Boxcar Week I: A Steel Boxcar from 1939
Today for review we have a wonderful vintage item decorated for the home road of American OO pioneer Howard Winther.
Bergen & Essex boxcar 456 dates to 1939. As in the model was built that year; in the photos it is clear that it is marked NEW H.W. 4-39. There are only two obvious commercial parts, the Scale-Craft trucks and the Nason brake cylinder.
I believe this is scratchbuilt but it is very close to the proportions of a Nason boxcar. The doors are very nice and look from the photos to not be die cast but rather the ribs were pressed into a flat sheet of brass. Note also the very nicely done hand pressed rivet detail of the car sides and the perfect, smooth paint job.
The lettering is all by hand except for the logos which look to be printed. Note the handmade couplers as well.
Who would not want one of these in a train on their layout? Click on either photo for a better view. Thanks again to the Winther family for these photos.