Im trying to locate some pickle cars for my layout, i plan on using maybe 2 or 3 on my tiny HO layout. Era is mid 50’s to 1960. Im trying to represent a short line low on fund but keeping afloat by servicing a pickle plant, a coal dealer, team track and freight station. The entire layout is 3 by 5. backdrop has been painted on and laying track right now (c100 w/ Peco turnout)
didnt athearn made these a while back?
Have you looked on E-Bay?
There are always at least several pickel cars up for auction every time I look.
Athearn did 2 versions of 40’ pickle cars, one with open sides showing the vats and 1 closed side. Westerfield and others have done pickle cars too. There was a great deal of variety in pickle cars, i’ve been somewhat surprised there haven’t been more made over the years. I scratchbuilt about a dozen for use on my pike, since i wanted 36’ truss rod cars.
Any way you could post a pic of that? I’d love to see it!
Well, this one is a dilly:
My sister found it at a yard sale and gave it to me. When I got it, one of the horn-hook Talgo couplers was installed upside-down. And that green is not caused by bad lighting. That’s the real color.
Mr, B,
That thing is a crime scene. Back away and do not under any circumstances disterb the evidence!
(It’s OK, I think I used to have one of those too!)
would a gondola fitted with a roof work, i recal seeing those in a back issue of MR ( im going thru my 400+ issue to find out)
A couple of items that possibly might be of interest to you, ranchero:
Last I heard, the NMRA had a Special Interest Group devoted to pickle cars (!)…they seem to be a favorite among many hobbyists and did come in a number of differing styles. Most NMRA SIGs don’t require NMRA membership to join, receive their newsletters, etc.
Athearn has offered both an enclosed and exposed tank pickle car over the years, as have several of the craftsman kit manufacturers. MR included an article on building your one very cheaply, many years ago. Right now there is a particularly fine looking mixed set of four pickle cars on eBay for a not unreasonable price.
There have been any number of pickle car articles in the magazines over the years. Most are certainly available as copies from the NMRA’s library. An MR article many years ago instructed you on scratchbuilding a prototype pickle factory, complete with the appropriate pickle vats. In addition, AHM, IHC, Heljan/ConCor, Model Power and even FSM have offered pickle factory kits.
CNJ831
I’d love to; if i knew how to post a picture; use little words so i might understand
There’s two ways to do it really.
You need an electronic version of the pic. Then you need a web hosting site. I use Photobucket (its free). They’re at: http://photobucket.com/ . You then upload the pic to your account and use the link to post it. There are instructions on the Photobucket site.
Click on my ID name (the one in the top left of this post) and use the link to send me an Email (I don’t think you can attach the pic to this Email). Tomorrow when I get to work I’ll send it back so you have my Email address. Then you just return my Email with the electronic pic attached and I’ll host and post for you.
Easy enough?
lets try this, here are a couple pickle cars in the middle of the front string between a corn car and the a 4 door reefer. sorry the lettering doesn’t show up good, but you can see the difference in height
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u33/stevejb123/IMG_1387.jpg
A pickle car group??? That’s pretty cool!!!
underworld[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
In the November 1956 MR there is a very good construction article on building a really nice looking pickle car. It’s for a car with a center beam undercarage. I built my picke cars following this article except I made mine as truss rod types. In the picture you can see the bottom of the cars. Otherwise I followed the article almost exactly except I used plastic rather than wood for certain things. About this period of time MR also did an article on a pickle storage and loading facility that was a very appealing structure. A perfect home for the pickle cars. Can’t seem to put my hands on that issue at the moment or I’d give you all the date. Bruce
Two such MR articles: January 1955 and February 1961. As I recall, the latter was the better of the two.
CNJ831
IIRC, Paul Larson was the author of both the pickle factory and pickle car articles in '55.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
At the moment there doesn’t seem to be such a group on the NMRA’a sig page http://www.getnet.com/~dickg/nmra/sigs/sig.html maybe it’s defunct or too new to be there yet. Anyone have more info?
Enjoy
Paul
yup the jan 55 was the issue that gave me the idea for the pickle works, wish i had the feb 55 to go along with it 
As far as I know the NMRA SIG Pickles in Minature (PIM) is long gone. They turned out a very informative news letter and they worked very closely with one of the HO kit manufacturers (I seem to remember it was Westerfield) who turned out a series of HO Heinz pickle cars that were (are?) outstanding. I used the information from their news letters and measurement information from one of the kits to put together an O scale version of one of the cars.
Oh, OK, I get it. That’s a very unique type of car.
Funny, just so happen to have one in my box of very old stuff. I have no idea why I was interested in this car when I was in my teens. It’s an Athearn kit. Sorry my camera doesn’t take good close-ups. Maybe this will help your scratch building efforts. . . .
