>>And with that thought in mind I would assume that by 1941
most/all would have been repainted.
>>So if I wanted to buy (am
going to do) 2 of each type what ones would I buy? If all the
current ones
>>have the early paint am I going to have to wait for a
second run?
>>Jon Miller
Hi Jon,
It looks as though there will be repainting required for many people on this list, at least in the short term. Accurail hasn't released all of their production art yet (they're still working on it!), but what's been released to date is a mix of older and newer schemes. Do keep in mind that some of these cars lasted a LONG time; long enough that several new MCBA standards went into effect in their service lives, so dimensional data had to keep getting refreshed.
Here's my take on the paint schemes that Accurail has released so far:
1301, NYC: this model has a 1912 build date and a 1922 reweigh. This is the second paint scheme that the car would have worn (NYC 257783 was originally LS&MS 89783). This paint scheme is most appropriate through all of the 1920s; the newest photo I have of a NYC car wearing this type of scheme is 1933.
1302, NKP: I vetted this model art, and made sure to steer Eric Cote towards a later paint scheme. This car lacks the large left side corporate initials, so the paint scheme is good for 1940-1954 (the reweigh is 1945. These cars actually dropped off the NKP roster in 1950, but some survived as roofless coke cars until the mid-1950s). Simply adding the large corporate initials and backdating the reweigh date can push the car's paint back to 1927 or so.
1306, B&A: this car is wearing its as-built 1914 paint scheme, meaning that it would have been repainted after the new 1922 MCBA standards, and again after the new 1926 MCBA standards. (I'd assume that some as-painted cars would have survived to 1925, give or take).
1310: CCC&StL: this car has the same general paint standards as the NYC car. It's actually a little newer, since this car has the lot number above the herald (something not generally applied to NYC cars until after 1922, IIRC). Again, the dimensional data should be changed for layouts after 1932.
1701, NYC&HR: the HR was dropped in 1915, and patch painting to renumber and re-brand these cars started immediately. I don't have any HR-lettered car photos in my collection from after 1920.
8086, limited run three pack, P&LE, CI&S, PMcK&Y: these three cars are all in their 1910 & 1912 as-built schemes, so are good to the early 1920s.
So for right NOW, Accurail has decided to focus on supporting the early rail portion of this hobby. That's a VERY good thing, since prewar modelers have been sadly neglected by major manufacturers for far too long. But never fear: since these cars had service lives in excess of 40 years, there's plenty of room for either Accurail, a decal manufacturer, or some special run reseller to letter these base models in alternative, younger or older paint schemes.
>>And an off the cuff remark it seems Walthers didn't order
enough (very big grin)!
Well THAT'S good news! Not really surprising though: these cars are light years ahead of the circa 1905-1910 Roundhouse boxcars, and very useful for a large group of modelers. I know that my early rail modeling friends are all very excited to get their hands on a few crateloads of these thing!
Ray Breyer
Elgin, IL
