Accurail box cars

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi

 

Just arrived, a box of accurail outside framed wooden cars, unfortunately no history about the prototype. Can you help please, btw ignore the road names. Thanks

[dckuk]

The vertical brake wheel suggests a WW1 USRA design box car. Similar cars were built during WW2 to conserve steel for the war effort, but most pictures I have seen feature the more familiar horizontal brake wheel of more modern cars high on the end.

 

One of the troubles of modeling as you probably know is that sometimes cars are made available to sell, rather than be totally accurate, so if your theme is 1914 - 1950ish, you should be able to get away with these, though the "new" or "blt" date (cannot read them from your photos) may narrow this...

[long island jack]

maybe some useful info on this site

 http://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/a-guide-to-1920s-era-ho-scale-plastic-freight-cars/

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hi and thanks to all,

 

It turns out that the box of four Accurail boxcars was a considerable bargain and has got me off to a fine start. The above link is truly excellent and is bookmarked for future use.

 

StaySafe

[298]

On 07/03/2022 at 10:04, dckuk said:

One of the troubles of modeling as you probably know is that sometimes cars are made available to sell, rather than be totally accurate, so if your theme is 1914 - 1950ish, you should be able to get away with these, though the "new" or "blt" date (cannot read them from your photos) may narrow this...

 

Unfortunately I've had to go a bit "Bev-Bel" with the latest project as I thought I'd got enough 40' Boxcars but most are outside braced and it wasn't until I started trying to produce the decals that I realised smoother sides would be easier. Plus it's nigh on impossible to find any quality double sheathed boxcars with wooden ends, as neither Ertl or Rapido have done them. So the moulded on ladders and grabs will have to stay for now.

 

 

 

[Andy Reichert]

I spent much time 40 years ago checking out HO wood box cars to find ones with wood ends to match my 1920's Pacific Electric roster. Fortunately, soon after, Accurail actually made a PE labelled batch many years back. and I purchased a few then. But my main source was the original "Train Miniature" 1970's Tobacco Road series to repaint them in everyday SP box car red schemes  .  I think they were all under $5 full retail. Now apparently the originals are collectors items at sky high prices. Modern manufacturers seem to focused on more modern eras, as that's only what newcomers to the hobby remember.

 

Andy

[mdvle]

43 minutes ago, Andy Reichert said:

Modern manufacturers seem to focused on more modern eras, as that's only what newcomers to the hobby remember.

 

Is that true?

 

Rapido, in their Facebook Live in January, indicated that their #1 selling freight car is the AutoFlood III (so modern), but #2 is the Single Sheath Boxcar - not exactly modern.

 

Tangent has 1917 and 1957 tank cars and PS-1 and PRR Boxcars in their product line up.

 

And Rapido now have 8 or 9 transition era or earlier freight cars given their sudden interest in doing freight cars about 2 years ago.

 

Yet there is also a lack of post 2000 freight cars available in model form.

 

My feeling is the biggest problem is a lack of competition in the US market - there are so few companies that they have seemingly been content to just keep doing reruns of their existing inventory of tooling because no one is forcing them to invest in new tooling to maintain market share.