Southern Railway Postwar AAR Box Cars - an extremely interesting quirk

 

As an expansion from my previous post, the Southern purchased 1,000 Postwar design AAR box cars from Pullman-Standard between 1946-1947, Lot 5855. The most visible details were 8-foot door openings, not unheard of at the time, but not all that common, either, and their Superior 7-panel doors or Improved Youngstown doors with 6-6-5 arrangement (top to bottom.) Other details included prominent push pole pockets and specialties as noted in the table below.

Series Start	Series End	Side sheathing	Subsidiary	Hand Brake	Running Board	Doors
330000	330499	Irregular	NO&NE	Miner	Morton Open Grip	Youngstown
23000	23241	Regular	Southern	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Youngstown
23242	23268	Regular	Southern	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Superior
23269	23299	Regular	Southern	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Youngstown
23300	23472	Regular	Southern	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Superior
23473	23486	Regular	Southern	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Youngstown
262000	262049	Regular	CNO&TP	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Youngstown
307025	307027	Regular	AGS	Universal	Morton Open Grip	Youngstown

One interesting quirk that I noticed in photos years ago, but hadn't researched thoroughly was that 500 cars had a highly unusual, if not unique arrangement of side structural posts (zee bars where the side sheathing panels overlapped and were riveted.) On 500 cars, the structural posts were marginally closer together (3'0-1/2" vs. 3'1-7/8" on a standard arrangement) and an additional structural member was added extremely close to the adjacent end, necessitating an additional row of rivets close to the ends and corner posts. I have not seen this feature on any other cars and have no documentation as to why it was done. The only reason for this arrangement that makes sense to me is that four of the panels on either side of the door were generated from tooling for a car with a 7-foot door opening (the edges closest to the car ends were crimped to overlap the next panel) and then the last panel on each side, adjacent to the ends, which did not have a crimp (it was just sheet/plate steel) was made wide enough to span the leftover distance. A plausible (yet thoroughly speculative) reason is availability of such side sheathing panels when the first cars were built beginning in 1946; maybe panels for 7-foot door opening cars were already being cut and pressed for the Nickel Plate order, but presses for 8-foot door opening sides were not tooled yet. This rationale is a weak explanation for the presence of the zee bar structural member 6-7/8" from the corner post. Nonetheless, it results in an extremely cool feature if you're a freight car geek, like I am. Click on the photo to see a larger view

This photo of Southern 23000 illustrates another interesting detail that I have only found on this car. It was equipped with roping staples at each bolster. I am unsure if there were other cars wit hthese, but it is noteworthy. I could find no reference to it in the Southern book*.

There is (was) an incredible reference for Southern box cars, Southern Railway Equipment Drawings and Photographs, Volume 1, Book 1, 40' Steel Box Cars, George Eichelberger, Southern Railway Historical Association, 2004

Branchline Trains Yardmaster 1937 AAR Box Car Anomaly

I have been at work on a pilot model for an upcoming Speedwitch kitbash parts set. I had an undecorated Branchline Trains Yardmaster 1937 AAR box car kit in the stash and decided to use it as the foundation for the project instead of the Intermountain car. The BLT YM kit has separate ends (which are being replaced in the kitbash,) the correct single stringer on each side of the underframe and one of the best renditions of the Youngstown door that's been done in HO, albeit with the placard and route card boards integral to the door. It's an attractive base to start with, even knowing I would have to carve off the ladders and grabs on the sides.

However, as things progressed, I discovered an anomaly that I thought worth sharing. One side of the car is "higher" than the other! It is as if one entire side has been raised approximately 0.015" relative to the other. It is a very strange tooling error, but left me scratching my head until I realized what it was. The first underframe image with no "lip" is correct (right side on the model when viewed from the B end,) while the second with the "lip" is incorrect (left side on the model when viewed from the B end.) I am working around it, but it is definitely good to know it's there if you are planning to use one of these cars as fodder for a future effort. I will share a post very soon about the Speedwitch offering as I am almost ready to announce it.

Modeling the Southern Pacific A-50-17 Part I

Modeling the SP in late 1951 means I would like to have models of the following auto (double door) cars on the roster:

Class (HO scale model)

• A-50-4 (Speedwitch)
• A-50-5/6 (Funaro & Camerlengo)
• A-50-7 (no kit; radial roof version of A-50-6)
• A-50-9/10/11 (Speedwitch kit coming for A-50-11)
• A-50-12 (Sunshine)
• A-50-13 (Sunshine)
• A-50-14 (Proto 2000 redetail [not really a full-blown kitbash])
• A-50-15 (kitbash of Branchline)
• A-50-16 (Sunshine)
• A-50-17 (Branchline kitbash)

Prototype photo of SP 192866. Note the panels called out as having rectangular corrugations. Fayetteville, North Carolina, July 14, 1952, Col. Chet McCoid photo, Bob's Photo

The last class on this list is the subject of this post, Part I of what will be several. The A-50-17 class was built in 1950-1951, car nos. 190000-190499 and 192000-192999. All cars in the 190000-series were equipped with Evans Type F automobile loading racks (a note in SP Freight Cars, Volume 3 from Signature Press indicates that 100 cars mixed in the 192000-series also had auto racks, although the October, 1951 Official Railway Equipment Register does not yet show any cars in the 192000-series with racks.) Interestingly, cars in series 192000-192499 are classified XM "Box, All Steel" while cars in 192500-192999 are classified as XM "Auto, All Steel". The difference is not clear (if there is any difference) and no special loading equipment is noted in the ORER. 

While Branchline made a rather nice kit for late 1940s and 1950s 50' auto cars, the SP's A-50-17 incorporated details not covered by the Branchline models. There are two notable differences. The A-50-17 had sides that used "hat-section" structural members, necessitating two rows of rivets (one alternating) where the side sheets overlapped. Additionally, the A-50-17 had four steel sheathing "panels" to the left of the doors and six to the right, fewer than the five and eight of the Branchline models. This will be addressed and described in a separate post.

The other significant difference is that the roof employed was a hybrid of diagonal and rectangular panels. By the time these cars were constructed in late 1950 and early 1951, diagonal panel roof corrugations had superseded rectangular corrugations. However, in this instance, two panels near each end of the car used rectangular corrugations to accommodate automobile loading racks on cars so equipped (all cars had the "hybrid" roofs, regardless of whether equipped with racks). 

To replicate this unusual roof, I decided to marry pieces from a Branchline 50' diagonal panel roof and a Branchline 40' rectangular panel roof. The edges of the underside of the center portions of Branchline roofs do not have any "depth" like the ends do.  If not filled, this lack of depth would adversely affect the cuts with the razor saw, as well as efforts to square the cuts with a Northwest Shortline True Sander. I added strip styrene to fill in these areas (0.040" x 0.040" on the rectangular panel roof and 0.030" x 0.040" on the diagonal panel roof - white strips in the photo below). After sawing, the pieces were spliced together as shown here. I used a razor saw and mitre box to make the cuts, leaving excess material to be sanded using a Northwest Shortline True Sander. My goal was to reassemble the pieces using the "center" of the roof seam caps as the mating line, creating relatively easy joints to sand clean (the photo shown here is prior to sanding the seam caps.) 

Once I had the pieces glued together, but while the joints were still "soft" from the MEK, I placed the roof into the car body, with light pressure applied with rubber bands. This ensured that the parts would be in fairly good alignment and flat as the joints dried and hardened.

I am pleased with the results. I will have copies made for offer at some future time (along with decals for the A-50-12 through A-50-17 classes of SP auto cars).

Know of another prototype that used this roof? Please leave a comment below...

Atlas/Branchline undecorated Box Cars

P116 - Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 35200-series automobile car

I have received several inquiries regarding Branchline postwar AAR box cars kits from Atlas to be used as fodder for Speedwitch conversions. Here are some links, in no particular order or level of importance:

Atlas/Branchline Undec postwar AAR box car
HO Branchline freight car kits
Contact Atlas
Atlas Postwar AAR cars with 7' door opening - current

Also, Bill Welch provided the following:

"The stock # for the 6-ft door Undec is 20001384

Their website ordering is difficult to navigate, I think."

Customer service person is:Steve MillenbachCustomer Service ManagerAtlas Model Railroad Co908-687-0880 Ext 7147smillenbach@atlasrr.com


I believe that Steve can help with any questions about obtaining the kits.

The Speedwitch subjects that use these cars are as follows:

Parts set P108 - Erie early Postwar AAR Box Cars
P110.1 – Southern Postwar AAR Box Car Parts Set – Superior Door
P110.2 – Southern Postwar AAR Box Car Parts Set – Improved Youngstown Door

P113.1 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Youngstown door

P113.2 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Superior 7-panel door

P113.3 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Improved Youngstown door

P114 – Santa Fe Bx-44 Postwar AAR box car, Improved Youngstown door

P115 – Pittsburgh & West Virginia Postwar AAR Box Cars

P116 – Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 35200-series Automobile Car

P117.1 – Wabash AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Superior 7-panel door

P117.2 – Wabash Postwar AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Superior 7-panel door

P117.3 – Ann Arbor Postwar AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Youngstown door

P115 - Pittsburgh & West Virginia Postwar AAR box car