A Boxcar from the Puffin Bay [Updated]
A recent eBay purchase was this boxcar from the Puffin Bay & Inland. All I know for sure, using the list of private road names in the back of my OO book, is that this boxcar was built by Capt. John M. LeCato.
Well, also I know it is a Scale-Craft 50′ boxcar, produced after WWII. Not the easiest kit to build.
I don’t know what branch LeCato served in, but I wonder if he served in Alaska, as the most likely Puffin Bay is on the coast of Alaska.
It came to me on trucks that I doubt were original to the car, did not quite match and also were unpainted. So I would highlight the replacement trucks as well. These were worked up from loose parts, broken wheelsets, and a 3D printed bolster. I like these for cars that need a larger bolster hole, as this car needed to use a 2-56 screw instead of the original S-C screw. It is easy to drill the bolster out big enough for more standard screws.
UPDATE: Please see the comment below! And I received another comment by Email from Chris M. that pointed me to more on LeCato in The OO Road. LeCato offered a brief biography in the August, 1992 issue. He was a Merchant Marine skipper. He shared that
I got into OO by accident at a church rummage sale on Staten Island. The auctioneer was trying to dispose of a Scale-Craft ten-wheeler, a dozen wood and card stock reefer cars and some other odds and ends. When the best bid was $3.00, I went to $3.50.
The Puffin Bay and Inland is a completely implausible short line where time stopped in 1950. Originally, it was located to serve a small seaport on the Maine coast, but acquisition of a K-4, an E-6, and a GG-1 made a connection with the Pennsy mandatory. Now, maybe it is somewhere around Atlantic Highlands or Bay Head.
When you are in a fading, minority gauge, you buy whatever you can an try to rationalize its presence on the line. My motive power ranges from a Fred Schorr built Challenger to a Yugoslav built Porter diesel switcher which was over sized for its intended HO. Incidentally, the little rascal out performs anything else, if you can disregard the noise and jack rabbit starts. In between are a couple of gas-electrics, an RDC, two camel backs and a MA&PA consolidation.
So there are a few other models out there to keep your eyes peeled for! And do check the links in the comment below, much more about him and his career are to be found there.
Jack LeCato is my late uncle, and was fond of trains. “Puffin” as I recall was his pet name for his wife Maureen, and believe he spent most of his time Atlantic side, although I suppose in his 35 year career as a Merchant Mariner he possibly berthed in Alaska. He was always quick with the wit (“I’ve been a Mariner for 30 years, but don’t plan to make a career of it!”) and beloved by the family. You can get a glimpse of his travels at https://www.bestfriendofcharleston.org/memorial.html, and a touch of his adventures at http://www.bestfriendofcharleston.org/editorlecato.html. Glad to see that a piece of his train collection has found a good home!