I would like to model a few of the C&O 40' auto box car series 6250-6499, 6500-6549 or 6600-6699 and am looking for suggestions as to where to start. 

I have a number of McKeen cars that the Cincinnati Div 7 folks did in 1984 that on a quick glance seem fine. Once you start digging in just a little, you realize how far off these are.

The vast majority of the prototypes have Viking roofs so at a minimum that would have to be changed. The McKeen kit also has a 3/4 Improved Dreadnaught ends instead of the 3/4 inward Dreadnaught ends. I also have a Front Range car that while it has the wrong ends, it does at least have a separate roof & I have a few Des Planes Viking roofs. I don't seem to have any of the accurail cars that I can put my hands on from dad's vast collection and I don't know if there have been other cars that would be a better starting point. 

Hi Chuck, 

That is a totally different series of cars. I have the F&C kit as well as a couple of brass models of this series. The 9500-9999 series that you posted about have end doors. The ones I am interested in were built a bit later and were also quite a bit taller than the 9500 cars. 

Dave

It sounds like there is no way other than to design and 3d print for a 100% accurate car. That being said, I think I can live with the ends being wrong as long as I can easily change the roof. I have purchased a couple of Red Caboose cars and will have to wait and see how large the door opening is to determine which series they will best match. 

This really makes me appreciate the design that branchline used where the roofs and ends were separate and could be changed out easily. If that were the case with the double door car, I would simply design up the proper ends and print them myself. 

Dave