“The B&O cars are being loaded on a ship this week. As long as shipping goes well, the cars should be available starting in late Aug/early Sep.”
Now, I only inquired about the '37 version. I don’t know if the above includes all 4 versions ('37, '50, '63, and Express) or just the '37 cars. Anyhow, wanted to give an update for those interested.
Tom, a somewhat related question – do you happen to know when these B&O cars left interchange service? I have some recollection that they were withdrawn by the late 1960s, maybe even the mid 60s. I model 1967-69 and have always like those cars (and the wagon top caboose even more, but that is another topic).
When I lived in Parkersburg, W.Va., in 1972-73, there were a couple wagontops in the small terminal there for materials storage. Didn’t see any running in revenue service, but all 40-foot box cars were fading out by then.
Fallen Flags has a photo of a wagontop B&O381593 “Marshalltown IA - 1967”
Found on a forum called Elvis Tower
“The Baltimore & Ohio’s Wagontop Box Cars were acclaimed “a design ahead of its time.” The B&O #385897 boxcar was a Class M-53A Wagontop Box Car, built in July of 1941. It was removed from service on February 10, 1981 and was sold in April of 1982 to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum to be restored as an exhibit car.”
There is a photo of it dated 6-01 on Fallen Flags.
I am interested in “13 states” scheme wagontop (I am modelling late 50’s PRR/B&O), but I think the earliest and the 60’s scheme are first to arrive on market.
tstage, is the announced NYC boxcar from BLI good for your period?
The original ad on the link above indicates that the '37 and '63 cars were originally due out in June and the '50 and the Express boxcar in July. Matt didn’t state whether this shipment included the first two or all of the wagontops. I guess we’ll see.
As far as the NYC Steel boxcars, there are two versions available: A “pre-'55” and “Post-'55” boxcar. (I pre-ordered the pre-'55 boxcars.) I’m hoping that the pre-'55s will fit my early/mid 40s era layout. However, even if they don’t, I’ll still keep them and run them on a friend’s layout where era doesn’t matter.
BLI currently has an delivery date for the steel boxcars as of Oct '11. Given their prior track record, it probably won’t be till Christmas or after before they arrive. The date has been bumped back at least 3 times now. I don’t even bother getting bent out of shape about it anymore.
Info from a review of Weaver Models O scale M53 Wagon Top Boxcar by Ed Bommer in the July/Aug 2011 issue of O Scale Trains Magazine
1300 M15 class Wagontops created from rebuilding WW1 era wood boxcars. Origionally had fishbelly undeframes but many rebuilt with “AAR type underframes” in the 1940’s
Starting in June 1937 2000 M%3 class builtb witf “Duryea cushion underframes”.
In late 1960’s M53’s retired because Duryea underframes no longer allowed in interchange service. Many olde M15’ laster in service into the 1970’s
