Well I found this modified and kitbashed at the local train show for like 4 bucks. I'm currently detailing and repainting it, but there's no manufacturer markings. It's made of plastic and from my research is a Pennsy style boxcar that was renamed for Rock Island. If anyone can at least identify the manufacturer(s) I'd be grateful. Also the Camera's Internal No Flash Low Lighting setting...for that matter anything my digital camera has does not do the Cascade Green Justice. I'm using Polly Scale Cascade Green. It looks much better in natural lighting.
Well, one thing that somewhat jumps out at me is the tissue paper and box which is something commonly found with Roundhouse and Accurail and some Athearn kits - -
That's what I was thinking too, the box didn't have a cover so it really threw me off. I would have to agree with you there.
I'll take a flyer here. I think the model may be an old MDC Roundhouse kit. It looks like the stirrup steps on the corners are cast as part of the underframe and MDC liked to do that. The roofwalk is similar to other MDC kits I've seen. The roof itself is different from what I can remember seeing though and doesn't match the very few MDC or Athearn 40ft boxcars I have. Good luck making a positive ID on it. Nice job of upgrading it!
It's taken a couple coats, but everything is done by hand. I used a testor's wide brush to cover the model with. So far a lot of my friends insist that I've been using an airbrush but I haven't. Either the plastic is easier to paint or I've gotten better haha. Digging around it's hard to tell what it may be, MDC possibly, but the only matching boxcar's I've ran across model wise have been brass. Maybe it was MDC. Like the windows, the roof walk could have been a custom addition, although I'm going to rip it off carefully and replace it with an etched brass one. I'll see if my hobby shop buddy can identify it. He's carried a lot of MDC and Athearn products in the past.
I have to agree with Bob, looks like an old MDC Box. I don't know how attached to those windows you are but you could find more suitable castings like some from Rix products with metal frames. It looks like some blocks of wood stuck in there to resemble a window frame. Cutting a hole for a window in a steel sided boxcar would involve a little work, blowtorch, grinder, etc. to just slam some 2x4's back in for window framing, hmmmm......not likely. Just a suggestion, I like the green for MW colors it modernizes it. 2slim
I know I started thinking "That doesn't look right..." So I took some scrap metal in my garage and welded an all metal version of that, it didn't look right either. So I'm going to swap the windows out. I've got several BN Boxcar reference pictures purely for the windows alone. I knew this would be a big undertaking but for 4 bucks, It was worth it.
A photo of the underside of the car may shed some light. Is the bottom plastic or cast metal, does it have a weight sandwiched between the floor and frame?
Pennsy-style round roof + Plastic undeframe with the stirrups molded to the fram and not the body + the way the door is designed to slide on its tracks = definately an MDC/Roundhouse Model.
The Underside: And I knew it was a pennsy boxcar simply because of the shape. Pennsy goes back all the way to my great grandfather. I have a few experiments I'm going to toy with, I'll post progress pictures as time goes on. Right now I've got a pair of Kadee #5's installed. It's just something I'm going to freelance, but the window frames are going bye bye very soon.
That floor, that side door-it's an MDC/Roundhouse kit. For windows you may want to try some Grant Line standard sash metal framed windows. Some kind of standard metal frame window will work. Cutting holes in an old box car to make it an MOW office, tool, or kitchen car is very prototypical. When this is doene, the windows are just off the shelf metal sash two-pane windows in the prototype photos I have viewed. Mark
I'd agree, it looks like an old MDC/Roundhouse kit. I believe they did do a run of Pennsy styled box cars like this one, at some time. The only other thing I could think of is a Walthers kit, but not if that window is add on.
