PRR Freight Car Classes in N scale

[brokemoto]

Let me try this here, as there are more of you SPFs on this board.










I acquired this thing some time past at a Greenberg in Jersey. The price was right and it was something different. I did not, at the time, know what it was. I painted and lettered it for my non-historic road. Recently, I saw a photograph of a Penn N-6a. It looks like this one. The high cupola, plus the braces/railings on cupola and smoke jack, the thirty foot length and four side windows are there.

From what I can tell, what is incorrect are the roof ladders, only one window at each end and the windows on the prototype had four panes. Some photographs show a small window in between two larger windows on the ends of the cupola, but not all seem to have this feature.

The only reason for doing anything with this is that I recently acquired a pair of Penn five stripe sharks. I posted a request for an A unit on the  Swap Board of another forum, with the understanding that I might have to accept a pair. I got a response, acquired the items and did the power chassis swap. They just happened to be Penn five stripes. I am planning to put the chassis back into proper order (they do run, but they have this nasty clicking sound). As I plan to put the sharks back into proper working order, they will need a caboose. I went looking for a Bowser on FeePay, but the sellers all wanted too much.

I have more cabooses than I really need for my non-historic, so why not white line this one and paint it for the Penn? Whoever did this did a nice job on it. It was efficiently done, as well, as it appears that he used the middle pieces that he cut out of it to raise the cupola and blank out windows. I am tempted to leave the ladders as they are, as whoever did this bash used them to keep the shell on the chassis. It works well. Adding the four pane detail is not difficult. I am tempted to leave the one end window, as well, as some may have had windows plated over during shoppings. I might try to make a pair of end windows if I can find something in my parts box.

I have the Penn Maroon paint as well as the black for the roof walk. It seems that Microscale does not sell the Penn caboose sheet in N scale; only in O. I have a Merchandise box car sheet that contains a spelled out "PENNSYLVANIA" and numbers that will fit it, or, at least close enough for lack of anything better. I have the white lines, as well. What I am missing is the class designation, which is rather prominent in every photograph that I have seen of these things that carry the 1930s-mid-1950s paint and letter scheme. It appears that some did receive the shadow keystone scheme between 1954 and the early 1960s. I might have a shadow keystone herald somewhere.

The questions to you SPFs or caboose experts are:

1. Is this an N-6a or close enough?
2. If it is not, what is it?
3. Is there a better decal sheet available?
4. I have found a few photographs of N-6a s or models. Does anyone know where to find more photographs or lettering diagrammes?

The last two assume that it is, in fact, an N-6a or a close approximation thereof.

[dougnelson]

The questions to you SPFs or caboose experts are:

1. Is this an N-6a or close enough?
2. If it is not, what is it?
3. Is there a better decal sheet available?
4. I have found a few photographs of N-6a s or models. Does anyone know where to find more photographs or lettering diagrammes?

The last two assume that it is, in fact, an N-6a or a close approximation thereof.

1.  Well, not quite.  It looks like a kitbash attempt at an N6b.  N6a and N6b cabins were very similar except the N6a cupola had vertical, not sloping sides.
2.  An attempt at an N6b.  FYI - there were two versions of N6b cabins - one with an offset cupola as shown, and one with a centered cupola.
3.  Microscale (#60-1210) and Mount Vernon Shops have PRR cabin car decals that I believe includes N6b.
4.  See below for a good photo of an N6b and a painting & lettering diagram that covers both N6a and N6b, although the car shown is actually based on an NDa.

[brokemoto]

1.  Well, not quite.  It looks like a kitbash attempt at an N6b.  N6a and N6b cabins were very similar except the N6a cupola had vertical, not sloping sides.
2.  An attempt at an N6b.  FYI - there were two versions of N6b cabins - one with an offset cupola as shown, and one with a centered cupola.
3.  Microscale (#60-1210) and Mount Vernon Shops have PRR cabin car decals that I believe includes N6b.
4.  See below for a good photo of an N6b and a painting & lettering diagram that covers both N6a and N6b, although the car shown is actually based on an NDa.

Thank you for the reply. 

I had guessed initially N6a as it had the flatter roof.  One key spotting feature of the N6b is that rounded roof.  Whoever did this took the perpendicular sides of the MT cupola but sloped the sides when he raised the cupola.  The result is a sloped/perpendicular side.  I have noted on the few photographs that I have found of the N6a the "wide vision" feature.  I had assumed that whoever did this was working with what he had and was simply trying to get "close enough".  It is only relatively recently that we have had prototypical cabooses available.  For years, all that we had was the ATSF caboose that the various  manufacturers sold.

Can you believe that this was once considered "good quality"?





Mind you, that is the factory letter job, not mine.


Microscale's website did not show #60-1210, but thank you for the advisory.  The thing to do, then, will be to check hobby stores on line for a sheet.  Further, I will check Mt. Vernon shops. Thank you for the advisory.

Thank you for the photographs and lettering diagrammes.  These will prove useful.  Thank you for pointing me in the correct directions.

There is no rush on any of this.  Had I not happened to get five stripe sharks and seen the photograph of the N6a, I never would have gone in this direction.  I do not run Penn equipment, although I suppose that it could appear occasionally, given the concept of the pike.  I have the Trainfone antenna brackets for the shark A and something to use for the antenna.  While on the subject of the Trainfone antenna, I have yet to see a photograph of either an N6a or N6b with one.  Did they not receive them?  My understanding is that by the 1950s, the wood cabooses were relegated to branch line work, where, perhaps, the Trainfone was not needed.  Could this be why I never have seen one with a Trainfone antenna?

This is going to take a while.  In addition to dealing with the caboose and the Trainfone antenna for the A, I must figure out why the B unit is making that nasty clicking noise and figure out how I must remedy it.

Thank you for your help.

[dougnelson]

I don't believe that I have ever seen an N6b with Trainphone antenna.  N6b cabins were used all over the system, but maybe more so on branches.  I think crews liked them because they were warmer in cold weather than the steel cabin cars.

[dougnelson]

PRR G24 Gondola.
Intermountain did a nice job with this WW1 USRA war emergency composite gondola.  The PRR had a bunch of these gons built in 1919 with wood car sides to conserve steel during the war effort.  The Intermountain car is very nicely done with the car sides and floor made of laser etched wood.  Like many of Intermountain's freight cars, they were initially produced as kits until they realized most people wanted ready to run.  The kits are still available, often for low prices, on secondary markets.  Gons were treated roughly and the wood sides did not hold up for long.  On the PRR, by 1930, these cars were rebuilt with steel sides, so if you model after 1930, the nice Intermountain car is not prototypical.  The great thing about the kit version is that this is a very easy fix to substitute styrene sides for the wood sides.  I have another kit not yet built, and I may try making sides out of sheet metal to achieve a banged up sheet metal effect as these cars often had bulging sides. 

Here is the as-built, pre-1930 version from Intermountain with a pipe load.  I should replace the Intermountain wheels and couplers.


And here is the post-1930 version converted to steel sides with a scrap metal load:


An in-progress view and the Intermountain kit parts.  I added some Archer rivets on the inside of the car sides.  Per prototype photos, the end diagonal braces were removed.  I also added some weight to the car by putting 2 or 3 layers of fishing weight sheets under the wood floor.

[dougnelson]

N scale X31f automobile boxcar.  Created from a Fine N X31 resin kit with Keystone Details printed roof addition.  Decals from Tichy.

[Cajonpassfan]

Very nice, Doug. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying these PRR freight car “classes”
Looking forward to future sessions...
Otto

[jmnpet]

Doug, you mentioned using Mount Vernon decals on a couple of your models.  Are those decals still available?  I don't see white PRR N scale decals on their website.

[cjm413]

The Con-Cor 40' box I found in my 💩 pile may some stand-in potential for either a X43 series car with a 7' door or possibly a X29 series rebuild after modifying the side sill...

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[bbussey]

The Deluxe boxcar with MTL doors (or now Atlas PS-1 doors as a newer option) is a better starting point for the X43. Rich Yourstone built a pair back in the Aughts.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=16428.msg140293#msg140293

The pics no longer are in the thread but the text is there. I have a pair built but not painted that I need to finish.

[cjm413]

The Deluxe boxcar with MTL doors (or now Atlas PS-1 doors as a newer option) is a better starting point for the X43. Rich Yourstone built a pair back in the Aughts.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=16428.msg140293#msg140293

The pics no longer are in the thread but the text is there. I have a pair built but not painted that I need to finish.

From the tiny screen on my phone, class X43 appears to have a Murphy panel roof rather than the diagonal panel roof  on X43A, etc.

https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/index.php/tpm/233-x43-series-box-car-information-for-modelers

The stock Con-Cor ends, the location of the tack boards, and probably a few other things that I'll notice later are definitely wrong, but I could live with them on a recycled stand-in model.

I haven't taken a close enough look at the X29 rebuilds to see if there are any with the same 7' YSD-2 door and Murphy Panel roof combination.

[cjm413]

From the tiny screen on my phone, class X43 appears to have a Murphy panel roof rather than the diagonal panel roof  on X43A, etc.

https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/index.php/tpm/233-x43-series-box-car-information-for-modelers

The stock Con-Cor ends, the location of the tack boards, and probably a few other things that I'll notice later are definitely wrong, but I could live with them on a recycled stand-in model.

I haven't taken a close enough look at the X29 rebuilds to see if there are any with the same 7' YSD-2 door and Murphy Panel roof combination.

...now that I'm looking at the door on the Con-Cor model again, it has the same 3/5/5 pattern on a 10' IH car rather than a 4/5/5 pattern on a 10'6" IH car.   I admittedly assumed the Con-Cor model was 10'6" based on the R+3/4 ends, but it is possible this may actually be a 10' IH car with "vertically compressed" ends...

[Missaberoad]

From the tiny screen on my phone, class X43 appears to have a Murphy panel roof rather than the diagonal panel roof  on X43A, etc.

https://jbritton.pennsyrr.com/index.php/tpm/233-x43-series-box-car-information-for-modelers

The stock Con-Cor ends, the location of the tack boards, and probably a few other things that I'll notice later are definitely wrong, but I could live with them on a recycled stand-in model.

I haven't taken a close enough look at the X29 rebuilds to see if there are any with the same 7' YSD-2 door and Murphy Panel roof combination.

According to Ed Hawkins list 603500-603999 had diagonal panel roofs.

[cjm413]

According to Ed Hawkins list 603500-603999 had diagonal panel roofs.

Back to the 💩 pile the Con-Cor model goes...at least after I measure the height to see if it has any use as a 10' IH car with a 7' YSD-2 door...