The Industry's First High-Detail 86' Auto Parts Car!

[thebessemerkid]

I overlooked the quad-door announcement as I'm used to calling them 8-door boxcars.

For some reason the single and double-door nomenclature which many modelers and manufacturers are comfortable with in 60' and under boxcars seemed to change with the 86'ers. Perhaps because the door groups were physically seperated on the same sides (would a Pennsy X42 be considered a double or quad-door?)



Indeed Walthers and Athearn (perhaps incorrectly) labeled their 86 footers as 4 and 8 door:

www.ebay.com/itm/HO-Athearn-1996-MAX-Cube-86-8-Door-Hi-Cube-Freight-Car-Kit-NIB/133492050088

www.walthers.com/86-pullman-standard-hi-cube-8-door-boxcar-ready-to-run-new-york-central-1960s-scheme

As have other scales:

wig-wag-trains.com/Trainworx%20Pages/86-Foot_Box/Thrall-8-door-86foot-boxcar_Page.htm

www.nicholassmithtrains.com/product/LIONEL-TRAINS/LIONEL-O-BOX-CARS/CNW-86%27-HI-CUBE-8-DOOR-BOXCAR/LIO682423/

Thousands upon thousands of cars sold with this description have programmed modelers to think in those terms. Along with Athearn and Trainworx, here's what's in the Walthers archive:

www.walthers.com/search/show/60?is_active_flag=141007&match=AND&q=+8-Door+Boxcar+86%27



Modelers have used this connotation extensively:

www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,3770461

cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/184454.aspx


In any case, the question arises if correct nomenclature overrides common practice. Confusion in the marketplace can happen over such things. Perhaps putting both on the box label (quad/8-door?) can avoid issues? Even a small outline drawing on the end-label? 

I'll admit when I read through the Tangent description it registered wth me that 4-door and quad were the same thing, since I'm so used to calling the ones with 4 doors per side an 8-door. 

I'll cheerfully buy them whatever they are called, but want to ensure everyone knows so sufficient volumes are generated to make all variants from all builders economically viable

Not a criticism of the product. Just an explanation that some of us older guys get confused easily 

From my long-past muscle car days I might call the 8-door variants "dual quads" 



Everyone knew they were two distinct groups of carbs. In single sided boxcar view parlance, perhaps "dual double-door" would make sense? (The aforementioned PRR X42 would become a dual-door rather than a double door to signify two seperate openings per side in the carbody)

ETA: NS nomenclature is 4-door / double plug door. Presumably if they still roster any, they'd call the other an 8-door / quad plug door. Good thing they have a picture:

www.nscorp.com/content/dam/nscorp/ship/shipping-tools/equipment-guides/86%27_boxcar.pdf

[thebessemerkid]

CSX deconstructing an 86' at Willard OH, for those looking for a project with one of the obsoleted 86' models (ex-PRR 125xxx?)



www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=265899

Demolition is such an inglorious end.

[bnsftall]

Received my order yesterday, they look tremendous.

Way to knock it outta the park Tangent! Looking forward to all the future runs.

dt

[drsvelte]

Well, I received my two 86-footers seven days after they were shipped, no thanks to Postmaster General De[No]Joy and his politically motivated directives.


Anyway, I can’t really add much beyond what has already been said here. They are simply magnifiqué!
Thank you Tangent!

[railmodeltroy14]

I may add a 70's era train to my modern layout to accomodate some Chessie/B&O 86'box cars.

...but I hope those will arrive a year from now...as well as the NS and CSX versions.

[thebessemerkid]

Aug 15, 2020 11:45:22 GMT -8 drsvelte said:

Well, I received my two 86-footers seven days after they were shipped, no thanks to Postmaster General De[No]Joy and his politically motivated directives.


Anyway, I can’t really add much beyond what has already been said here. They are simply magnifiqué!
Thank you Tangent!

Do you use USPS informed delivery to track package progress?

informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

My shipment was scanned in at the Asheville NC post office at 5:18PM Thursday and arrived today at 3:45p. Under 2 days door to door is great.

[drsvelte]

Do you use USPS informed delivery to track package progress?

Yes.  It spent four days going from Asheville to Greenville to Louisiana and then three more days sitting around in Post Offices.  And, yes, we do have a Democratic governer!😲

[thebessemerkid]

Aug 15, 2020 13:42:49 GMT -8 drsvelte said:

Do you use USPS informed delivery to track package progress?

Yes.  It spent four days going from Asheville to Greenville to Louisiana and then three more days sitting around in Post Offices.  And, yes, we do have a Democratic governer!😲

Yeah, that would bug me a bit. At least ypu got them. Have heard some tales of missing mail, which for Tangents would be a disaster.

[riogrande]

Just got word that a shop on the west coast got in his order of SP Greenville boxcars and has two going out for me in the mail. It was hard to find a shop that had any left soon after Tangent sold out.

[migalyto]

Looks like there already hitting eBay!

www.ebay.com/sch/modelcnw/m.html?item=333690730830&hash=item4db184794e%3Ag%3AFOIAAOSwGJFfOeHJ&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[edgecrusher]

So I don't think anyone needed any further convincing of how great these cars look, but here is some more anyway.  I finally got my NYC car out of the box and into the sunlight over the weekend for some pics.  This should be a fun one to weather when I get that far.

[fishbelly]

I have seen a number of them up close at a friends house and I cannot argue with you at all. They are exceptionally nice cars.

[thebessemerkid]

edgecrusher

Excellent pics.

I'm surprised the NYC's didn't sell out. Beautiful cars.

[nsfantodd]

Got my Southern car. It is beyond my expectations! Still bummed I missed the Conrail, and they apparently didn't make the rerun list.

Not sure how I'm going to justify these on my layout yet!

I can see myself ending up with several of these. My wish list, N&W, NS, Conrail, Southern repaint, and probably a couple I haven't thought of yet.

David said be patient, I am.

[edwardsutorik]

As long as we're bringing up the subject of roadnames, I'll mention that the one and only 86' hi-cube I can "officially" buy is BN. And if that's true for me, it's true for others.

Unless, of course, someone has evidence of other Big Guys trooping through the neighborhood (Pacific Northwest).

Yes, I'm asking. 'Cause I do like them.



Ed

[fcixdarrell]

Aug 19, 2020 16:44:26 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

As long as we're bringing up the subject of roadnames, I'll mention that the one and only 86' hi-cube I can "officially" buy is BN. And if that's true for me, it's true for others.

Unless, of course, someone has evidence of other Big Guys trooping through the neighborhood (Pacific Northwest).

Yes, I'm asking. 'Cause I do like them.



Ed

What era?

Darrell

[edwardsutorik]

Aug 19, 2020 19:32:43 GMT -8 fcixdarrell said:

Aug 19, 2020 16:44:26 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

As long as we're bringing up the subject of roadnames, I'll mention that the one and only 86' hi-cube I can "officially" buy is BN. And if that's true for me, it's true for others.

Unless, of course, someone has evidence of other Big Guys trooping through the neighborhood (Pacific Northwest).

Yes, I'm asking. 'Cause I do like them.



Ed

What era?

Darrell

It appears the BN cars started being used for non-automotive service about 1980, if that's what you're asking.

As far as other roads, don't really care. So far. It's my impression that there were no assembly plants in the PNW, so there would be no hi-cubes in that service. Maybe I'm wrong.

So far, all I've got for 86' hi-cubes in the PNW are the BN ones. I suppose MAYBE a Q one showed up. Maybe.


Ed

[godzilla]

As nice as the 86' cars are and I really could use them in my fleet I just cannot justifiably that kind of money for a single freight car. I have some of the 86' cars made by Athearn some time ago and although they really can't compare to Tangents models they will have to do. Some freight cars are just getting too expensive imo.

Dave

[csxt8400]

Edgecrusher, if there was one car from this run to put out in the sun it was the NYC! Seeing shots from Mr. Parker of these over the years made it a no brainer when Tangent released them, I knew I had to get one. I'm planning a small wall display to shine some light down on cars and engines that are out of my era, and this certainly ticks that box.

[fcixdarrell]

Aug 19, 2020 20:00:03 GMT -8 edwardsutorik said:

Aug 19, 2020 19:32:43 GMT -8 fcixdarrell said:

What era?

Darrell

It appears the BN cars started being used for non-automotive service about 1980, if that's what you're asking.

As far as other roads, don't really care. So far. It's my impression that there were no assembly plants in the PNW, so there would be no hi-cubes in that service. Maybe I'm wrong.

So far, all I've got for 86' hi-cubes in the PNW are the BN ones. I suppose MAYBE a Q one showed up. Maybe.


Ed

Ed,
Not sure if these are too late or not, but here's some non-BN cars that made it to the PNW in the mid-late 1980s:

NW 861161 (GSC) Tacoma, WA 10/85
SLSF 9139 (GSC) Yakima, WA 7/25/87

SLSF 9122 (PS) Yakima, WA 7/25/87

SLSF 9100 (TC) Yakima, WA 7/25/87
SLSF 9108 (TC) Yakima, WA 7/25/87

Darrell Sawyer

 

[riogrande]

The NYC is pretty and tempting.

BTW, here are a couple of images from the FAST Times article - listed as typical cars seen on the Ford FAST. In the photo you can see green DT&I and PC P-S cars and the blue DT&I and Southern Greenville cars. The read Santa Fe is Thrall I believe. On the other photo are orange D&RGW and red Cotton Belt Greenville's.



As you can see above in the middle photo, there appears to be a black N&W Greenville too, so that will be on my shopping list for Tangent to offer. I'm sure there are more.

According to the caption:

"On the Rio Grande, cars from the following roads were common: Santa Fe, Norfolk & Western, Milwaukee Road, Missouri Pacific, Grand Trunk; Louisville & Nashville; Conrail; Chesapeake & Ohio; Erie Lackawanna; Penn Central, Southern Pacific; Western Pacific; and Rio Grande."

So I'll be interested in any of the above from Tangent as appropriate.

Aug 19, 2020 20:12:44 GMT -8 godzilla said:

As nice as the 86' cars are and I really could use them in my fleet I just cannot justifiably that kind of money for a single freight car. I have some of the 86' cars made by Athearn some time ago and although they really can't compare to Tangents models they will have to do. Some freight cars are just getting too expensive imo.

Dave

They are pricey, but if you can swing the scratch for even one...

BTW, I have a bunch of Athearn 86' Greenvilles for sale (including Southern, DT&I light blue, Wabash blue, Western Pacific brown, Rio Grande brown)

[Deleted]

Two words:

Stunningly superb.

[riogrande]

An SP I was watching sold for $202.50 - that 's the highest I've seen so far.

www.ebay.com/itm/Tangent-Scale-Models-HO-Southern-Pacific-SP-86-Greenville-Auto-Parts-Boxcar/254698597489

[drolsen]

Sept 1, 2020 4:23:08 GMT -8 riogrande said:

An SP I was watching sold for $202.50 - that 's the highest I've seen so far.

www.ebay.com/itm/Tangent-Scale-Models-HO-Southern-Pacific-SP-86-Greenville-Auto-Parts-Boxcar/254698597489

Wow. As much as I like my SP car, I'm not exactly attached to the particular number that I bought. That's really tempting to put mine up for sale and fund a replacement SP when David runs the scheme again, plus two or three additional cars.

Dave

[riogrande]

I haven't sold on Ebay for over 12 years, but that sure makes it tempting.

[edgecrusher]

And here I went I got one of the few names that didn't sell out. I never was good at gambling.

[stevewagner]

Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 7:47 p.m., EDT

As of a few minutes ago, M.B. Klein had some of these in stock at just under list price: NYC, CPAA, Conrail and a single DT&I.

[riogrande]

Looks like they got in SP and Southern as well but naturally those sold out already.

[NS4122]

Only NYC and CP left

[thebessemerkid]

Don't forget these were used in peat moss service

tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com/2016/09/hi-cube-boxcars-haul-peat-moss.html