Where To Find Information

[modelrailroadforums]

Where can a person locate specific information about older HO Scale cars/engines/locomotives? Specifically:

Full Sized/Real World

1. Dates/history of the unit/car/engine/locomotive

HO Scale Information

2. Service Type (e.g., freight, passenger, MOW (whatever that is)
3. Reporting Mark
4. Road Number (if not on the unit); AAR Code, etc.

I've acquired several "new" old units (e.g., Virginian (VGN) 2610) Hopper 344C apparently by Tyco), BN 100024 (box car) again, apparently by Tyco, etc. Surely, there's some specific www site or book.

 

[NWP Dave]

Here is a couple of websites that I used to help identify manufacturers of HO cars. Some of the instruction sheets include a little history. Good sites for info on older cars, locomotive etc.

http://www.hoseeker.net/athearnstandardguide.htm

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/pl...le-model-railroading-revolution-of-the-1940s/

 

[ICG/SOU]

You'll find a lot of "foobies" (cars and locomotives with either railroads or numbers or types the prototype they're painted for never had) with a lot of those older cars. For example, Tyco loved to paint things for Illinois Central Gulf, and they were either the wrong car (high cube 40' box with plug doors), the wrong car and paint (most of the ICG white and orange cabooses), or locomotives (Alcos and GEs that the ICG never had or quickly scrapped after taking over the GM&O).

Most of the companies now (Atlas, Athearn, MDC/Roundhouse, Accurail, Bowser/Stewart, Exactrail, Bachmann, Walthers, Proto 2000, Branchline, etc.) do a better job, but there are still foobies. At some point, though you have to either use the car as a starting point for another project, or use it as an acceptable stand in for something else (if the something else isn't made), or just not buy anything that's 100% accurate (which would mean you may have one or two pieces of rolling stock and a locomotive and nothing else).

 

[flh80]

You also looking for "Prototype" information (real stuff not models)?

 

[Selector]

For reasonably accurate (not always, though) proto world information, try:

www.rr-fallenflags.org

www.steamlocomotive.com

 

[Cjcrescent]

A copy of the ORER, (Official Railway Equipment Register), for a year within the era you're modeling, will also help. These have general descriptions of the cars, reporting marks, numbers, AAR designation, weight limits, inside lengths and widths, etc.

 

[jayl1]

Where can a person locate specific information about older HO Scale cars/engines/locomotives? Specifically:

Full Sized/Real World


2. Service Type (e.g., freight, passenger, MOW (whatever that is)

MOW = maintenance of way or work train cars