The Industry's First High-Detail 86' Auto Parts Car!
Aug 2, 2020 9:12:38 GMT -8
The Ferro Kid, Christian, and 15 more like this
Post by tangentsm on Aug 2, 2020 9:12:38 GMT -8
On Tangent’s 13-year anniversary, we are happy to introduce the newest all-new freight car in the Tangent Scale Models line: the Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car! This is not just a single box car model, but instead a system of 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car models. Tangent is pleased to introduce the industry’s first “high-detail” 86’ auto parts car model in HO scale!
During the 1960s, the most radical freight car designs employed the extreme height clearances offered by Plate F car designs. In 1964, no car type articulated this extreme more than the 86-foot, purpose-built “Auto Parts” boxcars. These large boxcars became fixtures on the rails all over North American mainlines, riding hot trains to deliver components vital to the productivity of auto plants. While several car builders offered 86’ auto parts boxcars, the most prolific builder of the double plug door design was Greenville Steel Car Company of Greenville PA. More than 4,400 of these cars were acquired by most major railroads, and they were assigned to pools where multiple railroad’s cars served a specific shipper or shippers. Original utilization of these cars was for Ford, Pontiac, and Chrysler, as well as deliveries from 3rd party parts suppliers to the auto plants. Greenville’s 1964-1978 production was the longest run for this car type, with many still in service today.
The Tangent Scale Models Greenville 86' Double Plug Door Box Car continues the design and operational standards set by previous models in the Tangent product line. Our product builds up to seven major build variations (yes SEVEN, you read that right), including three specific body variations, four different brake layouts (two brake systems), five different draft gear combinations, and three underframe styles which incorporate Center-of-Car Cushioning and End-Of-Car Cushioning options. The Tangent Greenville 86’ box car includes a 70-ton or 100-ton truck option, with selections appropriate for each paint scheme, and both include “spinning” roller bearing caps. Finally, our cars are weighted properly and come with Kadee® couplers mounted in specially-designed coupler pockets which means they operate as good as they look. Due to the car’s size, we recommend curves of 24” or larger for these models.
- Conrail "Quality 1992+" represents our “repaint” offering for this production. This car comes with the classic Conrail “can opener” to the right in a medium size. On the left side of the car is a “Conrail Quality” logo as well. This former PRR prototype car was modified in 1965, with the removal of the roof running board, the lowering of the brakewheel housing and removal of high grab irons and end ladders. If you look closely under the CR paint job, you can see all of these "remnants" on the sides and ends of the model. Even the roof on the model features the old bolt locations of the running board supports! 70T Trucks with rotating Timken roller bearing caps finish off this CR offering. Our “Conrail Quality 1992+” is available in four separate road numbers.
- CPAA "Original 1971" represents the first Canadian Pacific car offered in our product line! We recognize that Canadian Pacific and Canadian National each had good-sized auto parts car fleets and we honored that by offering CPAA in our first run. While CPAA ordered these in a “plain” scheme, it is nonetheless an important one. This replica features correct alternating "wide-narrow" side body panels typical for this era of Greenville production. On the underside, check out the end-of-car cushioning and accurate truck-mounted brake system! With its 1971 livery right from the Greenville paint shop, this scheme includes original “bare aluminum” doors, ACI label, WSP assignment code, and “When empty return to DT&I Railroad Fordhaven Michigan” return stencils. These cars come ready-to-operate in 4 numbers.
- DTI "Original 1971" is one scheme we could not resist choosing for our first run, and for good reason. The huge DT&I lettering and compass painted on a baby blue carbody screams early 1970s greatness. The “We have the connections” logo is true, with a return route to BN in Duluth MN! Typical of Greenville builder paint schemes, the doors are not painted but left bare aluminum. This car comes equipped with ACI label and a WK routing code hand painted on the side of the car, like the prototype. While the stenciling has significant lettering variation, the small details are specific to DT&I specs, including end of car cushioning, gypsum crossover platforms, and Universal brake housing. Ah, and look closely: We even have the correct (and all-new) 100-Ton Barber S-2-C “Low Profile” trucks with Timken bearings and truck mounted brake beams. Available in 4 numbers!
- NYC 962-B "Original 1965" represents the first New York Central car offered in our product line! Why? Well even though NYC was a huge railroad, none of our current freight cars were purchased or built by NYC. That changes today, and we emulate Greenville’s greatness in style: NYC Class 962-B jade green freight car goodness including the huge Greenville-applied NYC “cigar band” logo and the “When Empty Return To N&W Railroad, Buffalo, N.Y.” (yes, that is correct, N&W not NYC). NYC was a prolific buyer of Greenville 86’ auto parts box cars, and for our first NYC offering we chose the April 1965 production which is statistically the largest order NYC placed for these beautiful cars. While the stenciling is awesome don’t forget we are also focused on the small details. For these cars that means a hydra-cushion underframe complete with the large HC cylinder underneath the center of the car. Typical for Tangent products, where photo evidence exists, we have applied accurate CAPY blocks at the car number level. Also, car number 67209 has a “BUF751” routing code placard just like the prototype car did! These cars are available in six road numbers, and don’t forget these lasted well into the Conrail era in original paint – see our website for a photo.
- SOU "Original 1977" is one of the truly classic schemes for these “rolling billboard” cars, complete with the “Southern Gives A Green Light To Innovations” logo. This stunningly accurate Southern Railway paint job is an exercise in details: a beautiful carbody freight car brown with the green “dot” inside the O of Southern and the “WSP” Woodhaven Stamping Plant code listing prominently displayed on the carbody. Like all 86’ auto parts cars these were pooled cars and ran on designated auto part routes – check out the photo on our website of one of these cars on D&RGW in Colorado! This 1977-built Greenville example features body-mounted brake rigging hanging down from the underframe and 100-Ton trucks with rotating Brenco-6 roller bearing caps, just like the prototype. These beauties are available with four road numbers!
- SP "Original 1969" is saving perhaps the best for last, at least in terms of “flashy” paint schemes. The SP auto parts cars were certainly special when it came to stencil lettering. The “SP scarlet red” paint on the carbody was painted even on the aluminum doors, and then SP “lettering gray” was painted in an oval shape on the doors, leaving a huge “SP” in place in scarlet red. As if that weren’t enough, 2 large arrows were painted with SP “lark dark gray” across the carbody sides, pointing at the paired doors. Above the arrows, the words “Hy-Cube” were painted with lettering gray again, and next to that is SOUTHERN PACIFIC in white. The photo on the Tangent website was taken offline in the Reading yard in Hellertown PA and nicely shows the “163” route code and “WHEN EMPTY RETURN TO D&H RR GREEN ISLAND N.Y.” Our model is complete with scarlet red overspray onto the roof panels. You don’t want to miss these – available in four road numbers.
All of these models – and prototype images - can be seen at www.tangentscalemodels.com !
Want to build your own? Don't worry. We are also releasing SEVEN undecorated kits to handle all of the variations offered in our first production. Each kit includes a specifically-matching Greenville body for that group! Here is our listing of seven variations with their original Greenville paint schemes:
- Undecorated Version A: 1964 Center-of-Car Cushioning with lowered B-end appliances 1965+ Era (ATSF, C&O, DT&I, L&N, MKT, NW, NYC, PRR, WAB, WP)
- Undecorated Version B: 1965-66 Center-of-Car Cushioning (ATSF, EL, GBW, L&N, NW, NYC)
- Undecorated Version C: 1968 Center-of-Car Cushioning (CPAA, IC, MKT, MP, SOU, SP)
- Undecorated Version D: 1968-1969 End-of-Car Cush. (B&O, CB&Q, DT&I, D&TS, EL, GTW, L&N, PC, UP)
- Undecorated Version E: 1969-1970 Center-of-Car Cushioning (C&EI, CPAA, D&RGW, MP, SP)
- Undecorated Version F: 1969-1971 End-of-Car Cushioning (CB&Q, CPAA, DT&I, L&N, PPGX, SOU, UP)
- Undecorated Version G: 1977 End-of-Car Cushioning (C&O, GTW, ICG, L&N, MILW, SCL, SOU)
If your favorite railroad is not listed, don’t fear, we have many more schemes coming. Please keep in mind that these were pooled boxcars which means you might consider buying cars in a variety of road names. These cars showed up in places that were not expected. Take our SP boxcar for instance. The photo on our website shows it in Hellertown PA, on the Reading. One photo of the DT&I car is in Green Bay WI on Green Bay and Western. The photos of the NYC cars are in California on ATSF and in Dallas on the T&P. The photo of the Southern car is on the DRGW in Colorado. The boxcar schemes were always varied in train consists. And today, when you see a cut of these you usually see a mix of roadnames represented, although the mix is fewer of course due to the shrinkage in railroads!
The first release of our Greenville 86’ Box Cars includes 7 different possible build variations. We also have more body variations in progress, including the quad-door cars. Please keep in mind that quad door cars represented 8% of the overall Greenville Steel Car production. This is why we have started with this system of double-plug doors – in order to satisfy the greatest fleet and paint scheme percentages! These are the statistically-relevant cars from a prototype production standpoint.
The Tangent Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car system is a state of the art, dimensionally-accurate scale replica that was tooled to Greenville Steel Car plans and verified with field measurements. Our model comes with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact stenciling, fonts, and lettering placement. Our Greenville 86’ system of models offers a multitude of detail variations and phases to replicate the many different Greenville Steel Car offerings. A quick synopsis of our era and railroad-specific detail variations include:
• Body shells with or without overlapping side panels
• EOCC (end of car cushioning) or COCC (center of car cushioning) “near scale”draft gear variations with genuine Kadee® scale couplers
• Separate flexible rubber air hoses
• Roofs with running board supports remaining in place (1965+ appearance since the running boards were gone by 1966) and roofs without running board supports (1965+ Greenville production)
• Under car brake system variations
• “See through” etched metal end crossover platforms in three possible options: Gypsum, Apex, or Morton
• Side tack board types/sizes and locations
• Seven prototypically-accurate brake stands (Ajax, Universal, Equipco, Miner 6600, Champion-Peacock, Elcon-National, Peacock 850)
• Two possible handbrake “brake wheel” options
• Optional 3rd door arm hinge parts to be configured one of three ways
• Two brand new truck sideframes: 70-Ton Barber S-2A Roller Bearing Truck or a 100-Ton “Low Profile” Barber S-2-C Roller Bearing Truck (outlined at the end of this press release)
• 33” or 36” wheels, as applicable to each model
• Two brand new truck brake beam part options
• Three brand new “rotating” roller bearing truck cap options
• Recommended age 14 years and older
Finally, check out the TRUCKS on these cars! Our new Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car models feature one of two new truck options – either a 70-Ton Barber S-2A Roller Bearing Truck or a 100-Ton “Low Profile” Barber S-2-C Roller Bearing Truck. These all-new truck options are systems of their own! They include your choice of 3 different “rotating” roller bearing caps and 3 different wheel options. Each truck also has the option of two separate brake beam parts, either for body-mounted brake systems (which are our standard offering), or for truck-mounted brake systems (available as a swap-in part). Our trucks and parts are available separately, and our RTR-cars come equipped with the correct configurations of trucks and parts!
With accurate roadname and era-specific details, genuine Kadee couplers, and all-metal wheels, we provide you with a high-value model that will provide you with years of enjoyment and curb-appeal. Pricing for RTR models is $52.95, with quantity discounts for direct purchases from Tangent Scale Models.
Finally, this week we are celebrating Tangent’s 13th anniversary. While we have been “in business” longer than that, it was 13 years ago that Tangent offered our first industry-leading freight car at the National Train Show in Detroit MI. It has been a ridiculously fun 13 years and we could not make our models without you – our customers! Thank you!
That wraps up our update for today, and thank you for supporting the family-owned businesses in our industry!
David Lehlbach
Tangent Scale Models
www.tangentscalemodels.com
support@tangentscalemodels.com
PO Box 6514
Asheville NC 28816
828-279-6106
During the 1960s, the most radical freight car designs employed the extreme height clearances offered by Plate F car designs. In 1964, no car type articulated this extreme more than the 86-foot, purpose-built “Auto Parts” boxcars. These large boxcars became fixtures on the rails all over North American mainlines, riding hot trains to deliver components vital to the productivity of auto plants. While several car builders offered 86’ auto parts boxcars, the most prolific builder of the double plug door design was Greenville Steel Car Company of Greenville PA. More than 4,400 of these cars were acquired by most major railroads, and they were assigned to pools where multiple railroad’s cars served a specific shipper or shippers. Original utilization of these cars was for Ford, Pontiac, and Chrysler, as well as deliveries from 3rd party parts suppliers to the auto plants. Greenville’s 1964-1978 production was the longest run for this car type, with many still in service today.
The Tangent Scale Models Greenville 86' Double Plug Door Box Car continues the design and operational standards set by previous models in the Tangent product line. Our product builds up to seven major build variations (yes SEVEN, you read that right), including three specific body variations, four different brake layouts (two brake systems), five different draft gear combinations, and three underframe styles which incorporate Center-of-Car Cushioning and End-Of-Car Cushioning options. The Tangent Greenville 86’ box car includes a 70-ton or 100-ton truck option, with selections appropriate for each paint scheme, and both include “spinning” roller bearing caps. Finally, our cars are weighted properly and come with Kadee® couplers mounted in specially-designed coupler pockets which means they operate as good as they look. Due to the car’s size, we recommend curves of 24” or larger for these models.
Our August 2020 release includes these six paint schemes – shipping on Friday August 7 - to get things started!
- Conrail "Quality 1992+" represents our “repaint” offering for this production. This car comes with the classic Conrail “can opener” to the right in a medium size. On the left side of the car is a “Conrail Quality” logo as well. This former PRR prototype car was modified in 1965, with the removal of the roof running board, the lowering of the brakewheel housing and removal of high grab irons and end ladders. If you look closely under the CR paint job, you can see all of these "remnants" on the sides and ends of the model. Even the roof on the model features the old bolt locations of the running board supports! 70T Trucks with rotating Timken roller bearing caps finish off this CR offering. Our “Conrail Quality 1992+” is available in four separate road numbers.
- CPAA "Original 1971" represents the first Canadian Pacific car offered in our product line! We recognize that Canadian Pacific and Canadian National each had good-sized auto parts car fleets and we honored that by offering CPAA in our first run. While CPAA ordered these in a “plain” scheme, it is nonetheless an important one. This replica features correct alternating "wide-narrow" side body panels typical for this era of Greenville production. On the underside, check out the end-of-car cushioning and accurate truck-mounted brake system! With its 1971 livery right from the Greenville paint shop, this scheme includes original “bare aluminum” doors, ACI label, WSP assignment code, and “When empty return to DT&I Railroad Fordhaven Michigan” return stencils. These cars come ready-to-operate in 4 numbers.
- DTI "Original 1971" is one scheme we could not resist choosing for our first run, and for good reason. The huge DT&I lettering and compass painted on a baby blue carbody screams early 1970s greatness. The “We have the connections” logo is true, with a return route to BN in Duluth MN! Typical of Greenville builder paint schemes, the doors are not painted but left bare aluminum. This car comes equipped with ACI label and a WK routing code hand painted on the side of the car, like the prototype. While the stenciling has significant lettering variation, the small details are specific to DT&I specs, including end of car cushioning, gypsum crossover platforms, and Universal brake housing. Ah, and look closely: We even have the correct (and all-new) 100-Ton Barber S-2-C “Low Profile” trucks with Timken bearings and truck mounted brake beams. Available in 4 numbers!
- NYC 962-B "Original 1965" represents the first New York Central car offered in our product line! Why? Well even though NYC was a huge railroad, none of our current freight cars were purchased or built by NYC. That changes today, and we emulate Greenville’s greatness in style: NYC Class 962-B jade green freight car goodness including the huge Greenville-applied NYC “cigar band” logo and the “When Empty Return To N&W Railroad, Buffalo, N.Y.” (yes, that is correct, N&W not NYC). NYC was a prolific buyer of Greenville 86’ auto parts box cars, and for our first NYC offering we chose the April 1965 production which is statistically the largest order NYC placed for these beautiful cars. While the stenciling is awesome don’t forget we are also focused on the small details. For these cars that means a hydra-cushion underframe complete with the large HC cylinder underneath the center of the car. Typical for Tangent products, where photo evidence exists, we have applied accurate CAPY blocks at the car number level. Also, car number 67209 has a “BUF751” routing code placard just like the prototype car did! These cars are available in six road numbers, and don’t forget these lasted well into the Conrail era in original paint – see our website for a photo.
- SOU "Original 1977" is one of the truly classic schemes for these “rolling billboard” cars, complete with the “Southern Gives A Green Light To Innovations” logo. This stunningly accurate Southern Railway paint job is an exercise in details: a beautiful carbody freight car brown with the green “dot” inside the O of Southern and the “WSP” Woodhaven Stamping Plant code listing prominently displayed on the carbody. Like all 86’ auto parts cars these were pooled cars and ran on designated auto part routes – check out the photo on our website of one of these cars on D&RGW in Colorado! This 1977-built Greenville example features body-mounted brake rigging hanging down from the underframe and 100-Ton trucks with rotating Brenco-6 roller bearing caps, just like the prototype. These beauties are available with four road numbers!
- SP "Original 1969" is saving perhaps the best for last, at least in terms of “flashy” paint schemes. The SP auto parts cars were certainly special when it came to stencil lettering. The “SP scarlet red” paint on the carbody was painted even on the aluminum doors, and then SP “lettering gray” was painted in an oval shape on the doors, leaving a huge “SP” in place in scarlet red. As if that weren’t enough, 2 large arrows were painted with SP “lark dark gray” across the carbody sides, pointing at the paired doors. Above the arrows, the words “Hy-Cube” were painted with lettering gray again, and next to that is SOUTHERN PACIFIC in white. The photo on the Tangent website was taken offline in the Reading yard in Hellertown PA and nicely shows the “163” route code and “WHEN EMPTY RETURN TO D&H RR GREEN ISLAND N.Y.” Our model is complete with scarlet red overspray onto the roof panels. You don’t want to miss these – available in four road numbers.
All of these models – and prototype images - can be seen at www.tangentscalemodels.com !
Want to build your own? Don't worry. We are also releasing SEVEN undecorated kits to handle all of the variations offered in our first production. Each kit includes a specifically-matching Greenville body for that group! Here is our listing of seven variations with their original Greenville paint schemes:
- Undecorated Version A: 1964 Center-of-Car Cushioning with lowered B-end appliances 1965+ Era (ATSF, C&O, DT&I, L&N, MKT, NW, NYC, PRR, WAB, WP)
- Undecorated Version B: 1965-66 Center-of-Car Cushioning (ATSF, EL, GBW, L&N, NW, NYC)
- Undecorated Version C: 1968 Center-of-Car Cushioning (CPAA, IC, MKT, MP, SOU, SP)
- Undecorated Version D: 1968-1969 End-of-Car Cush. (B&O, CB&Q, DT&I, D&TS, EL, GTW, L&N, PC, UP)
- Undecorated Version E: 1969-1970 Center-of-Car Cushioning (C&EI, CPAA, D&RGW, MP, SP)
- Undecorated Version F: 1969-1971 End-of-Car Cushioning (CB&Q, CPAA, DT&I, L&N, PPGX, SOU, UP)
- Undecorated Version G: 1977 End-of-Car Cushioning (C&O, GTW, ICG, L&N, MILW, SCL, SOU)
If your favorite railroad is not listed, don’t fear, we have many more schemes coming. Please keep in mind that these were pooled boxcars which means you might consider buying cars in a variety of road names. These cars showed up in places that were not expected. Take our SP boxcar for instance. The photo on our website shows it in Hellertown PA, on the Reading. One photo of the DT&I car is in Green Bay WI on Green Bay and Western. The photos of the NYC cars are in California on ATSF and in Dallas on the T&P. The photo of the Southern car is on the DRGW in Colorado. The boxcar schemes were always varied in train consists. And today, when you see a cut of these you usually see a mix of roadnames represented, although the mix is fewer of course due to the shrinkage in railroads!
The first release of our Greenville 86’ Box Cars includes 7 different possible build variations. We also have more body variations in progress, including the quad-door cars. Please keep in mind that quad door cars represented 8% of the overall Greenville Steel Car production. This is why we have started with this system of double-plug doors – in order to satisfy the greatest fleet and paint scheme percentages! These are the statistically-relevant cars from a prototype production standpoint.
The Tangent Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car system is a state of the art, dimensionally-accurate scale replica that was tooled to Greenville Steel Car plans and verified with field measurements. Our model comes with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact stenciling, fonts, and lettering placement. Our Greenville 86’ system of models offers a multitude of detail variations and phases to replicate the many different Greenville Steel Car offerings. A quick synopsis of our era and railroad-specific detail variations include:
• Body shells with or without overlapping side panels
• EOCC (end of car cushioning) or COCC (center of car cushioning) “near scale”draft gear variations with genuine Kadee® scale couplers
• Separate flexible rubber air hoses
• Roofs with running board supports remaining in place (1965+ appearance since the running boards were gone by 1966) and roofs without running board supports (1965+ Greenville production)
• Under car brake system variations
• “See through” etched metal end crossover platforms in three possible options: Gypsum, Apex, or Morton
• Side tack board types/sizes and locations
• Seven prototypically-accurate brake stands (Ajax, Universal, Equipco, Miner 6600, Champion-Peacock, Elcon-National, Peacock 850)
• Two possible handbrake “brake wheel” options
• Optional 3rd door arm hinge parts to be configured one of three ways
• Two brand new truck sideframes: 70-Ton Barber S-2A Roller Bearing Truck or a 100-Ton “Low Profile” Barber S-2-C Roller Bearing Truck (outlined at the end of this press release)
• 33” or 36” wheels, as applicable to each model
• Two brand new truck brake beam part options
• Three brand new “rotating” roller bearing truck cap options
• Recommended age 14 years and older
Finally, check out the TRUCKS on these cars! Our new Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car models feature one of two new truck options – either a 70-Ton Barber S-2A Roller Bearing Truck or a 100-Ton “Low Profile” Barber S-2-C Roller Bearing Truck. These all-new truck options are systems of their own! They include your choice of 3 different “rotating” roller bearing caps and 3 different wheel options. Each truck also has the option of two separate brake beam parts, either for body-mounted brake systems (which are our standard offering), or for truck-mounted brake systems (available as a swap-in part). Our trucks and parts are available separately, and our RTR-cars come equipped with the correct configurations of trucks and parts!
With accurate roadname and era-specific details, genuine Kadee couplers, and all-metal wheels, we provide you with a high-value model that will provide you with years of enjoyment and curb-appeal. Pricing for RTR models is $52.95, with quantity discounts for direct purchases from Tangent Scale Models.
Finally, this week we are celebrating Tangent’s 13th anniversary. While we have been “in business” longer than that, it was 13 years ago that Tangent offered our first industry-leading freight car at the National Train Show in Detroit MI. It has been a ridiculously fun 13 years and we could not make our models without you – our customers! Thank you!
That wraps up our update for today, and thank you for supporting the family-owned businesses in our industry!
David Lehlbach
Tangent Scale Models
www.tangentscalemodels.com
support@tangentscalemodels.com
PO Box 6514
Asheville NC 28816
828-279-6106
