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Prototypes for Accurail 3600 DD post-war boxcar

Rich Gibson
 

Hi all,
I picked up a couple repainted and unlettered Accurail 3600 double-door boxcars at a swap meet a while back. These look to be 10'6" IH with improved Dreadnaught ends and a 13' door opening. I'd like to find the correct prototypes for lettering, but have been unable to find any listing of who owned these cars by searching the archives. I'd suspect these were fairly common. Can anyone help out with either a listing or some photos? Thanks in advance for the help.

Rich Gibson
Golden, CO
Benjamin Hom
 

Rich Golden asked:
I picked up a couple repainted and unlettered Accurail 3600 double-door boxcars at a swap meet a while back. These look to be 10'6" IH with improved Dreadnaught ends and a 13' door opening. I'd like to find the correct prototypes for lettering, but have been unable to find any listing of who owned these cars by searching the archives. I'd suspect these were fairly common."

We've discussed prototypes for the Accurail line off and on over the years - a search of the group archives turned this up from a past post by Mark Mathu:

#3600 40' AAR Double Door Boxcar
Cars built by GN, ca. 1956. Roof and fishbelly side sills of GN
3000-3499 built 1955 and the sides and double 6' doors of GN 3500-3999 built in 1956.

And no, these weren't fairly common at all.


Ben Hom
Todd Sullivan
 

Rich,

According to my January 1952 ORER, these are most likely GN series 38500-38599 and 38600-38699 all steel auto boxcars with Type E Evans loaders.  Later in life, these cars were likely used for lumber and plywood loading.

The 3200 series numbering of the various GN scheme cars from Accurail is puzzling, as cars in series 3000-7999 were steel underframe, 5'-5" wide door cars, according to the same ORER.  (The ORERs give the door opening width, not the door width, which wold be greater.)

Todd Sullivan

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