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