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.
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.
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.
We loaded into their Cadillac, which I remember as a two tone sky blue with a navy vinyl top. My Granddaddy explained to me that despite being in school, I was being allowed to leave early because of a special day he planned. I wasn't told where we were going, but it was a short trip to the Lakeland, Florida Amtrak station off Wabash Avenue. The car was parked and we walked inside where I was handed a ticket and then told to stay on the platform. It wasn't soon thereafter that SCL bumble bees were blasting past towards the old Lakeland Yard. We sat for an hour or so, and ultimately there came into view, the red, white and blue of an EMD F40PH. It was an amazing sight at the age of 5 and so close that I could literally reach out and touch her. After family photos, we boarded and were finding our seats. I remember sitting in a comfortable rust colored seat next to the window which afforded me a view of the south side of the rails.
My grandfather, who is the son of a life long Seaboard Air Line foreman of locomotive of engineers, advised me that were heading to Tampa to visit family. I was fortunate enough to recall many memories of visiting him and my great grandmother. He was an exceptionally tall man at 6'04", he wore glasses, and had a bad eye which I later learned was the result of collision he was involved in. He was chock full of stories about the railroad, and keenly tolerant of my endless questions about the railroad. I would sit for hours, feet kicked up and sitting on his knees, asking my great grandfather about the trains he drove, rode, and made a living on.
Back on board, what was the Tampa section of the Silver Star, I was asked to exit the coach we were aboard and walked to the lead of the locomotive where I was permitted to enter the cab. The F40PH was idling in Notch 8 and louder than anything I'd heard, but inside she was relatively quiet. I met the engineer and brakeman, and then advised we would be leaving soon. I was allowed to stay inside long enough to hear the Nathan M5 from the cab and the endless clank of that venerable brass bell.
I thanked my new acquaintances, departed the cab, and boarded the coach for the westbound trip. We got up to speed quickly, and sadly, I don't remember much about the ride other than when leaving Lakeland and seeing the same buildings I could view from the road but this time from the rails. About 45 minutes later we were pulling into Tampa Union Station where my Great granddaddy and great grandmother met us.
This was my first train trip circa 1983 and to this day, I can remember vivid details of the event, the passenger cars, and locomotive which has forever cemented my love of trains. As I've grown older, I have researched my family, their livelihoods, and learned that my family has an extensive history with the Seaboard Air Line. It wasn't until this year, that I was finally able to get a copy of a 1962 Seaboard Air Line crash which involved my great grandfather while the Silver Star was traveling northbound through Okeechobee, Florida.
