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Rapido single sheathed box cars

reporterllc
 
Edited

Many of the Single Sheath Rapido Cars are available from reputable dealers on eBay. Note that some have K Brakes and some have newer AB Brakes. That may affect your era. When Rapido first put our descriptions, it told what part numbers had which brake and date range. The site is being worked on and I can't find that info now. Rapido has some special Southern Pacific SS boxcars in the works in addition to the ones that are currently offered. See the website.

Victor Baird
Clark Propst
 

Just finally saw the SP car the in question on their website. I built the Westerfield model last winter. Rapido is slow on the draw again....
Clark Propst
Mason City Iowa
Tony Thompson
 

I assume you mean the USRA cars?
Tony Thompson 


On Oct 6, 2022, at 3:22 PM, Clark Propst via groups.io <cepropst@...> wrote:


Just finally saw the SP car the in question on their website. I built the Westerfield model last winter. Rapido is slow on the draw again....
Clark Propst
Mason City Iowa
Bruce Griffin
 


Rob,

You mentioned the B&O USRA model, be aware that several folks on the B&O .IO Group have raised a concern about this color not being very accurate. I agree with their assessment, it appears more like OD Green than the brown I have seen in the limited number of color photos of B&O brown boxcars. 
 

I have attached some photos, the model by itself was after some black pin wash was added around the steel parts, it was shot in sunlight. The other shots are with both commercial products and my own painted resin kits on my layout under 5000k LED lights. And the prototype photo is a Delano from the LOC. The contrast in color is easy to see. I am going to try airbrushing with clear matte tinted with red brown.

Best Regards,
Bruce D. Griffin
Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/

 

A42B71F6-038E-4B23-BEEA-15464BC35D82.jpeg

80BA73B0-94C9-4872-A098-757896F30354.jpeg

48A5EB7C-9A13-4F03-A441-D0E49A284AD7.jpeg

872F76A8-F577-4EA3-A2B4-C82A5712B3F4.jpeg

Robert kirkham
 

Thanks for posting this Bruce.  I was doing similar research last night.   Another couple of snippets from Delano images are attached.  I’m being cautious about the second shot, as i wonder whether it is a completely different paint colour, or the brown weathered in a weird way/photographed in weird light?  Thing is the NYC car looks fine.

     

Also, a snip from the 1946 movie “meeting the Challenge"

I stripped the paint off one of my PRR X31s last night, as I want to duplicate more of a well worn look, which is difficult with the PRR FCC applied in the factory.   A 99% alcohol bath and scrubbing with an artists bristle paint brush did the job.   So I suppose that too could be done on the USRA cars, but i am hoping to avoid that.   I think with washes and other weathering (like you suggest), i can make the underlying paint colour work.  


Rob

On Oct 7, 2022, at 6:59 AM, Bruce Griffin <bdg1210@...> wrote:


Rob,

You mentioned the B&O USRA model, be aware that several folks on the B&O .IO Group have raised a concern about this color not being very accurate. I agree with their assessment, it appears more like OD Green than the brown I have seen in the limited number of color photos of B&O brown boxcars. 

I have attached some photos, the model by itself was after some black pin wash was added around the steel parts, it was shot in sunlight. The other shots are with both commercial products and my own painted resin kits on my layout under 5000k LED lights. And the prototype photo is a Delano from the LOC. The contrast in color is easy to see. I am going to try airbrushing with clear matte tinted with red brown.

Best Regards,
Bruce D. Griffin
Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/

 
<A42B71F6-038E-4B23-BEEA-15464BC35D82.jpeg><80BA73B0-94C9-4872-A098-757896F30354.jpeg><48A5EB7C-9A13-4F03-A441-D0E49A284AD7.jpeg><872F76A8-F577-4EA3-A2B4-C82A5712B3F4.jpeg>
Robert kirkham
 

I see Groups IO didn’t like the TIF format for the 2nd image, so i’m trying again with a jpeg.

Rob



On Oct 7, 2022, at 10:06 AM, Robert kirkham <rdkirkham@...> wrote:

Thanks for posting this Bruce.  I was doing similar research last night.   Another couple of snippets from Delano images are attached.  I’m being cautious about the second shot, as i wonder whether it is a completely different paint colour, or the brown weathered in a weird way/photographed in weird light?  Thing is the NYC car looks fine.

<master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34700-1a34718u.tiff><master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34600-1a34659u.tiff>     

Also, a snip from the 1946 movie “meeting the Challenge"<Screen Shot 2022-10-05 at 5.01.46 PM.png>

I stripped the paint off one of my PRR X31s last night, as I want to duplicate more of a well worn look, which is difficult with the PRR FCC applied in the factory.   A 99% alcohol bath and scrubbing with an artists bristle paint brush did the job.   So I suppose that too could be done on the USRA cars, but i am hoping to avoid that.   I think with washes and other weathering (like you suggest), i can make the underlying paint colour work.  


Rob

On Oct 7, 2022, at 6:59 AM, Bruce Griffin <bdg1210@...> wrote:


Rob,

You mentioned the B&O USRA model, be aware that several folks on the B&O .IO Group have raised a concern about this color not being very accurate. I agree with their assessment, it appears more like OD Green than the brown I have seen in the limited number of color photos of B&O brown boxcars. 

I have attached some photos, the model by itself was after some black pin wash was added around the steel parts, it was shot in sunlight. The other shots are with both commercial products and my own painted resin kits on my layout under 5000k LED lights. And the prototype photo is a Delano from the LOC. The contrast in color is easy to see. I am going to try airbrushing with clear matte tinted with red brown.

Best Regards,
Bruce D. Griffin
Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/

 
<A42B71F6-038E-4B23-BEEA-15464BC35D82.jpeg><80BA73B0-94C9-4872-A098-757896F30354.jpeg><48A5EB7C-9A13-4F03-A441-D0E49A284AD7.jpeg><872F76A8-F577-4EA3-A2B4-C82A5712B3F4.jpeg>
Dennis Storzek
 

It's black soot, Rob. It doesn't look greenish to me.

Dennis Storzek
Bruce Smith
 

Interesting. My 1st impression is that this was a green C-16 express car...

Regards,
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> on behalf of Robert kirkham <rdkirkham@...>
Sent: Friday, October 7, 2022 12:13 PM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io>
Subject: [EXT] Re: [RealSTMFC] Rapido single sheathed box cars
 
CAUTION: Email Originated Outside of Auburn.
I see Groups IO didn’t like the TIF format for the 2nd image, so i’m trying again with a jpeg.

Rob



On Oct 7, 2022, at 10:06 AM, Robert kirkham <rdkirkham@...> wrote:

Thanks for posting this Bruce.  I was doing similar research last night.   Another couple of snippets from Delano images are attached.  I’m being cautious about the second shot, as i wonder whether it is a completely different paint colour, or the brown weathered in a weird way/photographed in weird light?  Thing is the NYC car looks fine.

<master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34700-1a34718u.tiff><master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34600-1a34659u.tiff>     

Also, a snip from the 1946 movie “meeting the Challenge"<Screen Shot 2022-10-05 at 5.01.46 PM.png>

I stripped the paint off one of my PRR X31s last night, as I want to duplicate more of a well worn look, which is difficult with the PRR FCC applied in the factory.   A 99% alcohol bath and scrubbing with an artists bristle paint brush did the job.   So I suppose that too could be done on the USRA cars, but i am hoping to avoid that.   I think with washes and other weathering (like you suggest), i can make the underlying paint colour work.  


Rob

On Oct 7, 2022, at 6:59 AM, Bruce Griffin <bdg1210@...> wrote:


Rob,

You mentioned the B&O USRA model, be aware that several folks on the B&O .IO Group have raised a concern about this color not being very accurate. I agree with their assessment, it appears more like OD Green than the brown I have seen in the limited number of color photos of B&O brown boxcars. 

I have attached some photos, the model by itself was after some black pin wash was added around the steel parts, it was shot in sunlight. The other shots are with both commercial products and my own painted resin kits on my layout under 5000k LED lights. And the prototype photo is a Delano from the LOC. The contrast in color is easy to see. I am going to try airbrushing with clear matte tinted with red brown.

Best Regards,
Bruce D. Griffin
Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/

 
<A42B71F6-038E-4B23-BEEA-15464BC35D82.jpeg><80BA73B0-94C9-4872-A098-757896F30354.jpeg><48A5EB7C-9A13-4F03-A441-D0E49A284AD7.jpeg><872F76A8-F577-4EA3-A2B4-C82A5712B3F4.jpeg>
Robert kirkham
 

That was my concern too Bruce - Hence the reason for my caution in using that image for colour comparison.  I think I can see undertones of a brown here and there, particularly around the door, so the possibility it is a very sooty version of the brown colour is at not inconceivable to me.  But it is such a distant image, it is hard to do much to manipulate (at least with the software i have access to).

Ideally we could find a colour photo of a USRA car in the earlier colour paint for reference.  But i’ve had no luck so far . . . 

Rob  

On Oct 7, 2022, at 6:01 PM, Bruce Smith <smithbf@...> wrote:

Interesting. My 1st impression is that this was a green C-16 express car...

Regards,
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL
From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> on behalf of Robert kirkham <rdkirkham@...>
Sent: Friday, October 7, 2022 12:13 PM
To: main@realstmfc.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io>
Subject: [EXT] Re: [RealSTMFC] Rapido single sheathed box cars
 
CAUTION: Email Originated Outside of Auburn. 
I see Groups IO didn’t like the TIF format for the 2nd image, so i’m trying again with a jpeg.

Rob

<master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34600-1a34659u.jpeg>

On Oct 7, 2022, at 10:06 AM, Robert kirkham <rdkirkham@...> wrote:

Thanks for posting this Bruce.  I was doing similar research last night.   Another couple of snippets from Delano images are attached.  I’m being cautious about the second shot, as i wonder whether it is a completely different paint colour, or the brown weathered in a weird way/photographed in weird light?  Thing is the NYC car looks fine.

<master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34700-1a34718u.tiff><master-pnp-fsac-1a34000-1a34600-1a34659u.tiff>     

Also, a snip from the 1946 movie “meeting the Challenge"<Screen Shot 2022-10-05 at 5.01.46 PM.png>

I stripped the paint off one of my PRR X31s last night, as I want to duplicate more of a well worn look, which is difficult with the PRR FCC applied in the factory.   A 99% alcohol bath and scrubbing with an artists bristle paint brush did the job.   So I suppose that too could be done on the USRA cars, but i am hoping to avoid that.   I think with washes and other weathering (like you suggest), i can make the underlying paint colour work.  


Rob

On Oct 7, 2022, at 6:59 AM, Bruce Griffin <bdg1210@...> wrote:


Rob,

You mentioned the B&O USRA model, be aware that several folks on the B&O .IO Group have raised a concern about this color not being very accurate. I agree with their assessment, it appears more like OD Green than the brown I have seen in the limited number of color photos of B&O brown boxcars. 
I have attached some photos, the model by itself was after some black pin wash was added around the steel parts, it was shot in sunlight. The other shots are with both commercial products and my own painted resin kits on my layout under 5000k LED lights. And the prototype photo is a Delano from the LOC. The contrast in color is easy to see. I am going to try airbrushing with clear matte tinted with red brown.

Best Regards,
Bruce D. Griffin
Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/
 
<A42B71F6-038E-4B23-BEEA-15464BC35D82.jpeg><80BA73B0-94C9-4872-A098-757896F30354.jpeg><48A5EB7C-9A13-4F03-A441-D0E49A284AD7.jpeg><872F76A8-F577-4EA3-A2B4-C82A5712B3F4.jpeg>
Paul Doggett
 

I bought a CNE car with K brakes and it had an AB set in the box 

Paul Doggett.     England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 


On 12 Oct 2022, at 21:39, reporterllc via groups.io <reporterllc@...> wrote:



[Edited Message Follows]

Many of the Single Sheath Rapido Cars are available from reputable dealers on eBay. Note that some have K Brakes and some have newer AB Brakes. That may affect your era. When Rapido first put our descriptions, it told what part numbers had which brake and date range. The site is being worked on and I can't find that info now. Rapido has some special Southern Pacific SS boxcars in the works in addition to the ones that are currently offered. See the website.

Victor Baird

Chris Barkan
 

Somehow I missed this thread and started another one related to these cars  https://realstmfc.groups.io/g/main/topic/94241082#195908  but now see that this is where the discussion of these cars is occurring.

I have a few questions for this group, first of all, are people satisfied with their fidelity to the prototype, general quality, and lettering accuracy?  Secondly, I recall some discussion about the different roof variations that Rapido was going to do.  I think the point of this was that cars from several roads had their roofs replaced, some relatively early in the cars' lives, and so there was a question about the particular paint scheme properly corresponding with the style of roof the car had.  

Rapido's website https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/freight-car/usra-ss-boxcar.html mentions both "Murphy or Hutchins roof as appropriate" and "KC or AB brakes as appropriate" but the descriptions for individual roads' cars don't say which they have.  I guess we can see the brake type in the photos, but I am not knowledgeable enough to be able to distinguish the roof types in the model views shown.  Which roads had which roof types?

Thanks very much for any feedback about these cars, I am looking forward to seeing them myself.
--
Chris Barkan
Champaign, IL
Eric Hansmann
 

Of the very few images illustrating the roof on B&O M-24 box cars, it seemed like they used another variant of replacement roof. One can be seen in this Dayton Union Station photo from the Barriger Library collection. 

The seam cap count is greater than the original Murphy roof and the Hutchins replacements. 


Eric Hansmann
Murfreesboro, TN

On Oct 13, 2022, at 8:33 AM, Chris Barkan <cplbarkan@...> wrote:

Somehow I missed this thread and started another one related to these cars  https://realstmfc.groups.io/g/main/topic/94241082#195908  but now see that this is where the discussion of these cars is occurring.

I have a few questions for this group, first of all, are people satisfied with their fidelity to the prototype, general quality, and lettering accuracy?  Secondly, I recall some discussion about the different roof variations that Rapido was going to do.  I think the point of this was that cars from several roads had their roofs replaced, some relatively early in the cars' lives, and so there was a question about the particular paint scheme properly corresponding with the style of roof the car had.  

Rapido's website https://rapidotrains.com/ho-scale/freight-car/usra-ss-boxcar.html mentions both "Murphy or Hutchins roof as appropriate" and "KC or AB brakes as appropriate" but the descriptions for individual roads' cars don't say which they have.  I guess we can see the brake type in the photos, but I am not knowledgeable enough to be able to distinguish the roof types in the model views shown.  Which roads had which roof types?

Thanks very much for any feedback about these cars, I am looking forward to seeing them myself.
--
Chris Barkan
Champaign, IL

golden1014
 

Hi Chris,

I received my two cars this week--one Milwaukee and one C&NW. 

- First Impression: Very nice models, good paint color, good lettering, nice weight, very well built, nice detail all around.  A welcome addition to the fleet.

- Second Impression: I really don't like the spaces between the boards but I understand why the manufacturer did that.  The Tichy model is much better rendered.  Both my cars came with K brakes (with AB brake parts in a separate baggie--a nice touch).  However, I think both K and AB brake renderings are poor, and paint on the underframe is very heavy (obscuring what little detail is on the brake parts).  I'm replacing the brakes with Cal Scale.  The trucks: No.  Replacing with TMW Andrews.  Running board is alright but both of mine came a little bent out of shape.  Running board detail is poor.  Nothing a modeler can't fix.  

Bottom Line: Good models and I'm happy to have them, and I'll keep them, but a carefully-built Gould/Tichy car with TMW trucks beats this model hands down.

John Golden
O'Fallon, IL
Chris Barkan
 

Eric, so are you saying the car in this photo differs from the roof on the Rapido B&O model?  I recall discussing this topic last year when this model was first announced by Rapido.
--
Chris Barkan
Champaign, IL
O Fenton Wells
 

Thanks for the review John.  I haven't ordered any as I have several Westerfield and Tichy models to build.  I did order the tank cars however.


On Thu, Oct 13, 2022 at 4:03 PM golden1014 via groups.io <golden1014=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
Hi Chris,

I received my two cars this week--one Milwaukee and one C&NW. 

- First Impression: Very nice models, good paint color, good lettering, nice weight, very well built, nice detail all around.  A welcome addition to the fleet.

- Second Impression: I really don't like the spaces between the boards but I understand why the manufacturer did that.  The Tichy model is much better rendered.  Both my cars came with K brakes (with AB brake parts in a separate baggie--a nice touch).  However, I think both K and AB brake renderings are poor, and paint on the underframe is very heavy (obscuring what little detail is on the brake parts).  I'm replacing the brakes with Cal Scale.  The trucks: No.  Replacing with TMW Andrews.  Running board is alright but both of mine came a little bent out of shape.  Running board detail is poor.  Nothing a modeler can't fix.  

Bottom Line: Good models and I'm happy to have them, and I'll keep them, but a carefully-built Gould/Tichy car with TMW trucks beats this model hands down.

John Golden
O'Fallon, IL




--
Fenton Wells
250 Frye Rd
Pinehurst NC 28374
910-420-8106
srrfan1401@...
Bruce Griffin
 

Chris,

The Rapido model comes with brake parts for both AB and K brakes. Both my B&O and Milwaukee Road models were equipped with K brakes and the AB parts were in the box. My only roof photos of the M-24 class I have were from conversions to M-24a and b classes (cement cars) taken at Mt. Clare in 1933. They definitely show a different roof as Eric indicates. I think it was the Jan/Feb 2006 B&O Modeler that shows these photos as part of a Greg Smith article on modeling the a and b subclass variants. I will try to dig up copies of the photos and share. I also wrote a short blog post on shifting the color of the B&O colors that I will share when I post.
 

Bruce D. Griffin

Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/

 
Bruce Griffin
 

Chris,

Attached is a 1933 B&O RR Photo from the Greg Smith Collection of the roof of an M-24 boxcar that was being converted into either an M-24 a or b subclass "cement car" at Mt.Clare. It could be a new roof for this conversion or one that was replaced earlier in its life. This subclass was 287XXX (like the photo on the Rapido Instruction Sheet) and the M-24 were 187XXX. 

i posted a blog of my efforts to shift the color of the Rapido B&O model. https://bomodeling.com/2022/10/12/bo-m-24-usra-40-boxcar-achieving-a-color-shift-on-a-rapido-model/ As an FYI, the BORRHS is selling a special run of same era M-24 boxcars and has spoken to Rapido about the color and it appears they will send the BORRHS new carbodies with the corrected color in the future. It took a little more work than I was expected but I can live with my model and I think the result of my efforts are fairly accurate for 10 year old boxcar on my layout. 

Bruce D. Griffin
Ashland, MD
https://bomodeling.com/blog/

 

M-24 a or b roof MC 1933 BORR Photo G Smith Coll.jpg

image5.jpeg

Tony Thompson
 

Relevant to the Canadian Pacific version of these cars, when did CP stop putting lines above the initials and below the number?

Tony Thompson
tony@...
Robert kirkham
 

Off line, I asked a fellow who would know more on this because of his role with the CPHA documents library; his answer is that the date is uncertain at present. What he can say is that the Spans the World lettering (late 40s) includes the lines. The earliest stencil drawing without them he has seen is from 1951. So, it is approximately 1950.

Rob

On Oct 13, 2022, at 6:28 PM, Tony Thompson <tony@...> wrote:

Relevant to the Canadian Pacific version of these cars, when did CP stop putting lines above the initials and below the number?

Tony Thompson
tony@...
Tony Thompson
 

Robert Kirkham wrote:

Off line, I asked a fellow who would know more on this because of his role with the CPHA documents library; his answer is that the date is uncertain at present. What he can say is that the Spans the World lettering (late 40s) includes the lines. The earliest stencil drawing without them he has seen is from 1951. So, it is approximately 1950.
Thanks, Rob, just what I needed.

Tony Thompson

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