Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Modeling

Friday, October 24, 2025

Illinois Central Box Car 36670

Illinois Central (IC) steel 1937 AAR Autocar 36670 began as a composite kit build. I call it a composite kit build as Resin Car Works (RCW) mini-kit 6.1, first available at 2024 Naperville RPM (Railway Prototype Modelers), provided parts to be installed on a InterMountain, (IM)kit 408XX, plastic kit provided by the modeler. In my case, I chose InterMountain kit 40899, an undecorated box car kit with the required 10 foot 6 inch inside height.

RCW mini-kit on left and IM kit 40899
(Click or tap on this or any image to enlarge)

The prototype history in downloaded kit instructions tells us the prototype was one of 1000 cars built by Pullman-Standard, series 166000-166499, and American Car & Foundry (ACF), series 166500-166999, in 1937. In October of 1938, 500 cars were renumbered to 35500-35999 due to being fitted with Evans Auto Loading Devices. In 1941, these same car were again renumbered to 36500-36999 when the loading devices were altered.

In addition, the prototype history in the kit instructions tells us, “These automobile cars had a 40’ 6” IL, a 9’ 2” IW, and an initial 10’ 5” IH. The cars were equipped with staggered double 6’ wide Youngstown corrugated steel doors… Additionally, they had “Hutchins” rigid riveted raised panel roofs, Dreadnaught ends consisting of two panels configured in a 5 over 5 corrugated arrangement, Universal XL hand brakes, and AAR Scullin 40-ton trucks. The bill of lading for the ACF cars noted that they were painted #11 Maroon on the sides, ends and doors. The roof and underframe were coated in black car cement. The trucks were painted black… The wood running boards…”

Illinois Central 166199
Resin Car Works kit instructions.

A car diagram from an Illinois Central Diagram book is also provided here for your review to confirm or provide additional information.

Illinois Central Diagram
Lester Breuer Collection

Onto the build. I began the build using the InterMountain car body and installing the InterMountain roof (not glued until car weighted) and the resin 5/5 ends from the Resin Car Works (RCW) mini-kit. To weight this or any car I want the truck and couplers installed to have them included in getting to the car weight of 3.8 ounces. Therefore, I went to the underbody.

On the underbody before I installed the trucks and couplers I had to modify the underframe. Why? The InterMountain underframe is designed for a single door car and must be changed for a double door car. The crossbearers, currently located at the edge of the door opening, must be moved to the crosstie location on the outer side of them and the crossties moved to the current position of the crossbearers. The reason for this change is the crossbearers need to sit at the outer edge of the doors. A single edge razor blade was used to cut each off and installed in the proper position.

IM underframe before modification.

IM underframe after modification.

As can be viewed in the photo above, bolster center plates and coupler box holes were drilled and tapped for 2-56 screws. Kadee #262 coupler boxes with Kadee #148 couplers inserted (not in kit) as were the Tahoe Models trucks provided in RCW mini-kit with InterMountain metal 33 inch metal wheels (modeler supplied) inserted, were installed with Fastenal 2-56 x 1/4 inch Fastenal screws. The gap between the coupler box and bolster was filled with a piece cut from an Evergreen I-beam. The car was weighted to 3.8 ounces using Harzole Adhesive lead free car wheel weights and roof was now glued in place with MEK.

Leas free car wheel weights.

Trucks and couplers added.

Car body ready for detail install.

Normally in a build I first add the ladders next; however, in this build to finish the car body I made the sill changes needed next. Rather than use the resin parts to make sill changes I used Evergreen strip styrene, #133 .030 x .060 for the upper portion and #135 .030 x .100 for the lower part using the resin cast parts as masters. Using strip styrene provided clean lines without flash removal or sanding and the need for an adhesive to glue resin to styrene body.

Since I was on the side I also installed the double doors provided in the kit. Install of the double doors also required making door guides on left side of the double doors using Evergreen #133, 1 x 3 strip styrene.

Side sill, doors installed and door guides made.

With the car body completed for additional details the kit provided Plano etched ladders were bent with an UMM-USA bender and installed. The Plano etched ladders had to shortened to match prototype best done before bending; however, since I bent them first I cut them to proper length via cutting disk in a Dremel Motor Tool. After install of ladders, I installed the InterMountain running boards with Testors tube cement.

UMM-USA bender

Plano etched ladders installed.

With running boards installed, I installed the roof grab irons bent from Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #1101, .010 phosphor bronze wire (PBW) using Yarmouth Model Works (YMW) etched eye bolt without shoulder for corner leg. To complete longitudinal running board install, I installed an etched YMW bracket #220 on the ends.

Roof grab irons and running board
end brackets installled.

After running board bracket install on the “B” end I continued to install the detail parts as follows:

Brake step, kit provide Tichy set #3013
Brake step brackets, kit provided Tichy set #3010
Brake housing, InterMountain kit (hole enlarged with #56 drill for Kadee brake wheel)
Brake wheel, Kadee Universal #2033
Bell crank, kit provided Tichy set #3013
Chain, brake housing to brake rod, InterMountain kit
Brake rod, Tichy #1102, .015 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW)
Brake rod clevis, to attach brake rod to bell crank, InterMountain kit
Retainer valve, Tichy AB brake set #3013
Retainer line and brackets, Tichy #1100, .008 diameter PBW
Placard boards, kit
Grab irons (handhold, end) bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW

B End details installed.

Now back to the sides to complete the install of Kadee bracket grab irons #2251 using InterMountain provided holes requiring the lower left and upper right pin on the grab iron as looking from the front to be cut off with a PBL nipper. Cutting off these pins also allows one to have a little wiggle room to get the hand hold straight. Other needed details to match prototype installed were the A-Line sill steps #29001, style B and tow loops bent from Tichy #1114, .020 PBW. And, fasteners made on sill with MEK Goop.

Bracket grab irons installed.

Tow loop, fasteners and sill step installed.

Next it was back to the ends where uncoupling levers bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW with bracket made from Evergreen #291, .060 angle glued to poling pocket plate and trimmed to shape with PBL nipper.

Uncoupling lever installed.

With the install of uncoupling levers the car body work was complete. Now, onto to the underbody work. The brake components were drilled to accept piping with #79 drill and were installed with other parts as follows:

Brake cylinder lever, cut from Evergreen #8108 strip styrene
Floating (cut) lever, cut from Evergreen #8106 strip styrene
Brake lever hangers, plastic grab irons
Brake cylinder, kit
Brake cylinder piston, Tichy, #3013 AB set in kit
Brake cylinder bracket, from my parts box
Control Valve (AB), Tichy set #3013 in kit
Control Valve bracket, Tichy set #3013 in kit
Air reservoir, Tichy AB set #3013 in kit
Air reservoir mounts, scrap plastic

After setting overnight for CA to fully set, piping and brake rods were installed as follows:

piping control valve to air reservoir, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
Pipe from brake cylinder to control valve, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
Brake rods, Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW
Brake rod clevises, MEK Goop (plastic melted in MEK)
Dirt collector, Tichy AB set #3013
Dirt collector pipe to train line, scrap plastic rod
Chain, A-Line #29219, black 40 links per inch

Underbody details installed.

Illinois Central double door autobox car 36670 was ready for the paint shop. In the paint shop the car body was cleaned with a cotton makeup swab dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol. When the car body was dry it was air brushed with Vallejo Grey Surface Primer 70.601. Photos of IC 36670 in Surface Primer taken before uncoupling levers installed.

Right side in Surface Primer.

Left side in Surface Primer.

When the primer coat was dry, the car body was airbrushed Polly Scale Wisconsin Central Maroon F414200 (no longer manufactured) and the underbody was airbrushed Vallejo Model Color Black Grey 70.862,

Car body airbrushed Wisconsin Central Maroon.

Underbody airbrushed Black Grey

Again when dry, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish 70.510 for a gloss base for the kit decals. After drying overnight, kit provided decals were applied. I used a prototype photo of Illinois Central auto box car for decal location of "MainLine of Mid-America" slogan that replaced "Automobile."

Decals were soaked off in distilled water and applied to the car body where MicroScale Micro Set had been applied with a brush. After the decal was applied in the Micro Set and positioned the edges had MicroScale Micro Sol applied. Any excess solution was sucked away with the torn edge of a paper towel. Again when dry, car body sprayed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish #70.510 to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling. Again when dry, the car body was sprayed with Model Master Acryl #4636 (no longer manufactured), to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering.

Kit decals applied.

One more step before putting Illinois Central auto box car 36670 in service was to weather the car with Pan Pastels. Pan Pastels and tools used can be seen in the photo below.

Pan Pastels and applicators used
to weather Illinois Central 36670.

And, the weathered car.

Illinois Central 36670 weathered.

Illinois Central auto box car 36670 was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.” A car card was made for IC 36670, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

IC 36670 spotted on Team Track
at Bass Lake Jct. in Minneapolis, Minn.

I want to say, “Thank You” to Resin Car Works for the excellent kit instructions obtained via download from the Resin Car Works website.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog. You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so. Please sign your comment with your name if you choose to leave one. All comments are reviewed and approved before they appear. Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer

Sunday, October 5, 2025

Spokane, Portland & Seattle Box Car 11422

Spokane, Portland & Seattle steel-sheathed box car numbered 11422 was built using Branchline Trains, Blueprint Series, kit #1431, a steel-sheathed box car kit. An excellent kit with correct Murphy rectangular panel roof, 4/4 improved dreadnaught ends, corrugated door for number series and original lettering scheme. Since I model later spring 1955 I thought that I might have to change the original lettering to replace the “Spokane, Portland And Seattle” on the right side of the door with the “football” herald; however, after input from others, I learned that was not necessary.

The prototype Spokane, Portland & Seattle (SP&S) box cars built by Pullman-Standard in 1946 were assigned to series 11000-11499. These steel cars had an inside height of 10’ 6”, five panels on each side of the 6 foot Superior seven- panel door on series 11000-11249 or Youngstown center-lift corrugated doors on series 11250-11499, 4/4 improved dreadnaught ends, eight (8) rung ladders and Murphy rectangular panel roof with metal running boards. The metal running boards depending on car number series were different. Running board types used were Apex on series 11000-11124, Blaw-Knox on series 11125-11249, Morton on series 11250-11374 and U.S. Gypsum on series 11375-11499. Trucks for these cars were ASF Ride Control A-3.

Black and white photos of SP&S 11038 and 11375 can be viewed in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia RP CYC 36, (Silverlake Images, LLC, 2023). Color photos of SP&S 11263 and 11091 can be viewed in to Spokane, Portland & Seattle Color Guide Freight and Passenger Equipment (Morning Sun Books, Inc., 1998).

Spokane, Portland & Seattle 11274
Tim O'Conner Collection
(Click on this or any image to enlarge)

I began the build of SP&S box car 11422 with the basic underbody work. On the underbody, bolster center plate and coupler pads were drilled and tapped for 2-56 screws. Kadee #262 narrow coupler gear boxes (not in kit) with Kadee #148 couplers inserted (not in kit) were installed with Fastenal 1/4” screws. The car was placed on a scale along with the roof parts to weight the car to 3.8 ounces with kit bolt nuts and electric metal box punch outs for weights. I continued installing other detail parts as follows:

Air reservoir and brake cylinder, kit
Control valve, resin cast in M&N Shops
Brake levers and hangers, kit
Slack adjuster, kit
Piping from air reservoir to control valve, Tichy #1101 .010” PBW
Piping from brake cylinder to control valve, Tichy #1106, .0125” diameter PBW
Brake rods, Tichy #1106 .0125” PBW
Brake rod clevises, MEK Goop (plastic melted in MEK)
Chain, A-Line, #29219, black 40 links per inch
Train line, Tichy #1114, .020” diameter PBW
Dirt collector, InterMountain, reworked

Once detail part install was finished, Accurail trucks (replaced later) with 33” InterMountain wheel sets were installed with Fastenal 1/4” screws.

Underbody brake components installed.

Underbody with train line and dirt collector
installed. And, painted.

With the underbody done, on the roof I installed a U.S. Gypsum running board, Kadee #2016.

Kadee U.S. Gypsum running boards installed.

Next the ladders on the sides and ends were installed. I used the kit ladders; however, I removed the top and bottom ladder rungs and replaced them with wire ones bent using Tichy Train Group #1101, .010 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW). The reason for using the bent PBW rungs top and bottom was to have a secure ladder mount. A secure ladder mount was created by having the wire ladder rungs pass through the number 80 drilled ladder stiles holes into holes in the car body.

Ladders installed.

Upper and lowest ladders rungs used to
obtain a secure ladder mount.

With ladders installed, the work on the B end was done installing parts as follows:

Brake step, kit
Brake step brackets, kit
Brake housing, kit (hole enlarged with #56 drill for Kadee brake wheel)
Bell crank, Tichy Train Group (Tichy), AB brake set #3013
Chain, brake housing to brake rod, kit
Brake rod, Tichy #1102, .015 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW)
Brake rod clevis, to attach brake rod to bell crank, Tichy turnbuckle #8021
Retainer valve, Tichy AB brake set #3013
Retainer line and brackets, Tichy #1100, .008 diameter PBW
Placard boards, kit
Grab irons (handhold, end)bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW

B end detail parts installed.

Once the above B end parts had been installed I hand painted the black ends and airbrushed the black roof and underbody as painted by Branchline Trains a matching red to the sides, in this case Vallejo Model Color Burnt Red 70.814. I based the painting of the roof, ends and underbody the same color as the sides as the photos I looked at all appeared to be the same color. On the ends, I did tape over the end numbers leaving them with a black background.

Roof, ends, and underbody painted.

And, before the B end was painted additional parts added were the bracket grab iron provided in the kit, a Kadee Ajax brake wheel, and uncoupling levers, bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW. The uncoupling lever mounting brackets were molded on end corner; however, without an eye bolt which was bent from Tichy, #1101 .010 diameter PBW and installed.

Note uncoupling lever bracket without eye bolt.

Uncoupling lever installed.

Now I went back to the sides to install the following parts:

Doors, kit
Placard boards on doors, kit
Replace molded door handle with wire one, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
Bracket grab irons (handhold, side), Kadee #2250
Sill steps, A-LIne #29000

Side details installed.

One more step before putting SP&S 11422 in service was to add chalk marks and weather the car with Pan Pastels. Chalk marks were made with Prismacolor Pencil Premier White PC938. Pan Pastels Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1 was applied with a makeup brush on the roof and lightly over safety appliances on car body.

Chalk marks and weathering applied.

Spokane, Portland & Seattle Box Car 11422 was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.” A car card was made for SP&S 11422, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad. The photos of SP&S 11422 at the Commander Elevator were taken before the reweigh date was changed.

SP&S 11422 spotted at Commander Elevator
in Randolph, Minnesota

Chalk marks and weathering applied.

I want to say, “Thank You”, to Tim O’Conner for providing photo of SP&S Box Car 11274. A “Thank You”, to Paul Hobbs for directing me to the SP&S Historical Society to become a member and to review their archives. And, a “Thank You”, to Ed Hawkins for data regarding features of steel cars in various number series.

Lester Breuer