Union Pacific B-50-24

 

Another throwback... of the models I built for the "Essential Freight Cars" series this is one of my favorites. I was thrilled with the outcome, particularly the weathering and it is such an attractive car. In case you did not see the article, the model is a Trix/Marklin UP B-50-24/27 box car, with the body stripped. I replaced the roof with an IMWX roof and added a Speedwitch UP welded underframe. The model was lettered with Speedwitch decals from set D125. I was also thrilled to have a prototype that used the Superior power hand brake from Red Caboose (see below.)

Bob's Photo

The UP B-50-24 & -27, along with several other classes of UP steel box cars and some groups on the SP and SSW, had "alternate center rivets" in the middle of the steel side sheets, as shown in the photo above. This was a subtle, yet distinctive detail that prototype modelers seek to replicate. Below is a table that details the various groups of the B-50-24 and -27 cars.

Class	Reporting Marks	Series	Quantity	Year Built	Builder
B-50-24	UP	187000-187499	500	1939	UP Omaha
B-50-24	UP	187500-188199	700	1939	UP Grand Island
B-50-24	OWR&N	188300-188999	700	1939	UP Albina
B-50-27	OWR&N	189000-189299	300	1940	UP Albina
B-50-27	OSL	189400-189899	500	1940	UP Albina
B-50-27	UP	190000-190599	600	1940	UP Grand Island
B-50-27	UP	190600-190699	100	1940	UP Omaha

100,000!

Ok, this photo has little to do with the subject of this post. However, I thought it a fitting freight car to commemorate a milestone of sorts. I don’t really dwell on the statistics for this blog as I tend to not post regularly (although I have made it a priority to do that over the last couple months). That said, the blog hit a nice round number yesterday as the view total rolled past 100,000. It’s nothing earth shattering, but I thought I’d acknowledge the milestone.

About the photo… SP 100000 was a B-50-27, part of a string of thousands of 10’0” inside height postwar AAR box cars purchased by the SP in the late 40s and early 50s, assigned to classes B-50-25, -26, -27, and -28. SP 100000 was built in late 1948 as part of a group of cars from series SP 100000-102099, 2,100 cars, and 1,250 cars in T&NO 58500-59749, all built by Pullman-Standard. Near Baraboo, Wisconsin, May 26, 1960, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo