All-brown UPS van

[cfritschle]

I thought there were two sizes of the classic (80's-90's) package car. Wasn't the van along with their mustangs produced by Marks Metalmodelclassics from Germany? I don't have my sample in front of me (I'm in Thailand), but I feel the dimensions - width and length were about right for the larger van.

Dan,

The Stevens International UPS package car was made in England, so it would not have been a Marks product. 

It was featured in my vehicle article for the May/June 2013 issue of the N Scale Collectors membership magazine.  I measured the model with digital calipers, and came up with the following dimensions in 1:160 inches:

Width:    97 inches
Length: 285 inches
Height:  131 inches
Headlight diameter: 9.5 inches

The overall dimensions of the model would be only slightly oversized for the largest package cars, but the standard size for sealed dual beam headlights at the time the prototype was made was around 7 inches in diameter.  When I did my research for that article, I found that UPS had the following sizes for package cars:

P500 – 500 cubic feet of cargo capacity
P800 – 800 cubic feet of cargo capacity
P1000 – 1000 cubic feet of cargo capacity
P1200 – 1200 cubic feet of cargo capacity

With the significantly oversized headlights, and the model being made in England, I suspect the model is based on the P800 or P1000 package car, and is 1:148 scale.  Here is a photo that shows it is a well detailed model, but it just does not look quite right to me when I place it near 1:160 scale models.



Carter

[cfritschle]

I forgot to mention that Randy Brown is offering the former Arrowhead Models UPS package car.

http://trainsbyrandybrown.com/n-scale---vehicles.php

This model is much smaller than the N J International package car, and would probably work for the rural delivery package car Dan is looking for.

Carter

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Dan,

The Stevens International UPS package car was made in England, so it would not have been a Marks product. 

It was featured in my vehicle article for the May/June 2013 issue of the N Scale Collectors membership magazine.  I measured the model with digital calipers, and came up with the following dimensions in 1:160 inches:

Width:    97 inches
Length: 285 inches
Height:  131 inches
Headlight diameter: 9.5 inches

The overall dimensions of the model would be only slightly oversized for the largest package cars, but the standard size for sealed dual beam headlights at the time the prototype was made was around 7 inches in diameter.  When I did my research for that article, I found that UPS had the following sizes for package cars:

P500 – 500 cubic feet of cargo capacity
P800 – 800 cubic feet of cargo capacity
P1000 – 1000 cubic feet of cargo capacity
P1200 – 1200 cubic feet of cargo capacity

With the significantly oversized headlights, and the model being made in England, I suspect the model is based on the P800 or P1000 package car, and is 1:148 scale.  Here is a photo that shows it is a well detailed model, but it just does not look quite right to me when I place it near 1:160 scale models.



Carter

I'm pretty sure both the larger (P1000 and P1200) cars were at least 96" wide. So the that works. And 10'10" sounds correct for the height.

About the headlights. UPS used chrome surrounds in their headlights:


And the surrounds feature a 1" flange. So that would also measure correct for the model. I'm not saying it's a perfect model, and I would love to see something better. It is a good stand in though. Now if only someone would make correct decals for it!

BTW there are a few in eBay right now. Search for "CSM van" and you will find a few metal kits available. They do not appear to be recast from JNJ parts, but rather from the original molds - the sprue flash is the same. JNJ head two distinct runs, one in brass and one in white metal. These are also in white metal.

Think we could bug Trainworx to make a rtr version?

[peteski]

Good luck finding the NJ International models - they are rarer than non-slinking MTL couplers.  I have one of the white metal ones but I'm not to thrilled with its molding quality. But at least it has open window areas.

One of my future projects was to Hydro-shrinking the very nice H0 model. But at the pace I'm working on my numerous projects I have a feeling that a "real" N scale model will be produced before I finish (or even start) mine. 

The older (gold lettering from the '80s) decals would be easy to print using Alps printer. But the current ones - not so much.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

The old ones, with the globe are exactly what i need. No one seems to be willing to make them, and those that did won't let go of the ones they made (trust me, I have asked). It is very frustrating.

I just ordered two of the CSM models. It'll be interesting to compare the quality to the brass version I have.

[peteski]

The old ones, with the globe are exactly what i need. No one seems to be belong to make them, and those that did won't let go of the ones they made (trust me, I have asked). It is very frustrating.

I just ordered two of the CSM models. It'll be interesting to compare the quality to the brass version I have.

I was talking about the simple package and a string tied in a ribbon logo (which only used gold) from the '80s. The globe has some lighter browns in it (besides just gold) and those might not come out well on Alps.  Those logos didn't show up until the '90s.

Actually I scored a nice silk-screened N scale decal of the globe logo (I bought many years ago at Modeler's Junction in Methuen, MA) but those were very limited run and it was never reissued. I don't even know who made those (they seem to have been done privately.

[central.vermont]

Actually I scored a nice silk-screened N scale decal of the globe logo (I bought many years ago at Modeler's Junction in Methuen, MA) but those were very limited run and it was never reissued. I don't even know who made those (they seem to have been done privately.

Pete,
That may have been Rick Keller. I seem to remember him having done some on a very limited quantity.
He was afraid to sell many for fear of big brown coming down on him!!
Jon

[peteski]

Pete,
That may have been Rick Keller. I seem to remember him having done some on a very limited quantity.
He was afraid to sell many for fear of big brown coming down on him!!
Jon

That sounds very feasible. I wonder if he still has the artwork (for another private batch of those decals)? 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Pete, count me in. I really need these.

[cfritschle]

Dan,

Thank you for pointing out the headlight bezels, and the extra diameter they would add.  I purchased this model more than 25 years ago, but from the moment I opened the package, I questioned whether or not it was really 1:160 scale.  I do wish we could find more dimensional information for the prototype UPS package cars.

Doing some additional math, the 0.06 inch diameter of the headlights with bezels (that is as close as I could measure them) would still work for a 1:148 scale model.   The diameter of the headlights plus the bezels in 1:148 scale inches would be 8.9.

I decided to check the inside length of the cargo area to see if that could shed some light as to the actual scale of the model.  This dimension came to approximately 15 N scale (1:160) feet.  So, if the inside width is 8 scale feet and the inside height 8.5 scale feet, that’s 1020 scale cubic feet, which would be about right for the P1000 after you take out the space occupied by the wheel wells.

However, I also converted the interior dimensions to 1:148 scale and calculated the volume, which came out very close to 800 scale cubic feet.

So, if the prototype package cars have similar styling and proportions, it looks like the N. J. International model has dimensions that are very close to either a 1:148 scale P800 or a 1:160 scale P1000 package car.

And I apologize for mistakenly typing Stevens International in the earlier post instead of N. J. International.  I keep my UPS package car in a box that also contains several Stevens International models, and I must have had a senior moment while I was typing.   

Carter