RIBBED DOUBLE-DOOR BOXCARS
GUNDERSON WAFFLE-SIDE DOUBLE-DOOR BOXCARS
TRAINWORX
In November of 1972, the Gunderson Brothers delivered a group of 100 seven-panel double-door cars to the Denver & Rio Grande Western. Numbered 40000-40099, these unique type XM boxcars featured four rows of waffle indentations and Youngstown doors. They were assigned to the Southern Pacifc in Eugene, Oregon for lumber loading and carried a “Woodpacker” logo on the left side of the car. The July, 1981 Equipment Register indicates that cars 40094-40099 had been re-designated as type XP and assigned to aluminum coil loading. The July 1999 Equipment Register listed 62 cars in the 40000-40093 series, with five cars in 40094-40099 series still assigned to aluminum coil loading. Photos show that by the early 2000’s, the Youngstown doors on some cars had been replaced by Superior doors.
The Trainworx 80801 N-scale model is as unique as the prototype; it was created by applying etched brass waffles to a Fox Valley Models FMC boxcar. The model features body mounted Micro-Trains couplers and metal wheels, and is available in 12 road numbers.
FMC 5283 CUBIC FOOT DOUBLE-DOOR BOXCARS
FOX VALLEY MODELS
The Southern Pacific and its subsidiary, the St. Louis Southwestern, owned the largest fleet of exterior-post double-door boxcars, amassing a fleet of 10,665 cars. Used primarily for hauling lumber, this large fleet was delivered in three groups, each with a different paint scheme.
The first group consisted of 2,900 cars delivered to the Southern Pacific and 500 cars delivered to St. Louis Southwestern in 1972. The Southern Pacific cars were built by FMC/Gunderson, while the St. Louis Southwestern cars were built by Pacific car and Foundry. These cars featured the “Hydra-Cushion for Fragile Freight” slogan in yellow.
The second group consisted of 2,360 cars delivered to the Southern Pacific and 1,550 cars delivered to the St. Louis Southwestern between 1973 and 1975. Southern Pacific received 2,011 cars from FMC, 779 cars from Pacific Car & Foundry and 300 cars Berwick Forge & Fabricating. St. Louis Southwestern received 929 cars from FMC and 621 cars from Berwick Forge & Fabricating. These cars carried a simplified “Hydra-Cushion” slogan in yellow except for 500 FMC cars that lacked cushion devices.
The third group consisted of 2,625 cars delivered to the Southern Pacific from four different car builders in 1979-1980. This group included 525 cars from FMC, 700 cars from American Car & Foundry, 700 cars from Pacific Car & Foundry and 700 cars from Pullman Standard. They were longer cars with an inside length of 52’8”, and carried a small “Cushion Car” slogan in yellow.
The chart below contains a detailed roster of these cars.
Fox Valley Models N-scale 5,283 cubic foot double-door boxcar is a model of FMC cars from the second group. It features centered Youngstown doors with seven panels on either side. Most of the roadnames offered are accurate for the body style, though there are a few exceptions. The models with the “Hydra Cushion for Fragile Freight” scheme from the first group are numbered for car series in the second group. While the Southern Pacific cars from the first group were nearly identical FMC cars, the St. Louis Southwestern cars were built by Berwick Forge & Fabricating. In addition, four of the road names offered represent later FMC 5077 cubic foot boxcars, which had only six side panels.
These ubiquitous cars could be spotted on virtually every freight train and should be included in the roster of any layout set in 1972 or later. The chart below lists all FMC 5,283’s delivered new, as well as second-hand schemes offered by Fox Valley Models. The chart also includes the catalog numbers of Athearn, Roundhouse and Micro-Trains models that are stand-ins for these cars. The Athearn and Roundhouse models differ primarily in having only six side panels, while the Micro-Trains model has offset doors.
FMC CENTERED DOUBLE-DOOR RIBBED BOXCARS
ATLAS, ATHEARN and ROUNDHOUSE
In the mid-seventies, FMC produced a line of boxcars for the IPD boxcar market with a capacity of 5,077 cubic feet. These “Plate B” cars could travel unrestricted throughout the railroad network. In addition to single-door cars, FMC produced cars with both staggered and offset sixteen-foot double doors. The double-door cars were used primarily for hauling lumber and most ended up on short lines located in the Pacific Northwest. The largest fleet of FMC center-door cars belonged to the McCloud River railroad,
When the boxcar boom went bust in the early eighties, the colorful McCloud River cars ended up on nine different railroads. The reporting marks were changed and the McCloud River logos were hastily panted over. Some cars have carried as many as five different reporting marks. Some of the cars later returned to the McCloud River, and some ran well into the 2000’s in their original paint schemes.
In 2016, Atlas introduced an N-scale model of FMC’s 5077 double-door boxcars with both centered and offset doors. It is a well detailed state-of-the-art model with body mounted couplers. The Roundhouse model represents a slightly taller plate C car and was introduced way back in the seventies. Athearn now offers an upgraded version of the Roundhouse cars. Some of the schemes on these models represent plate C cars from other car builders and are listed as stand-ins. A few of the Roundhouse releases are decorated for roads that owned no cars of this body type. Micro-Trains has produced a few stand-in models on their 30000 series boxcars with offset doors. Finally, some of the Fox Valley FMC 5283 plate C boxcar models are stand-ins for the FMC 5077 plate B car. In addition to being slightly taller, the Fox Valley models have seven side panels instead of six.
The chart below is an attempt at documenting how the IPD fleet was scattered after the boxcar boom went bust. It includes all of the series that I was able to confirm through photos as well as a couple of educated guesses as indicated by question marks. This information will be useful for modelers (and manufacturers) who might like to try updating their models with a weathered and graffittied “patch” scheme. A few railroads made the effort to give their secondhand cars a full repaint, which is indicated by a description of the scheme in the road column.
FMC OFFSET DOUBLE-DOOR RIBBED BOXCARS
ATLAS, MICRO-TRAINS, ATHEARN and ROUNDHOUSE
In addition to an offset double-door version of their 5,077 cubic-foot plate B boxcar, FMC produced a taller plate C version with a capacity of 5,347 cubic feet. With the exception of an early version delivered to the Union Pacific in 1974, all of these cars went to IPD short lines. When the IPD boxcar boom went bust, the bulk of these cars ended up on the Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern (TOE).
In 2016, Atlas introduced an N-scale model of FMC’s 5077 double-door boxcars with both centered and offset doors. It is a well detailed state-of-the-art model with body mounted couplers. The Roundhouse model was introduced way back in the seventies and represents the taller plate C car. The Athearn model is an upgraded version of the Roundhouse model. The Micro-Trains 30000 series model was introduced in 1983 and represents a plate B car. Several of the schemes on the early models represent plate C cars from other car builders and are listed as stand-ins. Some of the Micro-Trains models represent center door cars and are listed as stand-ins in the chart above.
The chart below is an attempt at documenting how the IPD fleet was scattered after the boxcar boom went bust. It includes all of the series that I was able to confirm through photos as well as a couple of educated guesses as indicated by question marks. This information will be useful for modelers (and manufacturers) who might like to try updating their models with a weathered and graffittied “patch” scheme. A few railroads made the effort to give their secondhand cars a full repaint, which is indicated by a description of the scheme in the road column.
FMC COMBINATION DOOR RIBBED BOXCARS
MICRO-TRAINS, ATHEARN and ROUNDHOUSE
In 1978, Railbox received 2,450 boxcars that were equipped with six-foot auxiliary plug doors. They were plate C cars with a capacity of 5,227 cubic feet, and carried ABOX reporting marks In order to distinguish them from single-door cars. Pacific Car & Foundry built 400 cars, while FMC built the remaining 2,050. These cars were unique to Railbox, though 1,000 cars were transferred to Canadian National in 1984 and given CNA reporting marks. The Minnesota, Dakota & Western was the only other railroad to receive combination-door boxcars from FMC, with 200 delivered in 1976. However, the MD&W cars had eight panels to the right of the door, while the ABOX cars had seven. The MD&W cars were delivered in a white paint scheme which apparently did not age well, as they were appearing repainted in a green scheme by 1981.
Roundhouse wasted no time in producing an N-scale model of the ABOX boxcar, releasing one in 1979. An improved version of the Roundhouse model is currently offered by Athearn. Micro-Trains introduced their model in 1985 by adapting their slightly lower plate B single-door boxcar body. Other than being a bit low, the Micro-Trains model matches the prototype, and unlike the Roundhouse/Athearn model, features operating sliding doors. Because of the limited number of appropriate schemes, the majority of those offered are stand-ins for combination-door boxcars from other car builders. Some even represent boxcars with smooth or waffle sides. The chart below includes the car builder and panel arrangement on stand-ins.
