I would like to model a UP B-50-21 box car, ideally number 185245 (it
shows up in a photo of the last W&LE passenger train in July, 1938).
I've searched and can find no commercial offerings of this series. I
was hoping it would be one of the ACR boxcars built the same year, the
subject of the latest Essential Freight Cars, but those are B-50-22!
I searched the archives, a Red Caboose kit might work, but the B-50-21
used a welded underframe. The Speedwich underframe is correct for the
B-50-24/27 and B-50-30/32 cars, I wonder would it work for the
B-50-21? Are there any other detail changes that would be needed?

Dean Payne

Dean Payne wrote:

I would like to model a UP B-50-21 box car, ideally number 185245 (it
shows up in a photo of the last W&LE passenger train in July, 1938).
I've searched and can find no commercial offerings of this series. I
was hoping it would be one of the ACR boxcars built the same year, the
subject of the latest Essential Freight Cars, but those are B-50-22!
I searched the archives, a Red Caboose kit might work, but the B-50-21
used a welded underframe. The Speedwich underframe is correct for the
B-50-24/27 and B-50-30/32 cars, I wonder would it work for the
B-50-21? Are there any other detail changes that would be needed?

The B-50-21 is covered in Terry Metcalfe's book UNION PACIFIC FREIGHT
CARS 1936-1951. Several photos plus folio sheet. A photo of the welded
underframe, by Ryan Car Co., is in the April 1938 issue of RAILWAY
MECHANICAL ENGINEER as part of a larger article on the B-50-21. (That
from a photo caption in Terry's book.) The B-50-21 does _not_ have ACR
sides, but there are four rivets in the center of each side panel in a
widely spaced, staggered pattern. The square corner 10'-0" IH IMWX/RC
boxcar looks like the best starting point.

Tom Madden

Ted Culotta posted a message regarding modeling the UP
B-50-19 and B-50-21 from IMWX/RC kits. The -19 requires
little or no modifications, but the -21 has welded ends
as well as welded underframe, and the rivets Tom mentions.

Red Caboose released cars decorated as B-50-21's (8041-x).

Tim O'Connor

The new RMC with Ted's UP boxcar article arrived right after I posted
last Saturday. Ted describes the welded Ryan underframe on the B-50-
21 in considerable detail, and the only change he mentions as he goes
through the various classes is the addition of a second stringer on
either side of the center sill effective with the B-50-24. The welded
underframe with two stringers on each side of the center sill is the
one Ted offers as a separate kit, and with his Speedwitch B-50-38/39
box car kits. The four-stringer underframes were built by Mt. Vernon
Car Co., and there are drawings and top & bottom photos in the 1940
CBC, pp 392-393. There's also a photo of that underframe on page 19
of the Metcalfe book.

Tim mentioned welded ends on the B-50-21. The folio drawing in the
Metcalfe book references drawings for both welded and riveted ends.
Given that the first 900 were built at Omaha, the next 900 at Albina
and the last 100 at Omaha, could there have been both riveted and
welded ends used on the B-50-21's??

I'll see if the Colorado Museum Library has the April 1938 RAILWAY
MECHANICAL ENGINEER when I go in on Wednesday. If they do, I'll
compare photos of the Ryan and Mt. Vernon underframes. You'd think
the shapes of the tops of the crossties should differ because of the
number and location of stringers, but it would certainly be useful if
Ted's welded underframe could be used for the B-50-21. After all,
there were 1900 of them.

Tom Madden

On Jan 19, 2009, at 11:06 AM, Tom Madden wrote:

Tim mentioned welded ends on the B-50-21. The folio drawing in the
Metcalfe book references drawings for both welded and riveted ends.
Given that the first 900 were built at Omaha, the next 900 at Albina
and the last 100 at Omaha, could there have been both riveted and
welded ends used on the B-50-21's??

Tom, I have several photos showing B-50-21s with riveted ends:
184715, 185652, and 185679, all built at Albina; and a string of
brand new cars, 184595, 184596, et. seq., built at Omaha in 1938.
This suggests (though doesn't prove) that the cars with welded ends
may have been some or all of the 184000-184899 series built at Omaha
in 1937.

Richard Hendrickson