Penn Central 361444

Not entirely Seaboard Air Line or Seaboard Coast Line related, but a heck of a lot of fun to build, I completed construction of Penn Central X58 361444. The model will play a part in a string of relatively new cars that form a block of RBLs. The remaining cars consist primarily of FGE, BRCX and FGCX RBLs enroute to the local cold storage facility. As a child, I recall seeing multiple RBLs spotted at and around the central Florida cold storage warehouses serving the grocery and citrus industries. Waking up to the smell of oranges never got old or tiresome living just a mile south of an orange juice processing plant.

Mike Robbins' photographs, Orlando, Florida mid-1970s

    Just as the X-5 was a signature car to SCL, the X58 was the signature car to the Pennsylvania Railroad. Building out a consist of 1960s-1970s era boxcars lead me down the path of PC 361444. The prototype was constructed in 1964-1965 and was modernized with lowered ladders, side grab iron removal, and lowered brake gear. The prototype was serviced in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania in 1972 when it was repainted into the stacked Penn Central scheme with the small PC herald.

The model was constructed as per the instructions and built to follow the prototype which was captured in 1972. The Tangent Scale Models Penn Central variation kit included multiple parts and being in need of an exterior post boxcar, I couldn't resist the opportunity to build a model. The major difference of the kit and my model is the location of the end tack boards which were relocated to a high position. The existing mounting location was drilled and filled with Evergreen styrene rod which was cemented into place then once dry, sanded smooth using increasingly finer grit sand paper.

 

PC 361444 courtesy of George Elwood's Fallenflags website

I'm working outside my wheelhouse when building a model of a Penn Central RBL, and have amassed a few sets of decals to build yet other Penn Central models. The model will be primed prior to painting it with Model Flex Penn Central green for the car body, and a variant of steel for the roof. The model will be lettered with Kohlberg Penn Central decal set SE-06. As progress is made additional posts will be updated.

SCL 5259 - Progress Report #1

Progress on SCL 5259 is progressing as time permits. The model was initially deconstructed and soaked in a bath of 91% IPA which removed a majority of the previous coat of silver paint applied and lettering. After washing it in warm, soapy water a residual amount of staining was extant, however, after using the Paasche Air Eraser, it completely removed all remaining traces of paint. The air eraser is a great tool for use on parts, and leaves an excellent finish to prime for. Not captured in these photos are the modifications made to the sills of the sides which follow the prototype. As seen in the image below, the sides are completely striped of paint, and several grab irons are installed on the sides and roof which will not interfere with masking.

The blind and vestibule ends of SCL 5259 are ready for primer. The end grab irons were cemented into place prior to etching, and survived without any issues. The remaining components to include the trucks, diaphragms, and wheel sets were etched so that they would paint. The air eraser is a newer bottom loading design and when used with baking soda makes it a cost effective alternative. While it will remove lettering, it is best used in conjunction with 91% IPA to remove any glossy surface of delrin or the engineering plastics such as Kadee ladders and grab irons. The parts once cleaned were washed again in warm, soapy water and blown dry with an air brush. Tamiya light gray primer was applied from the spray can in preparation for final painting. Tamiya paints will be used exclusively for this model as they are now readily available locally and have great reviews from fellow modelers.

Seaboard Coast Line 5259 - Pullman Plan 7600 52 Seat Coach

One of my favorite passenger cars has always been the Pullman Plan 7600 52 seat coach due to their varied appearance from the premiere Seaboard "Silver" series cars. The cars were originally ordered in 1947 by C&O for the planned Chessie, however, these became surplus and available to other railroads. In June 1958, Seaboard Air Line purchased a lot of 10 coaches for use on secondary trains.

The Plan 7600 series was also ordered by D&RGW (8 cars), NKP (10 cars), and several C&O coaches (1664-1666) were purchased by C&NW in 1957 and numbered as 3483-3485. These were then re-sold in 1961 to Southern Pacific and numbered as 2216-2218. The NKP coaches were sold in part to rival Atlantic Coast Line.

Seaboard Air Line numbered the coaches in the 6242-6251 series which survived in Seaboard's striking light gray, black roof, and black underbody equipment through the 1967 merger. The coaches were unusual due to their partitioned divider within the center of the car which was designed to eliminate the "bowling alley" effect. The cars also retained their partial fluting which stopped below the bottom edge of the windows and retained stainless steel fluting.

 Original           SAL        SCL        Serial Number

C&O 1656    SAL 6242    SCL 5254    1377-003 
C&O 1657    SAL 6243    SCL 5255    1377-004
C&O 1658    SAL 6244    SCL 5256    1377-005
C&O 1659    SAL 6245    SCL 5257    1377-006
C&O 1660    SAL 6246    SCL 5258    1377-007
C&O 1661    SAL 6247    SCL 5259    1377-008

C&O 1662    SAL 6248    SCL 5260    1377-009
C&O 1663    SAL 6249    SCL 5261    1377-010
C&O 1667    SAL 6250    SCL 5262    1377-011
C&O 1668    SAL 6251    SCL 5263    1377-012

In 1971, all of the cars were conveyed to Amtrak which retained their numbers as AMT 5254-5263.

For years, I have always looked at the Plan 7600 coach with an admiring eye especially due to it's varied appearance, and ultimately in 2013 Walthers released the coach in several paint schemes. Through years of reviewing photographs, I finally located a prototype which matched the Walthers car due to its location of the number board used for car identification. Typically, the number board was centered below the center windows, however, at least one car, SAL 6247/SCL 5259 features the number board offset towards the blind end. 

I located a 1967 era image of SCL 5259 at Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida which will serve as the basis for the model. The model will need partial skirt removal, but otherwise is a perfect match for the model. Using the black and white image to color match a model is difficult, however, as luck would have it, I managed to locate an additional image of SCL 5259 in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1970. The color slide offered a chance to view the colors in their natural hues.

The black roof offers a striking difference between the stainless and gray car body. The gray was carried to the ends which were fully painted to match the non-stainless car body.

To prepare the car, I de-constructed the car into various components to include the ends, sides, roof, underbody, and trucks. The car was stripped using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol which removed the silver paint leaving trace amounts. The model will be grit blasted to remove any residual paint and then primed gray to balance the color.

The plastic windows were removed and will be replaced with American Model Builders set 923 acrylic laser cut windows which offer an improved appearance. 

The underframe was repainted a flat brown, which will be carried to the trucks, however, several weathering pigments will be applied. The car will be painted with a mixture of Tamiya black for the roof, silver for the stainless steel, and deck tan for the car body. 

The car will utilize the best HO scale SCL passenger car decals which are offered by the ACL & SAL Historical Society. Below are samples of the excellent artwork found on the set which is available as item D-95 (https://aclsal.square.site/product/d-95-ho-scl-passenger-cars/226?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=9).

Once I get some progress images of the car under construction, these will be shared as the project comes together.

Southern Railway 40' PS-1 boxcars: SOU 30000-32018

Tangent Scale Models recently introduced a 40' PS-1 with a 9' door opening unique to several roads. In the southeast, these cars were utilized for appliance, paper, cotton and cloth, and general service. The larger openings were typically found on the larger 50' PS-1s, however, these 40' cars were quite advanced for their build date. In 1951, Southern Railway ordered a series of cars built by Pullman Standard in Lot 8003. These cars have always been unique when comparing standard 40' PS-1s due to their unique side sill profile. 

The series of cars was one of Southern's largest classes and were broken down by assorted car appliances. The series consisted of 2,019 cars and were initially constructed as follows:

Southern Railway 30000-30499, were built in 11-1951 by Pullman Standard in Lot 8003. The cars were equipped with a mix Apex and Morton running boards, Barber S-2-A trucks, and were equipped with Youngstown Steel Door YSD-2 type doors. The cars utilized high mount tack boards on both the ends and doors and were painted brown with white lettering. The earliest of the examples can be seen above by this Jim Sands 1969 photograph of Southern 30453. The cars were equipped with Miner handbrake housings and brake wheels.

The remaining cars were numbered 30500-32018, and were also built in 11-1951 which continued into 1952 which accounts for a varied build dates seen on prototype photos. The 9' door opening was covered by a 9' 7 Panel Superior door with the third panel being larger to account for the application of a tack board. The cars were equipped with Apex and Morton running boards and brake steps, were also equipped with Miner hand brake housing and brake wheels, and rode on Barber S-2-A trucks. The Pullman-Standard builders' photograph showcases the second series of cars.

The series "could have" made a journey to Boca Grande during the 1960s bringing assorted appliances to the area and warrants a model on this front. While I ordered two undecorated Tangent kits, I also remembered an older model which was born of an Intermountain 50' PS-1. The heavy lifting was done by my friend, however, after receiving the Tangent models, it became apparent this model was in need of an upgrade as well. 

The application of Kadee ladders, grab irons, and brake wheel appliances will make this car as equally detailed given it has full brake gear treatment and rides on excellent Tahoe Model Works Barber S-2 trucks with semi-scale wheels. The model will be painted in a dark brown and lettered using a mixture of Speedwitch/National Scale Car Southern Railway decals from sets D-100 and D-151. Due to the later features of the Intermountain car used to construct this model of SOU 30453, Archer rivets will be applied to the welded ends to incorporate rivets applied to this order. 

The initial release of Tangent's models features the later built cars from SOU 30500-32018 and includes the 9' 7 Panel Superior door, making this model unique and a favorite of mine. Other examples will be constructed using the Tangent Scale Models kits from the 1960s which featured removed running boards, lowered ladders, lowered handbrakes, and varied doors. While looking over the Tangent kits, it is possible to apply a Kadee 9' 6 panel Superior door to match modernized cars, however, this will require the removal of a rivet stripe adjacent to the right of the door opening.

ACL 490317 - Progress

The Moloco diagonal panel ZU roof was installed on ACL 490317. Adding Evergreen HO scale 2 x 8 strips along the inside edge was the first step which were cemented so that 2 scale inches were visible above the car side. Using a scrap of the same strip allowed me to gauge the appropriate height. Once cemented into place, an additional length of Evergreen HO scale 2 x 2 was then cemented to the top of the car edge. The 2 x 2 should be placed against the roof edge and the portion of the 2 x 8 that was previously installed. Once the styrene was fully cured I lightly sanded the styrene using 800 grit sand paper so that any glue residue was removed.

A length of HO scale Evergreen 2 x 6 strip was cemented to the uppermost portion of the end so that it was flush with the rear surface of the end. The 2 x 6 will be trimmed so that it does not interfere with roof placement and so that it will not be visible. Due to adding additional height to the roof the end height must also be increased. 

Fruit Growers Express - ACL 490317

 

ACL 490317 is a member of a 1961 built series of Fruit Growers Express insulated boxcars which were leased and placed into the ACL 490296 - 490345 series of cars. The roster information taken from the 1974 Condensed Roster of Equipment lists all 49 cars of the series intact. The series were 54'10" extreme length, 50' inside length, 9'3" inside height, 9'1" inside width, and were equipped with an 8' door opening. The car capacity is listed as 140,000 pounds (70 tons) and they rode on ASF style trucks. The available equipment diagrams do not yield any further construction details, however, from the photograph, it can be seen the ends are typical FGE ends of a 4/3/R Improved Dreadnaught design with the uppermost stiffener being smaller than as found on similar boxcars. Additionally, a Morton running board can be determined from the available shadowing on the car. Unlike more recent FGE products, the car features 8 panels on either side of the door which allows for a variation in modeling.

To model this car, I am using the Branchline Trains (Atlas) 50' Plug Door boxcar (Atlas part number 20001363).

The model will be upgraded with a Moloco Stanray overhanging diagonal panel roof to replace the kit roof which represents an earlier design. The trucks used are Kato Barber S-2 roller bearing design though Moloco's newest truck, TR-4110 70 Ton Ride Control roller bearing trucks could also be utilized. The model is in the initial construction stage at this point, but when completed will be decaled with Dan Kohlberg's SE-22 FGE Set #1. This will serve as a varied prototype in a string of FGE RBLs I'm building out.

Seaboard Air Line Pullmans: Plan 3585A 10-1-2 Sleepers

 

I recently completed models of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's venerable Pullman Plan 3585A 10-1-2 heavyweight sleepers. History reveals these two cars were subject to divestiture after 1948 and sold to Seaboard Air Line Railroad. These heavyweight sleepers were placed into regular service on many of the secondary trains as well as for overflow for such name trains as the Palm Land, Silver Comet, and the Gulf Wind. The Lake Chicot and Lake Borgne were constructed from Branchline Trains models as a basis which are the finest example of these cars in terms of construction and with care can be made into excellent operators. 

The Lake Chicot, named for an Arkansas lake which more so resembles a horse show bend in the Mississippi River that became embanked, was built from a decorated kit with several additions to include American Model Builders safety gates, shades,  and Pullman windows. I was not terribly happy with the gloss black of the added detail parts and repainted several to include the trucks, roof, and underframe using Scale Coat II flat paints. The two-tone gray appearance of the car was expertly applied and makes this car perfect for a 1964 Palm Land consist pulled by SDP35s. The roof appears to match the sides, however, this is an effect of the lighting and is actually dark and a true shade of black.

The Lake Borgne, named for a lake in southern Louisiana, is a tidal marsh which features some of the finest fishing and duck hunting in this hunter's paradise. It was an appropriate name for a sleeper when selected by Pullman. 

This car began as an undecorated kit which was painted with Badger Modelflex SAL Pullman green and lettered with an ACL & SAL Historical Society decal set I had in my collection. The roof, underframe, and components were painted with Scale Coat II flat black to achieve a weathered appearance. The car was constructed with American Model Builders safety gates, windows, and shades to appropriately match the cars for a mid-1960s appearance. The completion of this sleeper will also fill out my mid 1960s era passenger train. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Tom Madden from the Pullman Project for the car construction records that allowed me to construct these cars to the prototype photographs. An additional thanks to both Paul Faulk and Larry Goolsby for their assistance and consultation of their books. A prototype photograph of Lake Chicot can be located in the Seaboard Air Line Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment published by Morning Sun Books, and a prototype photograph of Lake Borgne was referenced in Larry's excellent book, Seaboard Air Line Passenger Service The Streamlined Era.

A&WP 91709 - Fruit Growers Express 50' RBL