I’ve become moderately obsessed with the build dates of the various models I have. Trying to get more time accurate. Not every model seems to have them. Were they not on every car, or is this a sign of a less than accurate model?
Garrett
“build dates of various models… Trying to get more time accurate. Not every model seems to have them.”
To be accurate, the question should not be the build date on the model, but the build date on the prototype photo. Not all the tiny data on the sides of cars is necessarily correct. We might like it to be. When I am decalling a model, sometimes I can’t find exact numbers for the weight, date etc. and I put SOMETHING on there so it will more or less LOOK correct.
A lot of times, a plastic model is built after one railroad’s prototype and is then offered in the paint schemes and markings of other railroads that had cars that were hopefully similar, but not always identical. A paint and lettering scheme may be taken from a photo or other data that is a similar car, but not absolutely right for the model. Sometimes errors are simply made.
I always assume that I cannot tell if a model fits a particular time period by the build date on it-- I need to research the prototype.
Just my highfalutin opinion.
If you’re talking about the transition era, then yes, every car SHOULD have a build date. But if you’re looking at prototype photos wondering where they might be, you’ll have to look under the dirt!
As for models, everything should have a build date. Champ makes sets of build dates, so it’s no big deal to add them to a model that’s lacking. But it might take a bit more work to figure out what the build date is supposed to be!
And don’t forget the “new” date: most cars should NOT have this. Cars with friction bearing trucks had to be repacked every 12-36 months, and were generally reweighed every 3-5 years. The reweigh or repack date was added over the “new” date. That means that a car with “new” on the side would only be between 12-36 months old, something relatively rare when considering the entire national freight car fleet. Champ makes reweigh date decals too.
some cars also have blt date on one side and a repaint/build /weigh date with lettering from car shops that did work on the other.
The shop or rebuilt dates on the car are probably more valuable to determine if a car is right for your era than the built date anyway. For example I have an M-St.L woodsided boxcar with a blt date of I think 1920, but it is in the post-WW2 green and yellow paint scheme, with a rblt date of 1946. So that car would be OK in the postwar years but not before that, even though it was built in 1920.
I try to pay attention to the built dates as well beings I model present day, and AAR rules dont allow me to run cars over 50 years old. What Ive found while looking for the built dates is a little more unsettling. Quite a few models, mostly Athearn Blue Boxes or Accurail have completely inaccurate numbers and data. For instance, and Accurail covered hopper painted for ADM, its an ACF 4650 model, but the prototype is a Trinity 5161. Im not gonna throw it away cuase Ill probably be the only one who notices, but it throws off my Cards.
Should I go with the models “data” or with the car’s number’s prototype data?
-Tom
Glad to see an interest in accurate data on cars, my dealer thinks I’m odd when I take a magnifying glass to his stock. Tank cars will also have pressure test dates etc. that may pose a problem for period modellers.
Bob