The company has produced a rugged, well-detailed 50-foot boxcar that is exactly what many modelers want: a large freight hauler and a great platform for railroad graphics, too.
The model itself is a superb rendering of a car that is still a common sight on America’s rails and will look right at home on an O gauge layout modeling the 1960s to the 1990s.
Extra detail items include applied handrails and grab irons, and the car comes with die-cast metal trucks and couplers. The catwalk on the roof is an add-on and there are separate fixtures like brake wheels and placards.
Paint and decoration are both superb, especially the clean markings over the ribbed car ends. As seen on the New York Central car, the manufacturer does a great job applying the large red, white, and black NYC herald.
Road names currently offered are Burlington (red), Kansas City Southern, New York Central (jade green), Southern Ry., Southern Pacific, and five Santa Fe versions (in Pullman green or brown) bearing Grand Canyon, Scout, El Capitan, or Super Chief passenger train logos. Future road names include Cotton Belt, Erie, Nickel Plate Road, Missouri Pacific, and Wabash.
The metal trucks and couplers are very nice. Of note are the simulated brake shoes that are not cast as part of the sideframe, but come as a separate piece positioned behind the sideframe, as though they were real brake shoes in alignment with the car’s wheels. A very nice touch.
The overall length of the car is 14 inches, and the measurement of the shell itself is right on target at 121/2 inches, or 50 scale feet.
The cars are rugged and ride very smoothly. Placing the car at various points in a 20-car freight, the couplers stayed closed throughout our testing.
If you’re looking for more scale-sized rolling stock, this new car from Pecos River Brass warrants consideration. These cars are an attractive addition to the growing three-rail rolling stock market.
