Roundhouse (MDC) has always made “Old-Timer” railroad cars and the Horizon Hobbies is continuing to produce ready made versions of these cars. Besides the narrow gauge stuff, are there any companies making 1900-1920 era railroad cars? I know that some of the fine resin casting companies like Westerfield and F&C have produced some cars that date to this era. Thoughts? - Nevin
Accurail has some 55-ton hoppers (as well as Proto 2000) and some boxcars in that era. That’s why I only buy rolling stock from my LHS.
Tom
Ertl had some amazing looking cars from that era. They are no longer in production but you could probably look around on e-bay or somewhere like that.
There’s not much out there, with only a handful of useful cars from ANY of the manufacturers.
The old Roundhouse line included the 36 foot boxcars (two types, only one is correct for anything), the 36’ reefer, and the 36’ stock car. The shorty steel flat is a WWI-era Pennsy and Milwaukee road idler car for battleship cannon tubes. All of their wood passenger cars and cabooses are OK for the period, witht he exception of the outside braced caboose.
Accurail’s line only really has one car that’s useful: the reefer. The USRA cars weren’t designed until 1918, and didn’t start hitting the rails in quantity until 1920. The composite hopper is a post-1920 design.
Bachmann has a few antique cars that are useful, but crudely detailed. It takes a LOT of work to get them to look good.
IHC has a decent line of short, old wood freight cars, generally sold these days in MOW lettering. Strip the paint and reletter (Art Griffin decals; the early modeler’s friend!), and you’ve got a bunch of different cars.
Westerfield LOOKS like they have a lot of old cars, but they really don’t. Most of their product line is post-1920. They do have a few Harriman-standard cars (1906), so if you dig hard enough there are a few useful models.
The best friend of the pre-WWI modeler is Funaro & Carmelengo. They have a huge line of cars, and many of them are based on cars built between 1905-1916. Unfortunately, the dates they list on their website aren’t the most accurate, so you sort of have to know what you’re
Does Art Griffin have a website or a catalog? Thanks - Nevin
An old Car Builder’s Cylopedia (expensive collectibles but available in bits in pieces in various Train Shed Cyclopedia reprint versions) might be a good investment if this is the era you model.
The swap meets might have Red Ball (or Wabash Valley), Ambroid, and Silver Streak kits that should be helpful for this era although possibly not as detailed as today’s standards might demand. The Red Ball/Wabash Valley parts might be useful for scratchbuilding. Sometimes you also see the very old Walthers and Selley parts at swap meets. Walthers had metal parts for an outside braced gon – as did Selley I think – that was generic enough to be plausible for a number of prototypes.
Varney had a short plastic wood reefer that ended up being offered by various other makers often at super cheap prices with awful trucks. It was generic but might be usable and I still see these for sale. Some of the old Train Miniature cars might date to 1920 although maybe not much before then. Mention was made of the AHM or IHC old time cars, but Mantua also offered old time cars, possibly Civil War vintage but possibly still in some kind of service in 1900.
Here is one for the geezers in the group – anybody out there remember Picard “kits” – scribed wood sides and ends that fit with a simple floor and roof. Maybe wood bolsters came with the kit, I no longer remember. I have a couple unbuilt.
Dave Nelson
Several Walthers cars (old Train Miniature) would be correct, I think they are in their Trainline series. By 1910-15 or so 360’ boxcars, reefers and flats were no longer being made, the new ones were 40’ long. Walthers makes (made?) 40 woodside boxcars (both double sheathed and single sheathed), reefers, stockcar, a gondola and a flat. These cars have steel underframes so would be new in the 1910-1920 era.
The MDC “Pullman Palace” 80’ passenger cars would be good for that era, although heavyweight cars started being produced around 1910 or so. Harriman cars (like the MDC 60’ cars) were among the first all-steel cars going back to the 1900-1910 period IIRC. (BTW many of the first all-steel passenger cars were RPO’s.) A branchline might still be using open-ended wood cars like MDC’s 50’ Pullman cars.
Tichy train group had some kits for that era. They are challenging to build.
Art Griffin can be contacted at artgriffindecals@comcast.net I’ve gotten decals from him & they are excellent. His on line catalog has hundreds of entrys. Every decal is printed when you order them so they are fresh. It may take 2 weeks or so because he prints once a week…I believe it’s Tuesday. Jerry
S Helper has a nice 2-8-0, protoype built in 1905. They also have USRA boxcars and hoppers.
Ye Olde Huff 'n Puff has some car kits.
B.T.S. has kits for a 1911 PRR hopper, a 1914 Ma&Pa Baldwin built locomotive, a 1907 EBT 0-6-0 (std gauge) Baldwin built locomotive, an early 1900’s truss rod Ma&Pa flatcar
REM’s RAILROAD MODELS has some generic truss rod car kits.
Enjoy
Paul
I get most of my stuff from MDC–either train shows or on eBay.
Come by and check out the following post. Pre-Big One Modelers Musket and Sabre Club. It is for people in your time era to share tricks and tips for building a layout with others who share your special challenges. Drop in, introduce yourself, and tell us about your plans and layout. Ask your questions.
Life-Like/Proto 1000 makes (made?) a very nice HO 36’ Fowler Box Car, single sheathed wood, steel-framed, representaive of some 75,000 cars built for Canadian and U.S. railroads from 1909 to 1923.
Here’s a start:
Boxcar
Old-time Box Car (1895 ventilated), MR, Nov. 1945, p. 451
1890 box car, MR, Feb. 1958, p. 43
1901 B&O flat-and hopper-bottom boxcar, MR, November 1964, p. 32
Iron Mountain furniture & buggy car (large boxcar, circa 1880), MR, April 1965, p. 48
Wood sheathed boxcar of the CNJ, 1902, truss rod MR, January 1972, p. 71
Building a ventilated boxcar, Central of Georgia, circa 1893, MR, February, 1972, p. 62
Colorado Midland boxcar and gondola, (circa 1890-1900?), MR, August 1972, p. 47
Barrel and woodware car (51’ boxcar, circa 1908), product review, photo, MR, October 1972, p… 23.
Modeling D&H’s 1907 wooden boxcars, (wood sides, steel frame, distinctive ends) article, RMC, December 1987, p. 66
Flat Car
Wood flat car of the Ma & Pa (circa early 1900’s), MR, February 1968, p. 34
Wabash heavy-duty flat car, (photo, 4-truck design, Model of the Month) MR, August 1997, p. 95 (plans in MR June 1960)
Gondola
1894 Wabash gondola, MR, January 1968, p. 39
Ma and Pa wood gondola, (circa 1903 drop bottom), MR, January 1969, p. 45
Colorado Midland boxcar and gondola, (circa 1890-1900?), MR, August 1972, p. 47
Kitbashing hopper-bottom gondola cars, (article and plans), MR, May 1978, p. 100
Philadelphia &
Don’t for get Ambroid (most likely found in shows and swap meets) and LaBelle wooden passenger equipment, both open and closed vestibules. Also some limited Ambroid freight cars. They are fairly easy to assemble, take your time and leave the roofs detatchable or weight them correctly first. Paint everything before assemblying, then touch up what is necessary.
PhjPhD.
Over the years I have used the La Belle kits to make great looking Passenger and Frieght cars for many years in H O and for the last 15 years in O scale. All Nation has truss rod reefers in O scale. Clover House in CA. has an extensive line of rub on transfers for period equipment in H O and O scale.