I know that in the past there have been single-sheathed box cars from a
number of manufacturers - Varney, Ulrich, Roundhouse - but those cars
don't live up to today's expections in either level of detail or
fidelity to prototype.

As my freight car fleet develops I have the general impression that my
box car mix has too few single-sheathed cars. This is just a
subjective impression unrelated to any numbers, percentages or the
Landmesser hot box list.
Will the wonderful RP CYC #18 result in any plastic, injection-molded
box car models?
Gene Green

--- In STMFC@yahoogroups.com <STMFC%40yahoogroups.com>, Tim O'Connor
<timboconnor@...> wrote:

Gene

Several of the Model Die Casting/Roundhouse 50 foot
single sheathed cars are completely accurate, albeit
with cast-on details -- owners MP, T&P, WP, and many
others. Richard Hendrickson wrote a fine article in
Railmodel Journal, July 1996, with lots of photos.

And don't forget Accurail's wonderful Illinois Central
single sheathed box car. I picked up a decorated model
from 5th Avenue Car Shops that is 100% accurate.

Or the Proto 2000 Mather box car (which represents the
lower height version of the Mather car).

Avoid the Walthers 50 foot SS box car. One way ticket
to Foobie-ville.

Or you could pay me wads of money to custom build resin
single sheathed box cars for you. :-)

Tim O'

As my freight car fleet develops I have the general impression that my
box car mix has too few single-sheathed cars. This is just a
subjective impression unrelated to any numbers, percentages or the
Landmesser hot box list.
Will the wonderful RP CYC #18 result in any plastic, injection-molded
box car models?
Gene Green

Tim and Gene: Good point on the Accurail Tim and don't forget the
other Accurail SS boxcars too. The nine panel car has wood ends or
Murphy ends, wood doors or steel and there's also the seven panel cars
with 3-3-3 Dreadnaught ends or wooden ends.

Stephan Parachuk
Toronto

--- In STMFC@yahoogroups.com <STMFC%40yahoogroups.com>, Tim O'Connor
<timboconnor@...> wrote:

Gene

Several of the Model Die Casting/Roundhouse 50 foot
single sheathed cars are completely accurate, albeit
with cast-on details -- owners MP, T&P, WP, and many
others. Richard Hendrickson wrote a fine article in
Railmodel Journal, July 1996, with lots of photos.

And don't forget Accurail's wonderful Illinois Central
single sheathed box car. I picked up a decorated model
from 5th Avenue Car Shops that is 100% accurate.

Or the Proto 2000 Mather box car (which represents the
lower height version of the Mather car).

Avoid the Walthers 50 foot SS box car. One way ticket
to Foobie-ville.

Or you could pay me wads of money to custom build resin
single sheathed box cars for you. :-)

Tim O'

As my freight car fleet develops I have the general impression that my
box car mix has too few single-sheathed cars. This is just a
subjective impression unrelated to any numbers, percentages or the
Landmesser hot box list.
Will the wonderful RP CYC #18 result in any plastic, injection-molded
box car models?
Gene Green

Tim and Gene: Good point on the Accurail Tim and don't forget the
other Accurail SS boxcars too. The nine panel car has wood ends or
Murphy ends, wood doors or steel and there's also the seven panel cars
with 3-3-3 Dreadnaught ends or wooden ends.

Stephan Parachuk
Toronto

Or you could pay me wads of money to custom build resin
single sheathed box cars for you. :-)

Please define "wad." (VBG)
Gene Green

Hello,

Can we have a catalogue No. for the Accurail IC single sheathed box car,
please.

Regards,

Glen Mills

Re: Single-sheathed box cars
Posted by: "Tim O'Connor" timboconnor@comcast.net <mailto:timboconnor%40comcast.net> cf5250
Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:30 am (PST)

Gene

And don't forget Accurail's wonderful Illinois Central
single sheathed box car. I picked up a decorated model
from 5th Avenue Car Shops that is 100% accurate.

Tim O'

Hello,

Can we have a catalogue No. for the Accurail IC single sheathed box car,
please.

Regards,

Glen Mills

Re: Single-sheathed box cars
Posted by: "Tim O'Connor" timboconnor@comcast.net
<mailto:timboconnor%40comcast.net> cf5250
Tue Feb 24, 2009 8:30 am (PST)

Gene

And don't forget Accurail's wonderful Illinois Central
single sheathed box car. I picked up a decorated model
from 5th Avenue Car Shops that is 100% accurate.

Tim O'

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Others have pointed out that there are a few more accurate single
sheathed box car models in HO scale than Gene suggests. However, his
point remains true that, aside from resin kits, there aren't enough
to accurately represent the typical mix of box cars in a steam era
freight car fleet. One reason, of course, is that, apart from the
USRA box cars, there was so little standardization of design in the
teens and '20s. Even the ARA "standard" single sheathed box car was
built with so many different heights, ends, roofs, underframes, etc.
that kit/RTR manufacturers can't find a single version which can be
accurately modeled for more than one or two prototype railroads.
It's not that the manufacturers have overlooked all those single
sheathed prototypes but that they haven't been able to figure out how
to develop models that will sell in large enough numbers to cover
their tooling costs, never mind turning a modest profit. While those
of us who have the time and skills to build resin kits now have a lot
of options, there's no solution in sight for modelers who don't.

Richard Hendrickson