Boxcar History and Models
This graph shows the increase in capacity that came with increasing length. Of course, height was increasing as well. It was not enough to merely make boxcars longer. They had to be engineered for greater strength by increasing the number of truss rods, size of the wooden frame, and capacity of the trucks.
I obtained data for this graph from drawings, photos and text in White's book on wooden freight cars.
The following table lists sources for cars appropriate for the final decades of the 19th Century. I've listed a couple of articles for modifying the plastic kits. I have built several of the Trout Creek models, and one LaBelle model. Both are fun, although details and dimensions are sometimes rather generic, particularly for the Trout Creek models. I frequently add details not included in the kit if I can find drawings or photos of specific prototypes. After a person has built a couple of these kits, he or she is probably ready for scratchbuilding.
|
28ft. |
Mantua |
Ball shows upgrades in Model Railroader, April 1999 |
|
28ft. |
Trout Creek Eng. |
Somewhat generic, wood model |
|
34ft. |
Central Valley |
Turns up at train shows |
|
34ft. |
Trout Creek Eng. |
Somewhat generic, wood model |
|
36ft. |
Model Die Casting |
Durrenberger shows modifications for specific prototypes in the October 1999 NMRA Bulletin |
|
36ft. |
LaBelle |
other lengths might be available, but I have no data. |
|
50ft.? |
LaBelle |
Furniture or buggy car |