--- In STMFC@..., Craig Bisgeier <cbisgeier@...> wrote:

Hi again folks

I've been looking hard at photos of the Railworks NYC milk car I found online, and I have a question: It appears that there is a metal plate with two vertical grab irons on it covering up the lower 40% or so of the center doors.  At first I thought these were reinforcements of the doors but on close examination it appears to be a single panel. The detail below it seems to suggest that it could be hinged at the bottom edge to swing down and out of the way, possibly to a 90 degree angle making what might be a platform of sorts?  At any rate, it appears that it would be in the way of moving things in and out of the car if left in position... Am I seeing this correctly?  Any opinions or factual answers greatly appreciated.
 
Craig Bisgeier
Clifton, NJ

Having swung enough full 40 qt. milk cans into a cooler, out of a cooler and/or onto the back of a truck and then unloaded them at a creamery ("country station" in milk parlance) in my life I strongly suspect that all you are seeing is some sheet metal applied to the lower part of the doors to prevent them from being beat up too badly by folks swinging cans into or out of the milk cars. You see the outside of the doors. My money says the inside probably had the same treatment for the same reason. It was sometimes found on the wall beside the small can door at creamereies as well, or there was a piece of angle iron put over the vertical corners of the door frame.

Cordially, Don Valentine - still a farmer at heart.

Craig & all,

 

Image Replicas also produced kits for this car, and it still shows on their website, but the car has been out of production for a long time. I purchased 5 of the cars rougly 10 years ago, and recently assembled them.  The kits consist of a one piece polycarbinate (resin?) body. I would guess that the ony way to locate one of these kits my be at one of the large trainshows in the Northeast.

 

The directions say that at the body is painted pullman green, and the frame and trucks are grimy black.

 

Paul De Luca

Hi Folks


Hoping somene can help me, I'm looking to model one of t he NYC's milk cars.  This would be one of those similar to the Athearn or Roundhouse Express reefers with the round roof.  This one has a deep fishbelly girder near the side and has five vents along the lower edge of each side of the car.  An image in shown at the link below.


http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/MilkTrains/NYC_6535.htm


There was also a brass HO scale model made of this car by Railworks but I don't have access to one of those.  I believe that at some point there were drawings published of this car in one of the magazines.  I am wondering if anyone has an electronic copy of those drawings or would be willing to scan them and send a copy (these drawings are almost always OK to reproduce).  Also looking for more pictures of them for details.


Thanks if you can help.


Craig Bisgeier
Clifton, NJ

Craig, Could you please contact me off list?

Thanks, Don Valentine

--- In STMFC@..., Brad Andonian <cereshill@...> wrote:

Fellas,
 
What is the appropriate color for these cars?
 
Thanks
Brad Andonian

From: ROGER HINMAN <rhinman11@...>
To: STMFC@...
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: [STMFC] New York Central Milk Car

 
The NYC express car was done by Sunshine models and they used the drawings available from the NYCHS to do their masters. The ends do include the recess for the brake system.

Roger Hinman

Resin models of these cars havde also been offered by Funaro & Camerlengo but I have not idea how they compare to the Sunshine version. As for color, on the NYC I'd use Pullman green with Dulux gold lettering. On the Rutland it depends upon whose opinion one likes but I use Pullman green there as well and am certain that it
is the color in which they were painted as built and in the diesel
era when some, but not all, of the survivors received the wide
yellow stripe to match that of the window strip on the passenger
cars so painted. On the latter I believe this was limited to the combines used on the milk job and perhaps a few wooden cars, never having seen a photo of Rutland full length passenger car in wood or
steel with such paint.

Cordially, Don Valentine

Cordially, Don Valentine

The NYC express car was done by Sunshine models and they used the drawings available from the NYCHS to do their masters. The ends do include the recess for the brake system.

Craig,

 

Good catching up with you at the Expo in Pittsfield on Saturday.

Sunshine made a kit of the NYC/Rutland car - I believe it's the one you're looking for and may still be available.

See  http://sunshinekits.com/sunimages/sun88.pdf

 

Marty

--- In STMFC@..., Craig Bisgeier <cbisgeier@...> wrote:

Hi Folks

Hoping somene can help me, I'm looking to model one of t he NYC's milk cars.  This would be one of those similar to the Athearn or Roundhouse Express reefers with the round roof.  This one has a deep fishbelly girder near the side and has five vents along the lower edge of each side of the car.  An image in shown at the link below.

http://users.rcn.com/jimdu4/MilkTrains/NYC_6535.htm

 
There was also a brass HO scale model made of this car by Railworks but I don't have access to one of those.  I believe that at some point there were drawings published of this car in one of the magazines.  I am wondering if anyone has an electronic copy of those drawings or would be willing to scan them and send a copy (these drawings are almost always OK to reproduce).  Also looking for more pictures of them for details.

Thanks if you can help.

Craig Bisgeier
Clifton, NJ

Slow down a moment, Craig. The NYC milk cars hav e been done in
at least three versions that I can think of and have been offered over the years by three different importers. The first import was that from Alco Models back around the mid-1970's. In many respects this is still, IMHO, a good model of the basic NYC milk car with
refrigerator style doors. The only thing lacking, and foolishly so, about this model is that IT DID NOT COME WITH TRUCKS and there was nothing really appropriate available at that time. The stirrup steps at the corners and under the doors of this model were very nicely done but are the weak point of the model as they are so delicate.
This is Alco Models No. X-119.

Ten years later along came NJ International/Custom Brass with three versions, each with a different door and one, IIRC, with ice bunkers. These have reasonable trucks and are a good, solid model
in all versions. The version you seek is NJ No. 675-H. Most recently came the Railworks cars which were offered in two versions, another like the Alco Models cars and the NJ International version with the deep, fishbelly sidesills and a second, earlier version of the NYC milk car having a truss rod underframe. Railworks also offered extra trucks for these cars. The Railworks car you seek in the Rutland version is Railworks R-323 while their truss rod vefrsion for the Rutland was R-319. I do not know what the correspoonding numbers for the Railworks NYC versions were but believe the cars wil be the same except in the factory painted versions. Factory paint was not an option on the earlier versions.

Both the NJ International Models and the Railworks models suffer from the same fault. On the prototype there was a trough, if you will, in the ends of the cars beneath the brake wheel in which the chain which the brake wheel took the slack from ran. The Alco Models version of the car HAS this feature which is one reason I feel it is the best model of the prototype. It does, however, lack all the underbody detail of the later imports. Both of the others simply gloss over the trough issue as if it were not present. Having a number of both the Alco Models and the NJ International versions, plus one of the Railworks versions with the deep, fishbelly underframe, some of these will ultimately go. I suspect the Railworks one will go first but was hoping to find a trade with it for one of the Railworks truss rod versions even with its fault of having queen posts that are at least six inches too long and are not easy to correct. My interest in these cars is as a Rutland modeler. Thus my feeling that Railworks really let us down on the truss rod version, which lasted longer on the Rutland than on one time parent NYC.

Lastly one might consider the old foil sided, wood core models from Laconia or Binkley of these same cars. I made due with several of them for ten years beofre the Alco Models brass versions became
available. They can still be made into a credible model with some effort.

Hope this answers your questions, Don Valentine

Craig,

The July 1953 Model Railroader has plans of these.

Don Burn