Claus Schlund asked:
"Any thoughts on the reporting marks for the 40ft single sheathed auto box car shown in the image linked below? The resolution is just not quite good enough..."
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM86520   

Tony Wagner replied"
"NJI&I, a subsidiary of the Wabash, possibly 3500-3599 1 car in my 1-1-50 ORER. I'd guess its a clone of several thousand WAB cars in various 40000 thru 49000 number series  with 11' or 12' doors as both ordinary XM box cars or XAR auto or XME and XAP auto parts cars."

That's what I thought at first, but the Wabash cars all had radial roofs and the car in the photo has a peaked roof.
http://www.steamerafreightcars.com/gallery/boxauto/wabssautomain.html 

 

That got my interest as it appears to be an opportunity to use that fantasy HO scale Walthers 50 ft auto boxcar for something by cutting out a set of diagonals shortens the model to the neighborhood of 40 ft.  The ends will need to be replaced, which isn't too difficult, especially as the kit is engineered with a separate A end to allow swapping a solid end or end door.

 

 

Ben Hom