Hi,
I want to model some Canadian Pacific 40´boxcars with double doors and with multimark(for the 1970´,80´). I see some differences - so -: what for a type(s) was(were) on the west side(Vancouver…) in use ?And what for a car do you advice to start in HO???
Thank you very munch!
CP’s double door cars were primarily used for shipping lumber, so they would have been common in the west. CP also had a few series of cars marked with “EN” reporting marks (for the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway which CP had absorbed decades before) which was designed to have them forwarded back to the British Columbia area when empty.
Most of CP’s double door cars had double sliding doors, but there was one series with combination sliding/plug doors as well.
Athearn and Accurail both have double door, 40’ boxcar models but they are not really accurate in the details for CP cars, but can stand in. To do an accurate car you’ll have to work from photos and do some kitbashing. I like Intermountain kits because the ends and roofs are totally swappable, but they have single door cars so you have to add the second door onto it and redo the door tracks and side sill. (I’ve done this to make a CP double door 40 footer) You might be able to get one of the Athearn or Accurail cars close for at least one series by modifying the side sill.
The tricky thing is that many of CP’s double door cars were 6+8’ doors, rather than pairs of 6’ doors like the Athearn and Accurail cars will have.