The 2022 Shake ’n’ Take Seaboard box car

The late Greg Martin originated the idea of what he named “Shake ’n’ Take” model projects, meaning relatively straightforward kitbashing or kit modifying projects, which were presented at the Cocoa Beach, Florida “Prototype Rails” meetings. Richard Hendrickson and a number of others have pitched in over the years to help choose prototypes and build the models for these projects. 

You had to sign up for the project and attend a clinic about it at Cocoa Beach. With the cooperation of a number of manufacturers and other producers of model railroad parts, participants at the clinic were given a car body and associated parts, ranging from underframes and major parts, to very minor parts like side-sill tabs or brake steps, and often custom decals.

The first of these projects was presented at the 2006 Prototype Rails meeting, and it was a rebuilt Kansas City Southern box car. I built that project and reported on it in blog posts (see the conclusion of the series at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2012/07/shake-n-take-kcs-rebuilt-box-car.html ). For those interested, I show below a list of all the projects, taken from a PDF by Ben Hom on the groups.io site for these projects: https://groups.io/g/shake-n-take/files ).

I have signed up for most of these projects, though I skipped a few. They involved cars that were too late for me (the PRR Class X45 in 2008), too early for me (the 2024 project), or cars I didn’t need because I already had them (the 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2020 projects. But I have built most of the rest. 

Among those that I have reported on were the Kahn’s reefer (see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2011/12/shake-n-take-modeling-project-kahns.html ), the DT&I gondola, one that I really enjoyed doing (described at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2012/01/shake-n-take-modeling-project-dt.html ), and more recently, the Hormel reefer (conclusion at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/07/my-greg-martin-car-part-2.html ).

Greg’s original idea was that these would be a “weekend project,” and for most of us, the projects have grown well beyond that! But they have been interesting cars for the most part, and some of the kit modification ideas quite ingenious. We have been having quite a bit of rain where I live, so it seemed like a good time to look at one of these projects in my stash: the 2022 Seaboard box car. Here’s a builder view (Pullman-Standard photo, Illinois Digital Library):

These cars were built by Pullman-Standard at their Bessemer, Alabama plant in 1940, 700 cars numbered 11000–11699. Their round roof is reminiscent of the Pennsylvania “wagon-top” cars of the X31 subclasses, built in 1936. But the Seaboard cars were distinctive in having a proprietary end stamping that was different from the PRR cars (builder photo below, same credit). Accordingly, this Shake ’n’ Take project is to use the Bowser round-roof body, and to replace ends and some other details.

Before describing the modeling, I should credit the various donors of parts for this project. Bowser contributed the car bodies and doors; Accurail, the underframe, brake parts, and trucks; Southbound Model Works, the resin replacement ends; Kadee, running boards, brake wheel and step, grab irons; Des Plaines Hobbies, ladders; National Scale Car, resin side sill tabs, tack boards, and decals. The generosity of them all is appreciated. Steve Hile designed the project, gave the Cocoa Beach clinic on it, and wrote the directions.

To begin the model work, I removed the molded-on side ladders and grab irons. They are of very low relief, and are removed so that better parts can be substituted. For removing details like these, I take a brand-new #17 X-Acto blade to carefully slice away whatever isn’t wanted. Finally, the Bowser body has double rivet rows at some side panel boundaries, so the extra rows were removed.

The more substantial modification began with removing the Bowser ends, conventional Dreadnaught configuration, which are to be replaced. I used a razor saw to slice inside the side walls, along both sides of the end, then a knife groove was made across the top of the end, so it could be snapped off. Here’s a view before sanding the end completely flat.

I then followed the project directions and added an end bulkhead of 0.040-inch thickness styrene. I reinforced the inside corners with 1/8 x 1/4-inch styrene strip. This stabilizes the body as well as providing a gluing surface for the replacement ends.

With these bulkheads in place, and with the new resin ends carefully cleaned up to fit, I glued the new ends in place with canopy glue. Here is the car at this point, just needing addition of all the smaller details before painting.

I will continue with descriptions of the work on this interesting project in a future post.

Tony Thompson

A model railroading weekend

I’m reporting today on something that I haven’t often reported before, but it occurs to me that it may be informative for some readers to revisit the topic (there is an earlier report at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-bay-area-layout-design-and.html ). It’s a meeting that’s been held in the San Francisco Bay Area for about 25 years, chaired during practically the whole time by our own Seth Neumann. The weekend chosen has always been the ”football-free” weekend before the Super Bowl, for what I assume are obvious reasons. To see the current announcement, you can visit: http://bayldops.com/ .

This meeting began, all those years ago, with 8 or so people meeting in a living room, and had grown past 100 attendees before the pandemic. We had about 80 this last weekend (a mix of in-person and virtual attendees). It encompasses both layout design and operation through the respective NMRA Special Interest Groups or SIGs, the Layout Design SIG and the Operations SIG. In recent years, the site has been rotated among the South Bay, East Bay, and North Bay in the immediate Bay Area, and Sacramento.

This is something that could be done almost anywhere, as a means of getting people together with common interests (such as, but not limited to, the two SIGs mentioned above). I can recommend discussions of layout design issues, and even a “design challenge” — ours was to design a small layout to model the Northwestern Pacific terminal and ferry dock at Tiburon — something the Bay Area meeting has long included. This is invariably an intriguing component of the day, as various respondents show their layout ideas, and I’d recommend it. 

Anyone planning such a meeting might also consider including discussions of operation procedures, whether in the form of talks, panel discussions, or audience participation. Also, attendees always enjoy evening or next-day layout open houses and open operating sessions. We have long had these, and they seem like obvious possibilities for other meets.

This year, our meeting schedule began with Friday layout open houses and a dinner, then quite a nice Saturday meeting of our usual kind, a bunch of talks (I gave one of them), the Tiburon design challenge, which brought forth some quite interesting responses, and a switching puzzle. 

We also had our usual “layout design consulting,” where experienced layout designers privately evaluate your layout ideas or design, one on one, and give feedback. This was followed on Sunday by operating sessions for the Saturday attendees.

I was at Paul Weiss’s outstanding Central Vermont layout on Sunday, to act as yardmaster at the principal yard, East New London. It was a really rainy day, somewhat unevenly with heavy showers alternating with light ones, but still a very gray and wet day. Here’s a view from the layout door with rain pelting down (and yes, that’s a crossing gate in the distance: the former NWP line, now SMART commute trains):

But inside, of course, we were dry and happy (doubtless aided by the availability of copious coffee and donuts). My crew at East New London was Jim Radkey and David Gibbons, both experienced people who got all the yard switching done in a quite timely manner. Adjoining our yard was one of the windows to an operator’s desk at the lower level, sometimes resulting in amusing scenes like this: Robert Bowdidge, conductor on the Montville job, kneeling down to communicate with the operator; at left is Phil Edholm, Superintendent of our local NMRA division, and behind him, Jim Radkey.

The layout is being built and developed by an impressive and talented crew. I always enjoy each visit because progress is always evident. The crown jewel of the new work is the superb model, built by Doug Nelson, of the Union Station at Palmer, Massachusetts (the prototype still stands), an H.H. Richardson stone structure. In the view below, the double track in front of the depot is the Boston & Albany main line, with the CV crossing at right.

Another very impressive new structure on the layout is the Yantic Grain & Produce mill and elevator, shown below. This faithfully reproduces the remarkably complex prototype structure’s roofline, and the addition at left, with a quite good representation of New England’s ubiquitous “insulbrick” sheathing, the work of Jim Providenza. A great model, and now an interesting industry to switch!

It was, as always, a fun weekend, with lots of friends and acquaintances to meet and reconnect with, nice information in the Saturday session, and (for me anyway) a terrific operating session on Sunday; I’m sure others enjoyed their Sunday layout sessions too. 

But as I stated at the outset of this post, my point in describing all this is that I think this kind of get-together could be reproduced in many places, and local modelers would have the chance to enjoy them as much as I do ours. If you see an announcement for such a meeting in your area, I’d recommend you give it a try. And if there is no such meeting locally, why not organize one? I always enjoy them, and I’ll bet you would too.

Tony Thompson

Modeling an SP Class O-50-9 tank car, Conclusion

This series of posts is about modeling the last class of tank cars that Southern Pacific purchased that had circumferential rivets joining its tank sections. Designated Class O-50-9 (for Oil car, 50 tons capacity, ninth class), the cars were built by General American in 1924 and were numbered 47880–48079. (All subsequent SP tank cars were numbered in the 58,000 series prior to the 1956 renumbering.) Below is a builder photo (General American photo for SP, author’s collection).

Prominent in this photo are the original T-section trucks and K brakes.  Both were replaced after World War II, as documented in the SP Car Ledger records (described previously, at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2024/01/modeling-sp-class-o-50-9-tank-car-part-4.html ) on nearly all cars. Accordingly, my model has those changes also.

The model, degree of completion of which was shown in the post just cited, now needed to be painted. I used Tamiya “Rubber Black,” TS-82, a not-quite-dead black color, and painted both tank and underframe this color. Here is the model at this point, with Kadee #158 whisker couplers installed, and Athearn trucks with Reboxx “scale-width” wheelsets. The safety valves are toward the B end of the car, as they should be.

The paint scheme shown in the prototype photo above was replaced in 1946 by a scheme in which the road name was spelled out. Below is part of an SP lettering diagram (you can click on the image to enlarge it if you wish). The drawing you see here had been revised in 1952 to remove stripes above and below the name and car number, but since SP tank cars were rarely repainted, I decided to retain the stripes as indicating a pre-1952 paint scheme. (You can click on this image to enlarge it, if you wish.)

I used Tichy decal set 10053 for lettering. I did the original art work for this set, as Tichy has been kind enough to note on the decal sheet itself. The sheet does contain everything needed to letter one of these cars, following the prototype diagram, including suitable built dates, gallonage capacities, and class numbers.

Next came weathering. As I nearly always do, I used my acrylic-wash method (see links to “Reference pages” in the upper right corner of this post) to weather this car. This car also has route cards and a few chalk marks. Only remaining task is to add placards; but that’s really a separate topic, about which I’ve provided background before (see, for example: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2012/03/tank-car-placards-modeling.html ).

This has been a fun project, despite having been set aside for awhile. It adds to the completeness of my fleet of SP tank cars of the 1950s. And this one is certainly going right into service on the layout!

Tony Thompson

Trackwork wars, Part 9

From time to time, I document some of the maintenance and upgrade work done on my layout. The most elusive solutions and most persistent problems seem to be trackwork and electrical ones, thus the names of a series of posts about each, under the “wars” title. The “electrical” series is the longer, but as the present post demonstrates, I have my share of trackwork problems too. 

The previous post in this series,though not a logical predecessor as it was in an entirely different part of the layout, did focus on track leveling issues (see that post at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2023/12/trackwork-wars-part-8.html ). That was very much an issue in the area to be discussed in the present post, which is shown below.

This is the area where the layout transitions from the town of Ballard, to the left of the creek, to Santa Rosalia, at the right of the creek. It has been troublesome for some locomotives in several previous operating sessions, but recently has become worse. 

The building with the gray roof, against the backdrop, is the site for the MP1 switch machines powering the adjacent switches. (For a discussion of the MP1 machine, see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2019/02/powering-turnouts.html ). With that building removed, the MP1’s are visible (below). I’ve been pleased with these linear-motion switch machines, following their installation (see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2023/03/powering-few-more-switches-part-2.html ). It was essential to use surface-mounted switch machines in this area because there is trackage right under it.

Note in the above photo the small level on the track at left. I quickly discovered considerable variations in track level over short distances, an excellent arrangement to cause derailments. Even this simple tool can easily reveal the level differences that are causing trouble, as you see below. The area depicted in both photos is a close-up of the area shown above, one photo for each switch.

This sharp difference in level over a short distance has to be corrected. I used white styrene (HO scale 1 x 10-inch strip) to cut shims, and try them out under the track to get closer to cross-level throughout. Below is a first cut at these corrections. They are not final, but closer to what is needed.

The next step was to try and use the transparent “test car” to check consistency in the track leveling. One attempt is shown below. But this is not a very effective test, because the truck mounting is not very stable against tilting. One can carefully level the car, and try to gently move it over the track to be tested; but even the slightest of bumps will change the tilt of the car. Something better was needed.

My next test was to bring one of my steam locomotives to the area, and slowly and rapidly back through and then go forward through, the affected area. After all, this is the real goal of the track project, to avoid derailments. This is shown below. Note that the trackage being tested is all unballasted, which won’t change until the track problems are at least close to “fixed.”

Much of the previous problem, and at the usual derailment location, was remedied. But one position of the switch to the right in the above photo still gave some derailments. So further work is needed beyond the leveling that was described above. I will return to this problem.

The work so far seemed successful, though more is needed, and more thorough testing. Of course, the real test, as any layout owner knows, is an operating session with visitors, ideally ones you want to  impress; but that will have to wait. Right now, things are certainly improved, though I need to continue to experiment, modify, and of course, test and test . . .

Tony Thompson

PFE express refrigerators

I recently received an interesting comment from a long-time reader of this blog. The comment was, that I had mentioned PFE express refrigerator cars many times, but rarely had provided anything comprehensive about them. This is probably true about the blog, because of the PFE book (Thompson, Church and Jones, Pacific Fruit Express, 2nd edition, Signature Press, 2000), for which I wrote all the parts about PFE cars. Let me see what I can add; also compare Chapter 5 in the PFE book. 

The first point to recognize about PFE express reefers is that PFE owned a fleet of 300 very conventional wood-sheathed 50-foot cars, built by AC&F and General American during 1923–24, which were very similar to many other owners’ express cars in that period. One benefit for modelers in that fact is that a manufacturer can offer the “standard” General American express car in a variety of lettering schemes, and in fact Athearn (in the blue-box days) and Walthers have done just that.

As built, these cars had round roofs and flush ice hatches, that is, no hatch platforms, and side and end grab irons were arranged according to passenger-car practice. They were numbered 501–800. Below is a copy of a builder photo of these cars (AC&F photo, courtesy Gordon Mills). 

Note that the car is lettered for American Railway Express, the predecessor of the Railway Express Agency (REA), to whom the cars were leased for operation. Upon replacement of ARE with REA, the leases were terminated and cars returned to PFE. Subsequently, PFE, like most major owners of express reefers, voluntarily made them available for an REA pool.

As built, these cars were typified by a wide fascia board the full length of the car. Earl Hopkins, retired PFE General Mechanical and Engineering Officer, told me in an interview that these boards were 50-foot lengths of 10-inch wide clear redwood, as specified by PFE to the builder. 

Beginning in 1930, PFE partially rebuilt these cars, adding ice hatch platforms, ladders on car sides and ends in place of grab-iron rows, and generally rearranging safety appliances in accord with freight car practice. (Both the old Athearn and the Walthers models are a mixture of these features, having flush ice hatches, but side and end ladders.)

Below is an in-service photo of one of the cars, showing that wide fascia board, taken at Roseville, California  on May 7, 1956 (Chet McCoid photo, Bob’s Photo collection). Note that the car has a conventional power hand brake. These were installed when many of the express cars were overhauled during 1942–46, replacing Miner lever hand brakes. Note also that reporting mark and car number are to the right of the car door.

By 1953, the year I model, many cars were in poor condition, and PFE undertook to rebuild again 83 of the 155 cars then in service, about half of the fleet. Inside, the old wood superstructures were replaced with steel frames. The rebuilds are easy to recognize because the original wide fascia boards were replaced with a much narrower fir fascia board. Lettering was also revised, as seen in this photo at the Harborside Terminal, Jersey City, NJ, in 1958 (Jeff Winslow photo). Finally, fans were added (note fan symbol above nearer truck.)

Thus there are four different appearances shown by these express refrigerators, according to era. First, the as-built appearance, without ice hatch platforms or ladders. Second, the post-early thirties look with ice hatch platforms and ladders added. Third, the post-World War II look, with power hand brakes instead of lever hand brakes. Fourth, the final rebuilt look (only part of the fleet), with narrow fascia boards, from 1954 onwards.

For my own modeling, the post-World War II look, appearance 3, is appropriate for most if not all of my PFE express reefers. Probably the best commercial model of the post-WW II cars was the brass version by WP Car Company. I have a couple of these. Here is what they look like (weathered and in service on my layout):

Here is another model I have, weathered by Al Massi and traded to me by Otis McGee for a Richard Hendrickson PRR express reefer. I don’t specifically know the origin of the model, but it might be a Challenger brass import. In the early 1950s, the prototype cars had become rather dingy, and this model reflects that. 

In the 1950s, there were also some quite interesting PFE express cars in the form of 40-foot steel reefers. I will summarize their history and modeling in a future post.

Tony Thompson

Modeling an SP Class O-50-9 tank car, Part 4

This is a continuation of my project to model one of Southern Pacific’s tank cars with circumferential rivet rows joining the tank segments. The last class of such SP cars to be built was Class O-50-9, which I am modeling. I began with an Athearn tank car, dimensionally correct for the SP car, following the steps shown some time ago in a post about the corrections needed to the Athearn car (see that description at:  https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2011/05/modeling-sp-tank-cars.html ). 

With the new rivet rows placed using Archer Rivets, the body was approaching completion (more about that process was in my Part 3:  https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/09/modeling-sp-o-50-9-car-part-3.html ). In the repeated photo below, you can see the double safety valve (Owl Mountain Models) in an “elbow” mount on the right side of the raised dome and the new rivet rows (the dark ones; the light ones are remnants of the superfluous ones molded on the Athearn body, which were removed).

In that previous post, I had fabricated the first segment of the new handrail (visible above), but had not yet completed it. I have shown the process of making such a handrail in several places, most recently with a diesel-fuel tank car (here’s a repeat of that link: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2023/06/sp-diesel-fuel-tank-car-conclusion.html ). As the car will be painted black, thus making the clunky Athearn handrail supports considerably less obvious, I decided to leave them in place. 

Joining two pieces of handrail, of course, requires some sort of connector. One way to do this, originally described by Ted Culotta in one of his modeling articles, is to use a short length of hypodermic tubing. For the 0.020-inch K&S brass wire being used on this model, you can use 0.020-inch inside diameter hypodermic tubing (available from Small Parts at www.smallparts.com – the smallest quantity is 12-inch lengths, definitely a lifetime supply). It’s shown below, to the right of the two tank bands.

The handrail was secured to the support posts with canopy glue, as was the joint (above) between wire segments that was covered by hypodermic tubing.

Meanwhile, the Athearn underframe needs certain modifications. I have not usually shown these in past posts, so will show specifics here. I begin with the “cover plate” part, that attaches to the main underframe. I attach this part as Athearn intended, then drill out the coupler box posts from what will be the top, and tap 2-56. I then cut off the box lids behind the rivet row on them. This provides a removable and dependable coupler box arrangement.

 Note below I have also shaved off the extraneous extra bottom outlets on the cover plate, molded here to suit Athearn’s three-compartment tank car. The same is done on the top of the other underframe part.

The next step is to add some brake rodding to the levers that Athearn has provided. This helps with the visibility of the brake rigging from above, when the car is complete. Coupler box covers are attached. Piping to the AB valve remains to be added.

Turning the underframe over, I insert the Athearn-supplied brake stand and when glue has set, cut it off flush with the walkway (an easy way to plug Athearn’s rectangular hole). I then drill a hole for a wire brake staff, with brass brake wheel soldered to it (I make batches of these so I always have a few on hand). I also insert Athearn’s metal placard holders. They are oversize, but quite sturdy, and in any event, the placards I apply are correct size, so will look all right on a black holder.

The completed but as yet unpainted underframe is shown below. The wires simulating piping to the valve are visible, as is the new vertical-staff hand brake. The scars where the pipes for outlets of the outer compartments of the three-compartment tank car were removed are evident too.

This car class, numbering 200 cars, was built by General American at Warren Ohio, during September–December 1924. A word about the equipment assigned to these cars: they were built with T-section trucks, popular with SP during the 1920s, and with K brakes, standard for the era. 

However, I know from the SP Car Ledgers (for more about them, see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2021/10/sp-car-ledger-donation-part-2.html ) that nearly all the O-50-9 cars had their T-section trucks replaced with U-section trucks during 1946–1953. In the same period, most cars had their K brakes replaced with AB brakes. I model 1953, so my model has AB brakes and U-section trucks (as the Athearn model provides).

Now the car body and underframe will be painted black, preparatory to lettering. I will use the Tichy #10053 decal set for these cars. But all that will be presented in a future post.

Tony Thompson

Another excellent Shipper’s Guide

Just now becoming available from Rails Unlimited is yet another Shipper’s Guide, this one for the B&O and the Alton. It’s dated 1939, and is 237 pages long. I find these Guides useful for identifying authentic shipper (and consignee) names all over the country. You can see a write-up about it (and the other 22 Guides available) at: https://railsunlimited.ribbonrail.com/Books/shippers.html .

I doubt I can exaggerate the usefulness of these Guides, and regular readers will recall that I have posted about them several times. I gave a general introduction back in 2015 (see it at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2015/11/waybills-part-44-shipper-guides.html ). 

Subsequently, as more and more of these Guides have become available, I have continued to review them. Here’s a link to one later post on the topic: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2015/11/waybills-part-44-shipper-guides.html . You can readily find them all by using “Shipper Guide” in the search box at upper right.

Below is the cover of the newest Guide from Rails Unlimited. It’s 8.5 x 11 inches and comb-bound for ease of use. Price is $39.95 plus $6 shipping.

Like most of these Guides, the book lists shippers by commodity, most alphabetically. In case you can’t guess the name that B&O used for a particular commodity, there is a two-page Index to Contents; I show one of these pages below. (You can click on the image to enlarge it if you wish.)

The sheer amount of information here is just remarkable, a conclusion I reach with almost every one of these Guides that I have examined. Just to choose a single example, I have several packing houses on my layout, and these naturally ship carloads of fruit or vegetables to wholesale produce dealers, warehouses, or brokers. In this Shipper Guide, as in most of them, these businesses exist even in fairly small towns. Shown below is just half of the listings in this B&O Guide. Many of these are entirely suitable destinations for carloads of produce shipped from my layout.

Let me illustrate how I have used this guide for one particular layout waybill. I have on my layout a brass foundry, which mostly makes plumber’s supplies such as valves. Turning to pages 465 and 466 in the guide, I find plumber’s supply businesses in 12 states. I decide arbitrarily to choose one from Dayton, Ohio (see below). By the way, the letter prefixes to entries identify whether the business had a B&O siding or someone else’s.

With this destination identified, I then make the waybill below, including a Weight Agreement stamp. The freight car that will carry this load happens to be my newly finished EJ&E box car built from a Sunshine Models mini-kit (for a description of that project, see: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2024/01/sunshine-ej-box-car-mini-kit-part-3.html ).

For background on this waybill design, you can search this blog, using “waybills” as the search term in the search box at the upper right corner of this post; or see one of my published articles, such as Model Railroad Hobbyist (one of my “Getting Real” columns, entitled “Operating with Prototypical Waybills,” January 2018; still available to read on-line or download, for free, at: www.mrhmag.com ).

I hope this single example suffices to illustrate what can be gained from these Shipper Guides. They are particularly valuable when they describe the territory of a truly large railroad like the B&O. I am certainly happy to have this one.

Tony Thompson