Accuracy and Detail… in Scale

 

Dear N Scale Customers: in August we published images of the first 4 paint schemes of the 5077 cu ft PS Boxcars. We just received the other 12 paint schemes. Here they are for you to review. We will commence production very shortly. We will take copies of the cars to display atthe Milwaukee Train Show, and we will have some at the Vancouver Train Show to examine.

PLEASE NOTE: Painted samples are preproduction test shots that have been individually painted and printed. The test models used may not be final versions with all corrections and owing to the single copy nature of these samples, there may be small errors in the schemes that will not be present in the final production models. Still, these test samples give a strong indication of the quality and level of detail these models will have. Please forgive the somewhat less than stellar nature of the images, as we wanted to get them up before packing these to go to the Milwaukee show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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North American Railcar Corporation is preparing to move soon into the production phase of our new North American Railcar Corporation Pullman-Standard (PS) 5077 box car project. We have previously reviewed the blank test samples and made corrections. We have now received 4 painted test samples for review and have included pictures below. We will have the other 12 paint schemes to review in 2-3 weeks. We will have these test samples on display at the NMRA show this week for modelers to inspect. Once production begins, we expect to receive shipment of the finished cars late this year. Our production facility has not been affected by the issues facing other manufacturers presently.

PLEASE NOTE: Painted samples are preproduction test shots that have been individually painted and printed. The test models used may not be final versions with all corrections and owing to the single copy nature of these samples, there may be small errors in the schemes that will not be present in the final production models. Still, these test samples give a strong indication of the quality and level of detail these models will have. Please forgive the somewhat less than stellar nature of the images, as we wanted to get them up before packing these to go to the NMRA show this week.

North American Railcar Corporation is producing an incredible 35 body style versions of this car in HO Scale. When taking the many paint schemes this car has and does appear in, the possiblities are endless. No matter what era being modeled between October 1974 and today, or what area of North America being modeled, there are cars in this project that accurately reflect traffic in that time and area.

North American Railcar Corporation wants to thank everyone who has made this project possible, from our factory team to the many customers who have helped ensure these cars will be as accurate as possible. Like all new models, there have been twists and turns along the way, but we are confident that modelers will be impressed with the level of detail and accuracy on these never before offered models.

Some of the features that make this project so complex and why it these cars have never been done before include:

• Multiple bodies (2)
• Ends (4)
• Side sills (5)
• Underframes (2)
• Door types (8)
• Upper door tracks (3)
• Lower door tracks (3)
• Door stops (5)
• Logo plates (3)
• Door opener wheels (3)
• Hand brakes (3)
• Stirrup steps (3)
• Foofs (2)
• Modifications made to the cars later in life, like plug doors or extended roofs, doors, modified ends and multiple vent styles for baled wood pulp loading

Most road names have significant reservations with some close to pre-set production levels. This means that while we typically have a fair number of models available for reservation after we receive the models, there will be few if any of these models available for order after they come in. We can adjust the production run for these models before we go to production, but once production has begun, the numbers will be set. Modelers who wish to reserve any of these models, or increase reservations they have already made should do so now. Once these models come in, it will likely be impossible to do so for most modelers.

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You are already familiar with our first project, the never before produced Hawker Siddeley 4550 cf. 4-Bay Cylindrical Hopper, presented in 2009 to coincide with the introduction of the brand new Government of Saskatchewan green Tiger Lily paint scheme. We went beyond industry standards as we produced this car, and other roads using Hawker Siddeley 4-bay hoppers, in 15 different body variations.

In 2013, we brought the 4000 cf. Coal Gondola, to the modelling world in 4 versions: Hawker Siddeley Trenton; National Steel Car; Marine Industries Ltd; and CN Transcona Shops. Here, too, we produced each road name with the minor variations needed to make each model unique and prototypically accurate.

2016 saw the introduction of the National Steel Car Potash Service 4275 cf. 3-Bay Covered Hopper, complete with 7 different body variations.

Once again, North American Railcar Corporation has pushed industry standards, with the newest addition to our proud line-up of high quality model rail cars!

 Here it is, a new model, never before done by anyone…

"Wait," you say. 

These have already been done. Didn't Atlas make this car in HO scale?

"No," their cars are 5077 cf. FMC Boxcars, ours are Pullman Standard boxcars

We asked our director of research: "Aren't these cars the same?"

His comment was: "Are 5 Litre Ford Mustangs the same as 5 Litre Chevy Camero's?"

We said, "No."

So then why would an FMC 5077 be the same as a PS 5077?

These cars have never been done before, there are numerous paint schemes, and they are seen all over North America.

Our Boxcars are 5077 cf. 

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Introduction

Pullman Standard built 4,301 5077 cubic foot plate B box cars with sliding doors between October 1972 and August 1979 for seven original customers. In addition, Pullman supplied a total of 300 superstructure kits (car bodies and doors - Berwick Forge and Fabricating supplied the underframes)  to Golden Tye at Pickens, South Carolina for assembly during 1975-76 for the National Railway Utilization Company (NRUC). These kit cars were originally operated by St. Lawrance Railroad and Pickens Railway with NSL and PICK reporting marks during the IDP boom.

The original non-kit customers were: 

• Penn Central (PC) - one order (Lot 9602)
• Railbox (RBOX) - three orders (Lots 9794, 9831, and 9832)
• Chicago and Illinois Midland (C&IM) - one order (Lot 9831)
• Pearl River Valley (PRV) - one order (Lot 9916)
• St. Johnsbury & Lamoile County (SJL) - one order (Lot 9916)
• St. Lawrence Railroad (NSL) - one order (Lot 9962)
• Chicago and North Western (CNW) - one order (Lot 1059)

The original kit-supplied/customer-assembled customers were: 

• St. Lawrance Railroad (NSL) – two orders
• Pickens (PICK) – six orders

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Body Style Features

There were two basic body styles incorporated during the PS production run, both incorporating ten foot wide door openings. The first body utilized twelve side posts. The first post, with the inboard ends of the grabs attached was a “Z-post” section while the remaining side posts were “hat” sections. The first body with twelve side posts was utilized only on the original order, Lot 9602 for Penn Central.

The second body style utilized on all of the following 5077 orders was modified to include only ten side posts, all of them constructed from slightly wider “hat” sections of steel channel.

Pullman supplied the car bodies and appliances for the kit-built cars for NRUC, so the body is identical to the PS-built cars.

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Five Different Side Sills

There were four side sill variations employed by Pullman over the five year production span. The first sill was fabricated from L-angle, with the narrow leg at the top of the sill and a notch cut out at each end for access to the trucks. 

The next order of cars were delivered with a side sill fabricated from C-channel, with a section of the web removed and the lower leg bent to follow the removed section and welded into place:

The next five orders were delivered with side sills fabricated with plate steel with the lower edge bent into an L-shape, with a notch at the stirrup steps.  

The final order was delivered with a side sill similar to that on the second order, with the difference being there is a radius along the lower edge.

On the PS-supplied kit cars, the side sills (along with the bodies) were supplied by Pullman and look like the typical Pullman side sills on 5077 cubic-foot cars. But, since the underframes were supplied by Berwick Forge and Fabricating, the location of floor joists differed from the Pullman underframes and therefore the Huck bolts that fasten the underframe to the side sill are in different locations on the two different versions of the similar sills.

Side Sill 5 (Kit-built orders for NSL and PICK) – note the lack of jack pad and different locations for Huck bolts (rivets) on the side sill

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Two Different Roofs + a Roof Extension

For all the orders, with the exception of one, Pullman equipped the cars with their proprietary 15-panel "bow-tie" roof. The PS-supplied kit cars were also delivered with the bow-tie panel roof.

The one exception was the order for NRUC (NSL), which cars were equipped with Stanray's 15-panel "diagonal-panel" roof.

North American Railcar has tooled a roof extension so that three series of these cars, modified for baled wood pulp and paper service can be accurately modeled. We’ve even included the seam cap rivets on both roofs.

For baled wood pulp and Paper

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Three Different Ends

There were three ends provided over the production span of these cars:

• Pullman N4/5 "sine-wave" corrugated  (narrow top corrugation)
• Pullman 5/5 "sine-wave" corrugated
  
• Pullman 5/5 "sine-wave" corrugated with vents

 

Plus, when cars were modified for baled wood pulp and paper service, the car ends were reinforced by welding plates between the corrugations, protecting the ends from damage when pulp bales or paper rolls shift.

North American Railcar is providing all three original end variations, appropriate for the order depicted, plus, the reinforced 5/5 “sine-wave” end that was modified for pulp and paper service. No one else, before North American Railcar, has been able to offer multiple, accurately detailed ends to their freight car reproductions and still keep them competitively priced. 

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Eight Different Doors

Pullman delivered most of these cars with their own proprietary embossed panel doors. However, two roads (NSL and CNW) chose their cars to be equipped with YSD 5/6/6 corrugated doors, which differed slightly in details between the two orders.

Pullman delivered most of these cars with their own proprietary embossed panel doors. However, two roads (NSL and CNW) chose their cars to be equipped with YSD 5/6/6 corrugated doors, which differed slightly in details between the two orders.

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Repairs

Over time, as cars were shopped, doors were often replaced. To represent this activity, North American Railcar is also tooling an additional five doors, including a plug door with separate details. The additional doors are:

• YSD corrugated (common on CSX)
• EZ-Roll 7-panel
• RCS 6-panel
• YSD Exterior-Post, Horizontal Gear (plug door) with separate door rods, door handle and crank arm (at the top of the door)
• Prime 8-panel  (plate C, extended height cars for pulp and paper service)

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Accuracy and Detail… in Scale

Lot 9602-1 - Penn Central (PC)

Lot 9602-3 - Conrail (CR)

Lot 9602-4 - Canadian Pacific Railway (CP)

Lot 9794-1 - Railbox (RBOX) Early Version 

Lot 9794-1 - Southern (SOU) ex-Railbox

Lot 9831-1 - Santa Fe (ATSF)

 Lot 9831-1 - Burlington Northern (BN)

Lot 9831-1 - Seaboard Systems (SBD) ex-Railbox

Lot GT-4 - Chessie System (B&O)

Lot 9831-4 - CSX Transportation (CSXT)

Lot 9832-3 - Union Pacific (UP)

 Lot 9832-1 - Railbox (RBOX) Late Version

Lot 9832-2 - Wisconsin Central (SSAM)

 Lot 9832-2 - Montana Rail link (MRL)

Lot 9962-1 - St Lawrence Railroad (NSL)

Lot 1059-3 - Chicago & North Western (CNW)

Reservations Still Being Accepted

Expected Release: Late 2018

JMP