A Northern Pacific HO scale 50-foot XM double-door boxcar is the latest release from Moloco Trains. The ready-to-run model features car-number-specific details, Stanray R3-4 ends, and 8-rung ladders on the sides and ends.
A railroad-built car
The Moloco model is based on full-size cars built at NP’s Brainerd, Minn., shops between 1956 and 1959. During the course of the production run, 1,350 cars were produced. The cars were primarily used for lumber and forest products.
One of the models I purchased was decorated as NP 7035, part of the railroad’s 6500 through 7899 series. The boxcar is painted in the 1957 delivery scheme with 8-foot shadow letters, an 8-foot Northern Pacific Railway Monad herald, and Route of the Vista-Dome North Coast Limited lettering.
When the NP merged with Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Great Northern; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle in March 1970, the boxcars became part of the newly created Burlington Northern fleet. The boxcars were off the BN roster by the early 1990s.
Model features
Moloco’s injection-molded plastic model has separate riveted sides and welded Stanray R3-4 ends that are attached to the underbody. The roof is a separate plastic casting with an etched-metal running board with wire corner grab irons.
Three of the cars in the 1956-57 delivery scheme, including the 7035, are fitted with an Equipco 3750 handbrake and the same company’s brake wheel. A see-through, etched-metal platform is located below the brake wheel.
Both ends of the car include plastic bracket-style grab irons and 8-rung ladders, formed wire uncoupling levers, wire grab irons, freestanding placard boards, and flexible rubber air hoses.
Molded details on the car sides include the door tracks and Youngstown 7-1⁄2 foot doors. The doors are detailed with separate, factory-applied placard and route boards and door opening hardware. Similar to the ends, the ladders and grab irons on the sides are plastic. The stirrup steps are formed metal.
Underneath, the model has molded floor board and stringer detail. The center sill and crossbearers are a single plastic casting. The draft-gear boxes are separate plastic parts secured with two screws each.
The brake system consists of factory-applied plastic appliances complemented with wire brake rods and air pipes. The car rides on 50-ton engineering plastic trucks with raised foundry data and separate brake beam detail.
A closer look
The NP boxcar is neatly painted Mineral Red with overspray on the edges of the roof. The printing on the car is sharp and opaque throughout. The lettering placement matches prototype photos I found online and in books. There’s even a printed equipment trust plate below the LT WT stencil on both sides. Nice touch!
The 33” blackened metal wheelsets are correctly gauged, and the body-mounted Kadee scale whisker couplers are at the correct height. At 4.3 ounces, the NP boxcar is .2 ounce too light per National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1.
I found elevation drawings for the 6500-6999, 7000-7449, and 7500-7899 series boxcars on the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association website. The model’s dimensions match or are within scale inches of the prototype.
For real-world testing, I took the car over to our Milwaukee Road Beer Line and Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch layouts. The boxcar comfortably negotiated the 18” radius curves on the Beer Line. It also rolled through a mix of commercial and handlaid turnouts, as well as a 30-degree crossing, on the Tar Branch.
As a fan of Burlington Northern and its predecessor roads, I was thrilled when Moloco Trains announced the NP Brainerd-built 50-foot double-door boxcar in HO scale. The model certainly lives up to Moloco’s tradition of well-researched and highly detailed premium-level freight cars.
Facts & features
Price: $66.99 (undecorated, $49.99)
Manufacturer
Moloco Trains
Era: 1956 to early 1990s (varies depending on paint scheme)
Road names: Burlington Northern (1972 Cascade Green repaint) and Northern Pacific (1956-57 delivery, 1957 delivery, and 1969 Cascade Green repaint). Six road numbers per paint scheme. Also available as undecorated kit.
Features
- 33” metal wheelsets, correctly gauged
- Kadee scale whisker couplers, at correct height
- Weight: 4.3 ounces (.2 ounce too light per National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1)
