PC&F 50-ft Exterior Post Insulated Boxcar
Here’s Wheels of Time’s promotional language: Wheels of Time is proud to announce our all new Pacific Car & Foundry 70-ton, 50-foot Exterior Post Insulated Boxcars with two different door designs. They feature highly detailed car body and undercarriage, body-mounted knuckle couplers, proper ride height, metal wheels for smooth rolling, multiple authentic car numbers, and Youngstown or Landis Plug door according to the actual boxcar. In likeness of the real thing, Wheels of Time models will also have Keystone cushioning details for boxcars so equipped.
These PC&F 70-ton 50-foot Exterior Post Insulated Boxcars, built in Renton Washington, were prevalent from the late 1960’s through the 1980’s. Their exterior post design became the way boxcars are fabricated, largely replacing the double sheathed (smooth side) car body construction. These insulated cars measured 50-feet 6-inches (or 7-inches in some cases) in interior length and had a cargo capacity of roughly 4400 to 5033 cubic feet. They were equipped to hold shifting loads with built in restraining devices, such as from Car Pac or DF Evans. Further, their 20-inch cushioning devices on the cars absorbed the longitudinal forces resulting from slack action that can damage the cargo. They carried food products such as can goods, drinks, packaged food products, dog food, and even chocolate – which needed protection from the changes in temperature, but required no refrigeration.
The Saint Louis-San Francisco Railway XLI boxcars were built by PC&F in December 1971 and numbered 600000-600264. They were equipped with 10-feet 6-inch wide Youngstown Plug Door, rode on ASF 70-ton Ride Control trucks and had 20 inch end of cushioning devices. As of 2006, some of these cars still roam the system in their original paint but under BNSF ownership. Others were repainted and renumbered into BN numbering system and eventually into BNSF roster. These insulated boxcars were classified as XLI – a similar classification as RBI but perhaps with a less restrictive cargo requirement.
The build date of the prototypes was 12-71.
The item/model numbers are; 61127/600000, 61128/600021, 61129/600118, 61130/600124, 61131/600197, 61132/600225, 61133/600243 and 61134/600260.
The MSRP is $26.59 and pre-orders must be in by August 9, 2017. The models are expected in the fall or winter of the year.
Frisco N-Scale Model Railroading 