bx-11 and Bx-12 kits to come online. I’ve built several of these, and I wouldn’t want to spend my time modeling them any other way.
Good luck,
Andy
The information which I have shows that all of the Bx-11s were rebuilt with the high roofs after WWII. However, my 1968 ORER shows a total of 67 cars within the number series 124149-129460. The original Bx-11s were numbered 124000-125999 (and re-numbered after re-building to 210000-211049), while the original Bx-12s were 126000-129499 (and, if re-built, re-numbered 211050-214549).
While the rebuilt cars were re-numbered, I haven’t seen anything to suggest that those not re-built were also re-numbered. The numbers shown in the ORER seem to suggest, though, that either some Bx-11s were not re-built and remained within their original number series or that the number series shown consists of various left-overs from the un-rebuilt Bx-11, -12, and -13 classes. If I were to model an un-rebuilt car I’d make it a Bx-12 (to cover the possibility that all of the Bx-11s actually were re-built) and number it within the 126000-129460 series. If you pick a number at random from that series, who’s to dispute it’s accuracy? And, if someone does, let’s hope they have the missing info so that you can re-number the car as necessary.
Wayne
Hi Matt,
I was down in the basement after my earlier post and I looked in my files for Bx-11 or -12 photos. The latest one I have of an unrebuilt car shows ATSF 128644, a Bx-12, with a reweigh date of October 1960 (at SB for San Bernardino). However, this is one of the cars with roof hatches for bulk cement service. I also noted that it had Dalman two-level trucks with lateral motion bolsters.
So long,
Andy
Andy and Wayne, a big thank,
I was also thinking about getting the Westerfield decals. Would save me a lot of pain and issues matching different sources decals.
From what you say, I feel like I’m better to stick with the raised roof version than the rarer original version. I just want to model a typical ATSF model to get some car variety.
I’m actually kitbashing an old MDC/Roundhouse OSB 40’ boxcar. It’s far to be prototypical, particularly the inaccurate Dreadnaugh ends, but it’s more than enough for my purpose.
!(http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt111/sailormatlac/Hedley Junction/Boxcars084b.jpg)
!(http://i603.photobucket.com/albums/tt111/sailormatlac/Hedley Junction/Boxcars082b.jpg)
Matt