Blair Kooistra wrote:
"I guess I never realized, until seeing it in Tony Koester's Boxcar
Primer in the latest MR, that Tichy produced a kit for a rebuilt
USRA boxcar. I've been wanting to add a steel-sided rebuild of a
single-sheathed car, so I'm curious as to what railroad and number
series this car might be accurate for. I see Tichy offers it with a
choice of NYC, P&LE or PM[cK]&Y reporting marks, so I'll go out on a
limb and assume this car is correct for these road names.

The Tichy #4028 kit has been on the market since the early 1990s,
and Tichy also offered decals for this kit for PRR and DT&I Class
X26C boxcars, which this model is definitely not. The only correct
prototypes are:
- PMcK&Y 83400-83499, Lot 630-B, 100 cars, rebuilt 1935
- PMcK&Y 83500-83891, Lot 638-B, 392 cars, rebuilt 1936-37
- Cars transferred to the P&LE as P&LE 83400-83499 and 83500-83891
beginning in the late 1930s.

NYC is NOT correct for this model. None of the NYC or MCRR USRA SS
boxcars were rebuilt, and while the Central had large numbers of
rebuilt boxcars, they differed significantly in detail.

See Ted Culotta's article in the July 2004 issue of Railroad Model
Craftsman for more information on improving this kit.


"Any others?"

Not out of the box. The car is superficially similar to some other
rebuilt boxcars, but the combination of eight panel sides,
rectangular panel roof, 1/5/5/5 Murphy ends and 9 ft 4 in IH isn't
close to any other prototype save one. In 1934, Wabash rebuilt 514
double sheathed boxcars into steel sheathed boxcars, WAB 82000-
82513. Differences from the Tichy kit are 9 ft 2 in IH, 7/8 Murphy
ends, slightly different Youngstown doors, and fishbelly center
sills. Sunshine offers a Mini-Kit with these parts to do this
conversion.


Ben Hom