During the 1960s, the most radical freight car designs employed the extreme height clearances offered by Plate F car designs. In 1964, no car type articulated this extreme more than the 86-foot, purpose-built “Auto Parts” boxcars. They became fixtures on the rails all over North American mainlines, riding hot trains to deliver components vital to the productivity of auto plants. While several car builders offered 86’ auto parts boxcars, the most prolific builder was Greenville Steel Car Company of Greenville PA. Greenville produced their Quad Door design in the 1969-1970 period to meet the expanding needs of GM and Oldsmobile production facilities. Like the Double Door cars, these Quad Door cars were acquired by many railroads, and they were assigned to pools where cars from multiple railroads served a specific shipper.

The Tangent Scale Models Greenville 86′ Quad Plug Door Box Car System continues the design and operational standards set by our industry-leading Greenville Double Plug Door box car models. Our product replicates multiple variations of these cars, including two different draft gear combinations, two underframe styles which incorporate Center-of-Car Cushioning and End-Of-Car Cushioning options, and multiple power brake options. We have now released NINE (9) different build variations of these Greenville prototypes! The Tangent Greenville 86’ Quad Plug Door Box Car includes accurate all-new 70-ton trucks with 33” wheels, and include “spinning” roller bearing caps appropriate for each paint scheme. Finally, our cars are weighted properly and are equipped with genuine Kadee scale couplers mounted in specially-designed coupler pockets which means they operate as good as they look. Due to the car’s size, we recommend curves of 24” or larger for these models.  

The Tangent Greenville 86’ High Cube Quad Plug Door Box Car System is a state of the art, dimensionally-accurate scale replica that was tooled to Greenville Steel Car plans and verified with field measurements. Our model comes with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact stenciling, fonts, and lettering placement. Our Greenville 86’ system of models offers a multitude of detail variations and phases to replicate the many different Greenville Steel Car offerings. We make the best cars money can buy in HO scale. A quick synopsis of our era and railroad-specific detail variations include:

• Dimensional accuracy – designed from actual Greenville blueprints and verified with field measurements

• Highly correct “true to life” colors

• “Hyper-Accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement

• Body shells with overlapping side panels

• EOCC (end of car cushioning) or COCC (center of car cushioning) “near scale” draft gear variations

• Genuine Kadee scale couplers

• Separate flexible rubber air hoses

• Under car brake system variations

• “See through” etched metal end crossover platforms in three possible options: Gypsum, Apex, or Morton

• Side tack board types/sizes and locations

• Twelve (!) prototypically-accurate brake stands (Ajax, 2 Universal versions, 2 Equipco versions, 2 Miner versions, Champion-Peacock, 2 Elcon-National versions, Peacock 850, Klasing 1150)

• Two possible handbrake “brake wheel” options

• Optional 3rd door arm hinge parts to be configured one of three ways

• All-new 70-Ton Barber S-2 “Birdsboro foundry” Roller Bearing Truck

• 33” wheels, as applicable to these 70T models

• Truck brake beam part, accurate for these 1969-1970 built Greenville production cars

• Three “rotating” roller bearing truck cap options

• Recommended age 14 years and older