[David Boeschen]

The cars that these containers were carried on, based on photos, are among the following:

MP 8600-8999, 41′-3″ 40 ton flat, DeSoto 1938 (the ’13-stake’ flatcars),
MP 9000-9199, 41′-3″ 40 ton flat, DeSoto 1937 (the ’13-stake’ flatcars),
MP 8000-8099, 45′-0″ 50 ton flat, DeSoto 1938.

It’s certainly possible that MP 8100-8199, 50′-0″ 50 ton flat, Bethlehem 1942, or other flats, were occasionally used.

There are photos of the 45′ gondolas being used. It’s possible that the gons were considered so as need less tying down. These include:

MP 23000-23774, 50-ton 12-panel pressed side gon, PSC / MVC 1937-1942, plus subsidiary owners,
MP 23775-24614, 50 ton 12-panel flat side gon, DeSoto 1948, plus similar subsidiary owners.

One photo exists of a similar T&P container on the first series of TTX 75′ pig flats that had been built by PRR.

Other photos may surface.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

One thing I haven’t seen any details on is what happened to these containers, and whether there was a gradual unwinding of the on-line service as the Trailer Train concept started to take over.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

Nate:

I tried digging for my emails with Intermountain from the original discussions, but haven’t come up with them yet. I might have conflated those with some others in the release. If they’d ever planned to do the ACF car (38875-39014), they’re not now doing it.

My main point is the fact that we contacted Intermountain and they did change the lettering, at least based on what’s now shown.

I have never seen any previous version of this model, to the best of my knowledge. In fact, I’d never realized this MP model had ever been done before. I don’t know If it had been done by Red Caboose. The original Red Caboose version actually had a number of problems, and I never built the one or two I’d picked up. Some have not been corrected even yet, but it’s closer. Incidentally, the website no longer lists the RR- prefix for these cars, and now it shows stock numbers -7 to -12, as if six numbers had been previously released.

I ordered a few undecs of that Intermountain Red Caboose re-release welded side 8′ door car, since I would prefer to decal my MP cars when the commercially printed version is substandard. I probably also ordered a couple of Wabash cars and a couple other welded side cars that have never been correctly done before, but any other riveted side 8′ door cars with 4-3-1 improved (banana-taper) Dreadnought ends I’d probably do from Branchline.

This car that’s on the website now appears to be riveted side, 8′ door, which fits with the numbers being announced. Those DeSoto-built cars (35350-38874) had a longer sidesill reinforcement than the one on the model (as is also true for the Branchline model of the same car). Still, the Branchline car is not going to be readily available, so this one is the next reasonable alternative.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

I didn’t spend much time in that area, but I did make one trip to Conroe, which was then out in the country, in July 75. There were several pulpwood cars on a track which, as I recall, was the interchange track between MP and Santa Fe. This was just west of the joint depot, which I also shot. It’s long gone, as are almost all the forested areas around there. Evidently these cars of pulpwood were loaded on the MP and being interchanged to the Santa Fe bound for some mill located on that line. I’d never seen a pulpwood car before that day.

Note there are two different types of car in these photos. The MP ones are 50-ton cars with a capacity of 24 cords of wood, built 1950-52, while the TP one is a 100-ton car with a capacity of 37 cords, built 1967. The MP cars are based on 40′ car frames while the TP one is based on a 50′ frame.

RG7

[attachment=1:3rwdxv47]243-33 Jul 75 crop.jpg[/attachment:3rwdxv47]

[attachment=0:3rwdxv47]243-35 Jul 75 crop.jpg[/attachment:3rwdxv47]

[David Boeschen]

Today’s view, looking west at the depot site in Hutchinson —

[attachment=1:e58fli1g]P1150023crop.jpg[/attachment:e58fli1g]

And a view of the eastbound passenger track signal —

[attachment=0:e58fli1g]P1150021crop.jpg[/attachment:e58fli1g]

The line from Wichita comes into Hutchinson, curves west across a bridge and then immediately jogs to the south, exactly as far over as if there had been a turnout here and the straight route had been removed. Just shy of two blocks west, right before crossing Main, there is another jog as if the through track was removed and the passenger siding had become the main track. Earlier photos of the depot area actually show three tracks right next to the depot. I did not examine the west end of this area where the railroad passes under the K-96 overpass, but I’ll have to return next time I’m up here.

I don’t have a condensed profile chart for this part of the railroad, so my description of the previous track layout is only conjecture.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

This model is noted on IM’s site as ‘numbers 25-30’. In other words, the same inaccurate item that they’ve always sold. Looking at other similar models, it’s apparent that they don’t change the art on prototypes that carried several different paint schemes over the years, which is no doubt self-defeating. Evidently they don’t get that a different paint scheme would likely draw many more sales than just the same thing with different numbers.

We did receive positive responses and an updated design sheet from them on two others, one of which I believe is the former Red Caboose 40′ welded side boxcar that has not been released yet (a model that got caught in the collapse of the Chinese manufacturer). Time will tell if that’s what actually gets produced.

A look at that car on the IM site, stock number RR-38703, shows a riveted car whose prototype was a DeSoto-built car. The lettering is much better than the art that was first posted, which is what prompted us to offer comments in the first place. The stock numbers would indicate that this car has already been released once (stock numbers 1-6 would have been the first ones). I don’t remember seeing this one before, though.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

Nothing like a little help from people with good color vision….

I was mostly watching the units from the top, and of course I picked a cut to photograph them in. So this didn’t exactly jump out at me.

I did take a look at the art that Rapido posted, and (to use a Texas phrase) that black pilot is there in the art, bigger than Dallas. Well, the front air hose fell off one of mine while I was taking it out of the box, so I have some work to do anyway.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

The answer is yes and no.

I am not aware of any steam generator cars built by MP proper, but T&P built three. The first and most famous one is the 50, which still exists somewhere in southwest Missouri as a shell, perhaps now incorporated into a building. There were two more. These cars were built from baggage cars, so really looked nothing like the Rapido model. Their original use was for troop trains and other movements along the T&P, which had only the E units as passenger diesels equipped with steam generators. I believe the first one was converted about 1948.

MP by contrast bought several small orders of F units equipped with steam generators, and several Geeps, and some Alco FA units, so they were well equipped with power that had steam generators other than the E and PA passenger diesels. The F units eventually had the steam generators removed, while the Geeps, at least the newer ones, were well positioned to take over part of the remaining passenger service as the PAs were retired.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

I’ll just say it’s a lloooonngg way out there, especially once you get past Conway.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

Start here.

https://groups.io/groups

Establish a login and password, then you should be able to search for this group. I subscribe to this one (1900-ish to 1960), BBFCL (1960 to 1985-ish), MFCL (after 1980s) (not that interesting to me in terms of modeling, but it’s still freight cars), PCL, and a couple others. Some of the active members of this group are on these also.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

Nice car. I have the decals to do one also, since they would have come to my neck of the woods.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

While I have no idea how this thing could sustain so much corrosion, except maybe being buried for a few dozen years and found by somebody at trackside, or in a box that rainwater leaked into for a few decades, it certainly appears that it matches the clean one.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

David, I have seen a 40-year pin on eBay recently. I don’t know if it sold.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

I have to assume that the change from two lines ‘MISSOURI PACIFIC’ to three lines ‘MISSOURI PACIFIC LINES’ could have happened about 1924 or thereabouts.

One possibility is that, after the change from the four line ‘MISSOURI PACIFIC IRON MOUNTAIN’ in about 1917 after the Iron Mountain merger, the buzzsaw was simplified, but after the absorption of the nominally-independent Texas lines it may have been considered a good idea to add the LINES, in the spirit of the then-existing PENNSYLVANIA LINES and others.

RG7

[David Boeschen]

Clarifying my own post, a set of eight slides, March 1969 on one slide mount.

RG7

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