Spokane, Portland & Seattle 12263

Spokane, Portland & Seattle steel-sheathed box car numbered 12263 was built using Intermountain Railway (IM), Kit 40899, a steel-sheathed box car undecorated kit and resin cast ends and doors made in the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Shops (M&N).  Since I am not aware of a manufacture's kit available for this build, I felt the IM kit was a good kit to use for this composite build.  It has correct Murphy rectangular panel roof and 10 foot 6 inch inside height; however, the ends are not correct for box car 12263.

The prototype Spokane, Portland & Seattle (SP&S)  box cars built in 1948 in the Northern Pacific (NP) Brainerd Car Shops were assigned to series 12000-12499.  These steel cars had an inside height of 10’ 6”, five panels on each side of the 6 foot Youngstown center-lift corrugated steel doors.   R+3/4  improved dreadnaught ends, eight (8) rung ladders and  Murphy rectangular panel roof with metal running boards.  Running board type used was U.S. Gypsum.  Trucks for these cars were ASF Ride Control A-3.

Black and white photos of SP&S 12048, 12139, 12141 and others can be viewed in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia RP CYC 36, (Silverlake Images, LLC, 2023).  Color photos of SP&S 12263 and 12272 can be viewed in Spokane, Portland & Seattle Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment (Morning Sun Books, Inc., 1998).

SP&S 12048               Protocraft Decals Colletion
(click or tap on this or any image to enlarge)

I began the build of SP&S box car 12263 with the car body.  I installed roof (not glued).  Resin cast R+3/4 improved dreadnaught ends, cast in the M&N Shops were installed on the ends with CA.

Roof and resin cast ends installed.

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 3/16” screws (not in kit).  Accurail trucks (replaced later) with 33” InterMountain wheel sets were installed with Fastenal 1/4” screws. On the inside of the car seven Harzole lead free self adhesive wheel weights were installed.  Three weights were installed over each of truck location and one in the center of the car.  The car roof (not glued) was installed and car was placed on a digital postal scale showing a weight of 3.8 ounces.  Needing no additional weight, the car roof was installed and glued with MEK.  Back to the underbody to install basic brake components:  brake cylinder from parts box with Tichy Train Group (Tichy) brake cylinder piston with brake cylinder clevis, AB set #3013, air reservoir, IM kit, and control valve, IM kit. 

On the car body InterMountain eight rung ladders (not in IM kit) were installed on the sides and ends next.  Ladders are installed at this point in the build to help with locating install of other detail parts when using prototype photo.

InterMountain ladders installed.

InterMountain ladders installed.

Next on the roof Kadee US Gypsum running boards, #2016, were installed.  The pins on the longitudinal running board were cut off with a nipper as not needed to install for this build.

Kadee US Gypsum running baords installed.

 On the sides Kadee Bracket grab irons, #2251, were installed.  On the Kadee bracket grab irons the lower right and upper left mounting pins were cut off with a parts nipper.  The two remaining pins fit the IM drilled car body grab iron holes well.  On any build only two pins are required and allow a little adjustment to keep handhold straight.

Bracket grab irons installed.

With ladders and side bracket grab irons installed, the work on the B end was done installing parts as follows:

• Brake step, Plano from set #11322
• Brake step brackets, kit
• Brake housing, kit (hole enlarged with #56 drill for Kadee brake wheel)
• Bell crank, kit
• 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, kit
• Retainer line and brackets, Tichy #1100, .008 diameter PBW
• Placard boards, kit
• Grab irons on sill bent from Tichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
• Grab iron bracket, kit grab iron with handhold cut off after install with nipper 
• Grab iron bracket handhold, bent fromTichy #1101, .010 diameter PBW
• Brake wheel, Kadee Adjax, #2030 (not in kit)

B ends details installed.

With B end work finished except for uncoupling levers,  A-Line sill steps, #29001, were installed on sides.

Sill steps installed.

Sill steps installed.

Back to the B end and A end to install uncoupling lever bracket, brass etched from Yarmouth Model Works.

Uncoupling lever bracket installed.

Uncoupling lever bracket installed.

And, again back to the sides to install doors, resin cast in M&N Shops.  The install of kit door placard boards followed.  Before painting, the molded on door handles were carved off and replaced with wire ones bent from Tichy #1101, .010 PBW.

Doors with placard boards installed.

Now on the underbody the install of other detail parts was done as follows:

• Brake cylinder lever, made from Evergreen 1 x 8 strip styrene
• Floating lever, made from Evergreen 1 x 6 strip styrene
• Slack adjuster plate, parts box
• 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, Precision Scale #48553, 34 links per inch
• Dirt collector, InterMountain, reworked

Underbody details parts installed.

Once underbody detail parts install was finished, install of uncoupling levers was done.   Uncoupling levers were bent from Tichy #1106, .0125 diameter PBW.

Uncoupling lever installed.

Uncoupling lever installed.

Once uncoupling levers were installed, the car was moved to the paint shop.  The car body and under body were airbrushed Vallejo Surface Primer Grey #70.601.   Once the Primer was dry, the car body was airbrushed Vallejo Model Color Burnt Red 70.814.

Car body painted.

Car body painted.

And, the underbody was hand painted the same color and weathered later.

Car underbody painted and weathered.

Once the paint was air dried, the car body was airbrushed with Vallejo Gloss Medium 70.470 for a gloss base for decal application.  When the gloss coat was dry, decals were applied.   Decals used  came from various sources: Microscale set 87-1026, steel Boxcars (1946-1968), Walthers XD552W “Old” Freight Car Data for “Blt” in built date and Soo Line, set unknown, for repack date.

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, flat to protect decals and provide a flat finish for weathering when applied.

Decals applied.

Decals applied.

Decals applied.

Before weathering was done, trucks were changed.   Accurail trucks were removed and Kato #31-601, ASF Ride Control trucks were installed.  Kato trucks prior to install were hand painted with Vallejo Model Color Burnt Red 70.814 as the car body.

SP&S 12263 with
ASF Ride Control trucks installed.

One more step before putting SP&S 12263 in service was to weather the car with Pan Pastels.  Paynes Grey Extra Dark 840.1  was applied with a large makeup brush on the entire car body and underbody.  A micro applicator was used to apply Red Iron Oxide Extra Dark 380.1 over the lettering to fade it.

SP&S 12263 weathered.

SP&S 12263 weathered.

SP&S 12263 weathered.

Spokane, Portland & Seattle Box Car 12263 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 12263, the final step to put the a car in service on the Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company Railroad.

SP&S 12263 spotted at Tunnel City, Minnesota
Team Track

SP&S 12263 spotted at Tunnel City, Minnesota
Team Track

SP&S 12263 spotted at Tunnel City, Minnesota
Team Track

I want to say, “Thank You”, to Norm of Protocraft Decals for permission to use prototype photo of SP&S Box Car 12048.

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

.