Greenville Steel Car Company 86’ High Cube Quad Double Plug Door Box Cars

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 their industry-leading Greenville Double Plug Door box car models. Tangent Scale Models 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. Tangent Scale Models have now released THIRTEEN (13) different build variations of these Greenville prototypes! The Tangent Greenville 86’ Quad Plug Door Box Car includes accurate 70-Ton Barber S-2 Birdsboro Foundry trucks with 33” wheels, and include “spinning” roller bearing caps appropriate for each paint scheme. Finally, Tangent Scale Models 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, Tangent Scale Models 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. Tangent Scale Models model comes with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact stenciling, fonts, and lettering placement. Tangent Scale Models Greenville 86’ system of models offers a multitude of detail variations and phases to replicate the many different Greenville Steel Car offerings. Tangent Scale Models make the best cars money can buy in HO scale.

A quick synopsis of Tangent Scale Models 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

• 70-Ton Barber S-2 “Birdsboro foundry” or 100-Ton Barber S-2-C roller bearing truck options

• 33” or 36” wheels, as applicable to these 70T/100T 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

– Norfolk & Western (N&W) “Delivery 12-1969 Blue” offers another big paint scheme for our customers. Tangent Scale Models see you, patient N&W fans. The N&W ordered 21 cars and these were among the first Greenville 86’ Quad Door box cars built. The Pevler blue paint and hamburger logo look great on this big car. The “NORFOLK & WESTERN” graphics are distinctive and accurate for this order of Greenville cars. (Compare the lettering style to Tangent’s recent N&W Blue Thrall 60’ boxcars!) Greenville just had their own style and way of doing things! This 1969-built Greenville group features accurate End-of-Car Cushioning details, Gypsum crossover platforms and truck mounted brake hardware. This N&W B-123 class rides on 100-Ton Barber Low Profile S-2-C Trucks, with 36” wheels and accurate rotating “Timken” roller bearing caps. These cars were part of the GM Indianapolis, Indiana Stamping Plant pool, with a return-when-empty stencil the Indianapolis Union Railway! These beauties are ready to haul auto parts!

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