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

 

SCL 824097 - An early PS-1

 

SEABOARD COAST LINE 824097

Modeling PS-1 boxcars is one of my favorite modeling endeavors thanks in large part to the excellent HO scale Kadee PS-1 model. When introduced, Kadee's tooling was and remains excellent and has become the gold standard for detailing. It was not until recently that Kadee updated their PS-1 line with earlier pre-1948 era options which were applied to the PS-1. The details included an earlier underframe, a roof which lacks stiffeners on the outermost roof panels, and short side sill tabs. The pre-'48 variant of tooling will yield an excellent model for the earliest of SAL orders as detailed below. Beginning in 1948, Seaboard Air Line Railroad ordered 1,900 examples of the PS-1 boxcar which spanned the gamut of PS-1 production. 

The cars were delivered in four lots as follows:

Lot 5919B, delivered in October 1948, car numbers 24000-24299, 7 Panel Superior 10'6" door, Ajax handbrake, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, Apex running boards, Route of Courteous Service slogan, car cement roof

Lot 5919B, delivered in October 1948, car numbers 24300-24499, 7 Panel Superior 10'6" door, Ajax handbrake, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, Apex running boards, Route of Silver Comet, car cement roof

Lot 5994, delivered in May 1951, car numbers 24500-24799, 8' Youngstown YSD-2 doors, Universal handbrake, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, Apex running boards, Route of Courteous Service slogan, car cement roof

Lot 5994, delivered in May 1951, car numbers 24800-24999, 8' Youngstown YSD-2 doors, Universal handbrake, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, Apex running boards, Route of Silver Comet, car cement roof

Lot 8029, delivered in March 1952, car numbers 25000-25299, 8' Youngstown YSD-2 doors, Universal handbrake, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, Apex running boards, Route of Courteous Service, car cement roof

Lot 8029, delivered in March 1952, car numbers 25300-25499, 8' Youngstown YSD-2 doors, Universal handbrake, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, U.S. Gypsum running boards, Route of Silver Star, car cement roof 

Lot 8221, delivered in January 1955, car numbers 25500-25899, 6 Panel Superior 10'6" door, Miner handbrake first 200 cars, Champion-Peacock last 300 cars, U.S. Gypsum running boards, ASF A3 Ride Control 50-ton solid bearing trucks, Route of Courteous Service, car color roof

SAL classified the series as the B-10 series of cars, however, the class designation did not last beyond this series as it was eliminated after SAL policy changed. 

Several years ago, I located a Walter Frost image from the City of Vancouver digital archives which contained Seaboard Coast Line 824097. The prototype was one of the earliest variants of SAL's PS-1s and it was definitely worthy of modeling. It was uncommon to see a SCL repaint with running board intact, and a repaint date of August 1967 making it one of the earliest repaints I have located images of. 

After reviewing Kadee's website, it quickly became apparent there is more than meets the eye when modeling early Pre-1950 PS-1s. In short, variance in end reinforcements, straight ladders, bolster tabs, underframe details, the outermost panels being flat in place of roof stiffeners, three point end grab irons, an additional grab iron immediately below the ladder stile, and an alternate retainer valve location were some of the finer points which were revealed. Kadee has posted an excellent detail call-out located at https://www.kadee.com/documents/pre50_PS-1.pdf .

To model this excellent prototype, I am in need of the correct 7 Panel Superior door with even panel spacing which to date has not been released. I have several examples of the Branchline door and it is not correct for this prototype. Hopefully 2021 brings with it additional doors offered by Kadee and undecorated examples of this earliest PS-1.