Nickel Plate Double Sheathed Box Car 21241

A Nickel Plate Road (NKP) box car came to me from a friend.  A resin Westerfield Kit, No. 10158, a 1916 double sheathed (DS) 40 foot wood box car.  The underbody with a fish belly center sill had been added to the one piece body and the body had some grab irons installed.  My friend also had installed Kadee #158 couplers with coupler pocket covers glued on.  The kit box label was for a Minneapolis & St. Louis car as were the decals inside the box; however, the kit instructions in the box were for a New York Central (NYC) 1916 DS automobile box car.  Immediate confusion, causing me to believe I had the wrong kit instructions as car body had only a single door.  While I began my research of the kit car body I did finish adding missing wire grab irons and added brake platform.

Car from a friend.
(Click on this or any image to enlarge)

Using my resources I was able to determine the car was a NYC design.   Per the kit instructions the cars appeared to be the 1914 design 36 foot design stretched to 40 foot by the inclusion of a 4 foot second door.  In addition, the instruction sheet history did tell me a photo and plan appeared in the 1922 edition of the The Car Builders Cyclopedia which were of an automobile car.  Having a CD copy of the 1922 Car Builders Cyclopedia I was able to view the photo of Michigan Central 62475.  A better photo of the Michigan Central car except for number was  provided by Ray Breyer.

Michigan Central 64999      Ray Breyer Collection

The only DS car body photos with single wood door like the kit car body I was able to find was that of Rutland 8222 In Steam Era Freight Cars Reference Manual Volume One: Box & Automobile Cars (Speedwitch Media, 2006,2007); however, the Murphy corrugated ends were 6/8 rather than 7/7 as on the kit car body.  And, of NKP 10580 of the 36 foot car design with similar features. 

NKP 10580    Nickle Plate Road
 Nickle Plate Road Archives

Therefore to gather data and possible prototype photos regarding this car, I posted a photo of car kit in early build stage on RealSTMFC and Resin Freight Car Builders website with a guess as to NYC car series. 

Photo of car progress when posted
 to RealSTMC requesting help.

A quick response from Ben Hom making me aware my guess of this NYC series was incorrect as NYC series was for USRA box cars that the kit box car was not.  A response from Ray Breyer provided knowledge of the car kit and prototype history.   Ray’s response, “That model is definitely one of the Westerfield 10107 series kits… of rebuilds of cars represented by the 10101 series kits.  The 10101 series model represents 10,750 double sheathed auto boxcars built by the NYCL between 1916 and 1922, plus another 1,000 cars for the NKP, and another 500 for the Rutland (different ends).  As built each road had small appliance differences”.

NKP 18219 as built.           Ray Breyer Collection

Car diagram                  Ray Breyer Collection

Ray’s response continued, “The 10107 series kits are 6 foot single door cars, and represent Depression-era rebuilds.   The NKP had the most of these with 600 converted (including cars with Youngstown doors).  The DSS&A and M&StL bought used cars from the NYC (or resellers) and also converted them to plain boxcars with 6 foot doors.  None of these cars were ever converted to single door by the NYC.”

DSSA rebuild.

NKP Car Diagram for rebuild.
Ray Breyer Collection.

Based on the knowledge gained regarding the kit car, I decided since the NKP had the most of these converted cars I would letter the built kit car for the Nickel Plate Road with a number in the 21000-21299 series using the NKP 10580 car photo for lettering guide.   A check of a 1949 ORER showed there were still 5 cars in the series still on the NKP freight car roster and a 1953 ORER showed none of the cars remained on the roster.   Therefore, my late spring 1955 Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company time period will have NKP 21241 on the fright car roster even if these cars had dropped off the NKP freight car roster prior to early 1955 time period.

Now realizing the New York Central 1916-24 car kit instructions were correct,  the kit instructions were used for the car build.  First, the resin longitudinal running board provided in the kit after flash was removed was installed with Formula 560 Canopy Glue.   The end brackets were cut from 1 x 3 strip styrene provided in the kit and installed with Zap CA  (cyanoacrylate, super glue) used to attach all installed parts unless another adhesive is specified.  The latitudinal running boards (laterals, corner walks, end walks) were installed on brackets made from brass strips provided in the kit.  Grab irons on laterals had been installed by my friend.

Running boards installed.

When running board Formula 560 Canopy glue was set, work on the B end began.   The retainer line, Tichy Train Group (Tichy) #1100, .008 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW) and brackets, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW, were installed.   A Tichy brake shaft step from Tichy K brake set in kit was drilled to accept a brass wire .015 diameter brake shaft and installed on the end sill.   A brake shaft bracket for the vertical brake shaft, a kit supplied eye bolt, was installed on the fascia.  The brake shaft, brass wire .015 diameter in the kit was cut to size and installed followed by a Tichy brake wheel, Tichy K brake set in kit, install.

B end with retainer line and brake shaft installed.

Sill steps were installed next.   Resin cast kit sill steps were replaced using etched Yarmouth Model Works double sill step, YMW #228, on the B end and YMW #211, straight leg sill step on the A end.  You have to be very careful when folding the etched double brake step as etching very fragile.

Sill steps installed.

Sill steps installed.

Back to the B end to install uncoupling levers.  Top mounted uncoupling levers and eye bolt brackets were bent from .012 diameter brass wire in the kit as installed.

Uncoupling levers installed.

Uncoupling levers installed.

With car body work complete, 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 cylinder, kit
• Brake cylinder piston, Tichy, #3013 AB set, installed in .038 diameter drilled hole
• Brake cylinder bracket, Sunshine Models from parts box
• Control Valve (AB), resin in kit
• Control Valve bracket, Tichy in kit
• Air reservoir, Tichy AB set #3013 not in kit
• Air reservoir shim to mount level, scrap plastic

Brake components installed.

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

• Train line, Tichy #1114, .020 diameter phosphor bronze wire (PBW)
• Piping control valve to air reservoir, Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
• Pipe from brake cylinder to control valve, brass wire .012 diameter, kit
• Brake rods, brass wire .012 diameter, kit
• 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 black 40 links per inch

Train line, dirt collector, piping and brake rods installed. 

Nickel Plate Road double sheathed box car was was ready for paint and lettering.  Before the car color was applied in the paint shop, all unpainted parts installed on NKP box car were hand painted with Model Air Vallejo/MicroMark Undercoat Light Gray, X29013X2 for a primer coat at the work desk.   While the primer coat was drying the trucks were hand painted Vallejo Model Color Mahogany Brown 70.846.

Added detail parts hand painted.

Added detail parts hand painted.

Added detail parts hand painted.

When primer coat was dry the NKP DS box car was ready for paint color.  The car body was cleaned with makeup cotton swabs dipped in 91% isopropyl alcohol and mounted on paint stand for painting.  After couplers were taped with blue painters tape, the car was moved to the paint booth where the paint color chosen via a later period NKP box car color photo was applied.

In the paint booth NKP DS box car body and underbody were airbrushed with  a mix of Vallejo Model Color Mahogany Brown 70.846, 80% and Vallejo Model Color Red Leather 70.818, 20%.   To get the paint to dry quickly a hair dryer was used.  And,  both car body and underbody were airbrushed again with Vallejo Model Color Mahogany Brown 70.818.  After airbrushed Mahogany Brown was air dried, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Medium 70.470 for a gloss decal base.

Car airbrushed Mahogany Brown.

Car airbrushed Mahogany Brown.

Car airbrushed Mahogany Brown.

Car underbody airbrushed Mahogany Brown.

After drying for several days waiting for decals, NKP K-4 decal set was used to letter the car.   NKP K-4 decal set was reviewed to choose a number for the NKP DS 21241 box car.   Number 21241 was chosen because it allowed using 20241 in the set.  The zero in 20241 was removed and replaced with a one (1) from the extra numbers.

I used photo of NKP box car 10580 as a guide to apply decals.  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.

After setting overnight to dry (air dried), car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Varnish, 70.510,  to better hide edges of decals and protect decals during handling.

Car body airbrushed with Gloss Varnish.

Car body airbrushed with Gloss Varnish.

Again when air dried, the car body was airbrushed with Model Master Acryl Flat Clear, #4636, to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering when applied.

Car airbrushed Flat Clear.

Car airbrushed Flat Clear.

Car airbrushed Flat Clear.

One more step before putting NKP DS box car 21241 in service was to weather the car with Pan Pastels.  Pan Pastels Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1  was used on the roof and lightly over safety appliances on car body.

NKP 21241 left side weathered.

NKP 21241 B end weathered.

NKP 21241 Right side weathered.

Nickel Plate Road Double Sheathed  DS b box car 21241 was ready for service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company, The Lakeland Route, “Serving today, Shaping tomorrow.”  A car card was made for NKP DS box car 21241, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

NKP 21241 spotted at Sawhorse Millwork in
Tunnel City, Minnesota

NKP 21241 spotted at Sawhorse Millwork in
Tunnel City, Minnesota

NKP 21241 spotted at Sawhorse Millwork in
Tunnel City, Minnesota

I want to say, “Thank You”, to Ray Breyer for data, photos and car diagrams of Nickel Plate Road DS box cars to make this build of NKP DS box car 21241 possible.

I want to say, “Thank You”, Ben Hom, Alan Smith, Michael Brilliot for their response with data, photo, and research websites to my request for help with data and photos for this build.

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

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