Pennsylvania X41B - one more Sunshine kit started

 

PRR X41B 119058, Fayetteville, NC, Dec. 24, 1951, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo, Collection of J. P. Barger

I recently presented a clinic at the June 22 meeting of the Philadelphia chapter of the PRRT&HS about PRR Early Welded Box & Auto Cars and Models. It seemed that the talk might be a good opportunity to expand the one I did for Hindsight to include some modeling content. I have a couple X41 family kits produced by Sunshine Models sitting in my stash. Frankly, I wasn't certain I would ever even build them. However, the clinic seems a great opportunity to add one to my fleet. Regarding the kits, the body parts are nice representations of the X41 family of cars. However, I have been quite certain that the underframes in the Sunshine kits are not correct for the X41 subclasses and wanted to do a little digging to uncover what would be needed to correct that issue. I also know that the details could use an upgrade and a few improvements.

With the aid of the PRRT&HS, I have been able to determine that not only is the Sunshine underframe not correct, it's really not even close. All this means that in addition to some detail upgrades, I have reason to scratchbuild a new underframe, always good clinic fodder.

Here is a list of a few things to be done as part of this build of an X41B (single door car):

• scratchbuild underframe (that's a LOT for a single bullet point, but I will chronicle that in greater detail)
• upgrade and correct grab irons and ladders (etching will feature heavily in this)
• fix door post brace detail (the castings had some rather soft, "blobby" detail that has to be fixed)
• add trust plate detail (this has a solution with a wow factor it, at least in my opinion)
• decal artwork for a circle keystone revenue car
• determine truck, running board, and hand brake combinations for a car with improved Youngstown doors

Thus far, I have assembled the body and created the basic guts of the underframe (floor and center sill section.) There is one thing with the body assembly that I chose to ignore (ignorance can be bliss.) On the prototype, the roof eaves wrap over the side plate (the top of the side and a custom sloped/angled shape unique to the PRR X40 and X41 families of cars, as far as I know.) On the model, the roof is ever slightly too narrow to achieve this. Honestly, most people wouldn't have even noticed had I not pointed that detail out for you on the model. The Branchline Murphy rectangular panel roof is slightly wider, so it would be a better option... the only hitch being that you'd have to cut and splice two forty-foot ones to make a fifty-foot version. 

This image illustrates the "blobby" door post bracing (top) and door hardware (bottom.) I am unsure if it's a poor casting or the result of a damaged mold, but it needs to be improved

If you're interested in following along, I urge you to review the clinic pdf file. Over the next couple days, I will post the first of several updates, starting with a thorough writeup of the underframe construction. Watch for that in the coming days.