Western Pacific 36004

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I had posted a picture of 36004 in a different thread, but I wanted to start this thread and do a comparison. After doing the original post, I wanted to see what I could find in an HO model. After using my considerable computer skills, , this Athearn/Roundhouse car is what I picked up. #36011

Here is the 36004..
I was thinking that this is one of the first cars made for the 36000 series 50ft boxcars.
Can anybody confirm or deny this? I would be interested in any info you could share.....

Athearn/Roundhouse has the car in two numbers, 36011 & 36015. Accurail has the car in #'s 36008 & 36024


The Accurail car, # 36024

There are two modeling choices here for the 36004, as a storage shed, pictured, or as a running car. I'm opting to do it as a running car. So after posting the original pic, I got the Ath/Rndhouse 36011. Did you notice the lack of door in the proto. pic? (taken almost a month ago)
I did wonder if the 36011 had the right doors when I got it. Nope! I went down yesterday and was able to get more pictures of the 36004. Here is the door on the other side.

Can I get the correct door for the Ath/RndH car? I like to detail a car as close as possible to the prototype, the Athearn door is pretty blatantly wrong. Humm, kind of looks like the accurail might be a better car to start with......
Check out the concrete block/steps to get in the car....
More later....

 

[santafewillie]

Definitely the wrong door on the Athearn model, quite common with Athearn/Roundhouse cars. Here is a shot of 36011 taken in 1984 when the car was 29 years old. Build date was 6/55. Looks like the original paint scheme on this one, except the data.

Here's another one taken in 2014. Seems like these cars were popular as MOW storage cars.

It does look like the Accurail car would be a better starting point. I really don't know about the availability of replacement doors. I don't think that I have any of that type. Looks relatively easy to fabricate from styrene though.

 

[2Tracks]

Great picture Willie, the 36011! Seems like a good chance that the two ran together at some point, the 36004 & 36011. Yes, I would too, opt for the Accurail car as a starting point. Well, looks like I'm getting an Accurail car..
Hard to tell in the 84 photo if there's a roof walk. Looks to be one in the 1214 pic.
That's one aspect of MR'ing that I haven't really made it to yet, the scratch building of parts like the door, look forward to trying though......

 

[2Tracks]

Taking a look at the door of the car, the Accurail's door looks to be a pretty good representation.

The large tack board is missing on the 36004, but the welds are still there were it was mounted.

And as Willie noted, the door on the Ath/Rnd car is definitely not happening! Must be their generic door.

The Ath/Rnd car would be a good candidate for the storage shed scene. Tear off the doors & roof walk, with lots of debris around the car to obscure other wrong features/details and ya got it! Maybe even model a partially wrecked car with that.
Both model cars have the correct number of side panels, but the Ath. car has a horizontal row of rivets above the side sill...No no no! What is that? Nothing like that on the prototype.
The Acc. side sill along with the Ath. car is wrong, but it looks closer to the prototype for depth below the door. Nothing to work with on the Ath. car.
Both models have a seven rung ladder on one end & two grab irons on the other. Stirrup steps are wrong on both cars, but somebody's make model of stirrup steps could remedy that.
The trucks on the cars appear to be the right style, but as far as what the correct ones are, I dunno. I have not that knowledge.......
Both models in general have the correct data & logo's, but there is some fine tuning to be done there, if one were so inclined....
Might as well look at the roof while we're here.....
This is the best pic of the roof I have, what ever style that is...I can not name it.......But once again, the Acc. car is much closer to prototype.
The Ath. car, well, that's just hideous!

Willies one pic. shows the end of a roof walk that appears to be expanded metal type, so here again the Acc car's roof walk closer fits the bill.
Till next time.....

 

[2Tracks]

Taking a look at the A end of the car, the proto type....

The other corner....

The Athearn model...

The most obvious difference is the tack board, way too high. The grab irons below the tack board needs some reworking along with the row of horizontal rivets to eliminate. I could not find a picture of the A end of an Accurail car.

The B end of the 36004..

The other corner....

The B end of the Athearn car.....

Some of the same issues as the A end plus the brake rigging/hardware & brake wheel.
This is the closest I could get for the B end of the Accurail car.......

It needs work some work on tack board, grab irons, and at least the brake wheel if not more, but it looks like this car doesn't have the horizontal row of rivets to eliminate.

Happy Model Railroading!