Freight car selection for switching layout


adamsdp

New Member
I am planning to put an order in tomorrow for some freight cars to start building a collection for a switching layout. I already have the structures listed below and tried to figure out what type of cars would serve each structure. I am new to model railroading and came up with the list with the help of a forum member and searching online, but realize there are likely more possibilities than listed.

Walthers River Textiles - Inbound = box - Outbound = box
Walthers Arrowhead Ale - Inbound = box - Outbound = reefer
Walthers Commisary/Freight - Inbound = box - Outbound = box
Walthers Columbia Feed Mill - Inbound = tank, covered hopper - Outbound = box
Walthers Mountain Lumber Company - Inbound = flat, gondola - Outbound = box, flat
Walthers Greatland Sugar Refining - Inbound = gondola, hopper - Outbound = box, covered hopper?
DPM Freight Depot - Inbound = box, ? - Outbound = ?

I am modeling the mid 50's early 60's and have selected the following so far.

www.modeltrainstuff.com

Bowser HO 42484 70-Ton 14-Panel Hopper, Detroit and Mackinac #5497
A 70-Ton 14-Panel Hopper from Bowser.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Walthers Mainline HO 910-2262 40' ACF Welded Box Car with 8' Door, Pennsylvania #71523
A 40' ACF Welded Box Car with 8' Door from Walthers.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Bowser HO 42685 General Service 40' Gondola, Pennsylvania Railroad #302522
A General Service 40' Gondola from Bowser.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Bowser HO 42644 GLa 2-Bay Hopper, Pennsylvania Railroad (Black Body) #157061
A GLa 2-Bay Hopper from Bowser.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Bowser HO 42296 70-Ton Offset Hopper, Detroit Toledo and Ironton #1614
A 70-Ton Offset Hopper from Bowser.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Intermountain HO 46421-01 60' Wood Deck Flat Car, Canadian National #667054
A 60' Wood Deck Flat Car from Intermountain to haul freight loads across your layout.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Bachmann HO 73505 PS-2 2-Bay Covered Hopper, Penn Central #32367
A PS-2 2-Bay Covered Hopper from Bachmann
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Atlas HO 20004997 Trinity 17,600 Gallon Corn Syrup Tank Car, NJ Transit (Water Service) #9306
The 17,600 Gallon Corn Syrup Tank Car was built in large numbers by Trinity Industries between 1984 and 1998.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Atlas Master Line HO 20005810 36' Wood Reefer, Pittsburgh Provision and Packing #1243
Add to your consist with these freight cars from Atlas.
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

Bachmann Silver Series HO 18849 ACF 40' Log Car with Logs, 1935-1960 Version
An ACF 40' Log Car with Logs from Bachmann
www.modeltrainstuff.com
www.modeltrainstuff.com

I tried to pick out cars that fit the era and with road names that were in the region of the are I am planning to model -Pennsylvania. The corn syrup tank car is from the 80's - not sure how often corn syrup cars become available so thinking of ordering if they don't come up often I couldn't find era information on the Intermountain flat car or the Bachman covered hopper and not 100% sure on some of the others. Any advice about the car selection will also be greatly appreciated!
 
Yep , for a smaller layout, use the shorter cars. Auto racks and 89 foot intermodal take up a lot of track and only look good on big curves.
 
The below info comes with a caveat: "It's your layout, run with what makes you enjoy it"

The PS-2 covered hopper was developed sometime after WWII and would fit your layout era. However, the Penn Central (PC) was not created until 1968. I like the color, I'd run it.

60" flatcars were introduced mid 1950s, but as mentioned above " smaller layout, use shorter cars". A 50' flatcar and/or boxcar could handle a sizable lumber load and be used for the outbound lumber loads. For the log car you selected for inbound loads, I would suggest looking at a skeleton flat car used for logging rather than a truss rod flatcar. Even though the specification calls for 1935-1960 , truss rods make me think older. The only truss rod flats I remember seeing in service were used as idler cars for the ferry slips by the long gone San Francisco Belt Railway or on a tourist line.

The 36' foot wood reefer, not sure if this car qualifies or not as a "Bill Board" Reefer but in the mid 1930s billboard reefers were painted over because of a gov't agency ruling about fair trade, (don't know the details). Wooden reefers using ice lasted until the very early 1970s as they were phased out for mechanical reefers. I like orange PFE reefers and have both iced and mechanical refrigeration to move the harvested produce to market.

Corn syrup is a product of the 1970s and the mill would not be receiving it, but maybe the brewery might. For tank cars, if you have room for one more industry take a peak at Walther's Interstate Fuel. Tank cars would be inbound with bulk petroleum and boxcars with empty (or full) drums of petroleum products. Outbound would be truck to local customers.

The late John Allen had a stegosaurus with a locomotive number decaled on the side he used to move freight cars. "It's your layout, run with what makes you enjoy it" The layout built for my grandson had Jurassic Park dinosaurs on one side and an Army base on the other. He's happy and so is his father.

Sounds like you are starting right with pre-planning, please post progress as you continue to develop the layout.
 
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http://prr.railfan.net/ For car selection I would recommend taking a look at the Freight Car Roster , it may not be totally complete but its the best I found .
Another resource https://rrmuseumpa.org/ roster list and virtual tours.


A few pics from my "collection" , these might give you additional ideas.

Mantua 100% metal hopper ,
Mantua hopper.JPG


Pennsy xpress refrigerator. MDC /Athearn.
pen_express_refrig.JPG


X32 Double door Box, Athearn / Mezies Metal line , metal top/sides/ends wood floor.
pen_auto_car.JPG

Walthers Train Miniature PS-1s and X29s.
Walthers_TM_PS1s_X29s.JPG


Its no fun switching unless a caboose is in the way , Mainline craftsman N6b, and Model Power plastic version ( Walthers made and update version with new bottom and better details ) , Gloor Craft made wood ND and N6bs as well . For switching you might want to consider an ND 4wheel caboose. Bachmann made a 4 wheel NDish caboose .

mainline_N6B.JPG
Modelpower_n6B.JPG




The Pennsy is the most modeled railroad Westerfield and F&C both make highly detailed accurate resin kits .
 
As others have stated you can buy whatever you want.

River City Textiles : Box in and out (probably more like box in or out, but not both.)
Arrowhead ale : Probably boxcars and reefers, give the size of the building most likely it RECIEVES beer not ships it.
Freight house : If its a true freight house it would be box in and out.
Feed mill: Boxcars and covered hoppers (if post 1970's) in, nothing out.
Lumber co: Log flat in, boxcar and flat car out (maybe gons too.)
Greatland Sugar: Depending on the type of sugar (beets, cane, imported) and the type of sugar out (Bulk or packaged) it could be a variety of cars. Since most of your equipment is Pennsy, that means that its probably imported sugar which would be in covered hopper cars, covered hoppers or boxcars. Sugar cane is grown in the south and sugar beets are in the central west. Outbound would be boxcars or covered hoppers. The raw sugar we handled out of Galveston was in 40 ft boxcars and was unloaded with a bobcat front end loader. Once you load a car with raw sugar you pretty much can't load it for anything else.
Freight depot: Box in and out.

Hopper cars: all the hopper shown are coal cars. The 70 ton cars could be used for moving raw sugar from a port to the sugar refinery if covered with tarps (that's what the RDG did in Phillie.)
Covered hopper: The PC covered hopper is used to ship cement or silica sand. Its too small for anything else.
Tank car : None of your industries use or ship corn syrup and none actually use tank cars.
About the only industry that would use gons is the lumber mill if it cut crossties or wood beams or poles.
The reefer is a meat reefer and none of your industries ship or receive meat. Don't know what specific era you are modeling your cars are scattered over about a 40-50 year span, but refrigerated beer (bottles or kegs) would be in a 40 ft reefer (ice) or a 50 ft mechanincal reefer (post 1960's.)

If I were you I would get a bunch of 40 ft steel boxcars (PRR, NYC, B&O, and then some others from other railroads of your choice, boxcars move around a lot.) I would get a a few Pennsy 70-90 ton hoppers to handle the raw sugar inbound. For reefers I would get some FGEX or MDT 40 ft steel cars. Some PRR and other eastern road 52 ft steel flats or double door boxcars would be good for lumber.
 
Thank to all for the very helpful information! I am going to modify the order - change the reefer, look for shorter flat car, change the logging car, etc. Very nice looking cars that were posted and going to look for some similar. A lot to learn and appreciate the help!
 
http://prr.railfan.net/ For car selection I would recommend taking a look at the Freight Car Roster , it may not be totally complete but its the best I found .
Another resource https://rrmuseumpa.org/ roster list and virtual tours.


A few pics from my "collection" , these might give you additional ideas.

Mantua 100% metal hopper ,
View attachment 128993

Pennsy xpress refrigerator. MDC /Athearn.
View attachment 128994

X32 Double door Box, Athearn / Mezies Metal line , metal top/sides/ends wood floor.
View attachment 128995
Walthers Train Miniature PS-1s and X29s.
View attachment 128998

Its no fun switching unless a caboose is in the way , Mainline craftsman N6b, and Model Power plastic version ( Walthers made and update version with new bottom and better details ) , Gloor Craft made wood ND and N6bs as well . For switching you might want to consider an ND 4wheel caboose. Bachmann made a 4 wheel NDish caboose .

View attachment 128996View attachment 128997



The Pennsy is the most modeled railroad Westerfield and F&C both make highly detailed accurate resin kits .
The Athearn metal line cars look great. Where would be a good place to look for some?
 
The Athearn metal line cars look great. Where would be a good place to look for some?
Ebay is the best bet , just try not to overpay. Look at the sold listings and see what they're going for.

The best way to buy of course is in a big lot , I paid about $60 total for around 12-13 good cars and and 4 wrecks in one lot . About half the wrecks are salvageable . They come up from time to time , both assembled and still in kit bags , Not sure whether Athearn or Globe made these originally but Athearn stopped in 70s? and then they were picked up by Menzies.

My personal preference is to old metal Varneys .
the first thing I usually do is replace the coupler boxes and put new #5 or #148s on.
Heres a couple more Athearns , followed by a couple of Varneys ,

40ft_Seaboard.JPG


Tag.JPG


I think this is an old Varney , it could be Globe?
NYNHandH.JPG

ElCapitan.JPG



The Varneys are from the 50s? I believe.
usually they go from $10 -$15 +shipping in singles. I have seen them for around $6-$7 in 5-6 car lots.
 



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