MTL 40' PS-1 boxcar is prototypical

[bbussey]

Only after not relying on memory and going back to read Green's text. When I asked I was still relying on the generosity of others to answer.

Still, I'd love to see a pic of a PS-0 to check out the 18 side panels, seems like a lot on a 40' car, unless that's 18 per car and not per side.

Here you go:
http://www.trainlife.com/public/magazine_page/1000000/11000/10463/75238.jpg?c=2a05
Bottom of the page.

CORRECTION: The issue is RMJ March 1993, not March 1988.

Also, the MTL model is a 10'6" IH car, so it can't be based on the car described in MM Feb 1988.

[chessie system fan]

As an aside, who else had double-door PS-1s beside CNW?  I didn't see any others in the RMJ table, but it may have been focused on single door cars.

SAL had some.

[wcfn100]

What  a great thread to happen during my vacation.

The pressed rectangles were added to the top of the sides in 1949.  The bow-tie roof stiffeners were added to the outer roof panels in 1950, and the horizontal riveted belt rail was changed to a welded joint in the mid 1950s.  So the model is accurate for PS-1 boxcars built from early 1949 to sometime in 1950.

Unfortunately, there are several other design changes that happened during early PS-1 production.   For the sake of this thread, the end ladders had three different 'phases'.  Early cars had straight ladders.  Then the bottom rung was widened.  Finally the bottom two rungs were widened.

From the references I have, the second phase lasted into 1951.  The Micro-trains car matches the final 'phase'. So using the time line above, the Micro-trains cars still does not match any production car.


Jason

[bbussey]

Jason, that is interesting information.  The puzzle becomes more clear as more pieces are added.

I'm not refuting your data, as you are more knowledgeable on the subject than I.  The oddity I see is that Kadee most likely based their tooling on the blueprints of one of the transitional phases - whether the phase was extremely short-lived, of ever saw production at all, would be difficult to determine 40+ years later.  But, not being Pullman Standard engineers, the Kadee toolmakers must have worked from data provided by P-S back in 1970 or so.

[JoeD]

lI'll look today and see if I can find the original files.  I've seen blueprints but didn't note what version they were.

Joe
MTL

Jason, that is interesting information.  The puzzle becomes more clear as more pieces are added.

I'm not refuting your data, as you are more knowledgeable on the subject than I.  The oddity I see is that Kadee most likely based their tooling on the blueprints of one of the transitional phases - whether the phase was extremely short-lived, of ever saw production at all, would be difficult to determine 40+ years later.  But, not being Pullman Standard engineers, the Kadee toolmakers must have worked from data provided by P-S back in 1970 or so.

[sirenwerks]

This is where the modularity of design, or at least the simple separate application of certain detail parts, proves to be helpful to the attentive modeler, and to the manufacturer that wishes to increase its accuracy as well.

Granted, many people don't care, but many do and, if the trick is to lead the newbies who don't into eventual caring state, then they will one day and appreciate the manufacturer's effort. IMO, (box car, reefer, and stock car) side and end ladders, doors, tackboards, running boards, and end platforms should be alterable easily. Maybe even brake mechanisms (to be lowerable for us 2nd transition modelers).

[wcfn100]

One thig I wanted to add is that I don't think there is a hard timeline for many of these changes.  For example, the first production cars had body tabs where the sil step (stirrup) attached which wrapped around to the ends and had a poling pocket.  This appears to have changed within the first few months of production but the NYC had cars built as late as '51 that still had this feature. 


Jason