LGB 50 foot Modern Box Car - Lowered for Body Mounting Kadee 907 Centerset Couplers

LGB makes a few American type railcars appropriate for standard gauge that include the modern external post type 50 foot boxcar.
As some folks may already know, the LGB 50 foot boxcars are back in production now with new road names that include AMTRAK, Middleton & New Jersey, and BNSF. I got the BNSF car.

The BNSF car is offered in two versions, both brown colored, but with one road number having the roundel type herald like the pre-merger AT&SF herald and the other road number having the newer “speed letter” BNSF lettering. The round herald version I got is shown below.

As typical of LGB and some other “G” companies, the car sits somewhat high from the railhead and comes standard with truck mounted hook & loop couplers.

Examining the car for body mounting Kadees shows the car can be lowered to better accept them whilst looking more prototypical, too.

To lower the car, I chose the easy way by replacing the LGB trucks with Aristo-Craft Barber roller bearing trucks. Doing so facilitates body mounting Kadee 907 centerset couplers which is what I did. (Though the LGB truck can be modified to lower the car, it takes more work and time.)

With the LGB 50 foot boxcar lowered using Aristo Barber trucks and body mounted Kadee 907s, the car operates OK down to 8 foot diameter track, which is my worst case minimum track diameter target.

For more complete information, including the “How To’s”, see the full “vignette” (article) hosted for me by Greg E. on his Web site, title: LGB Modern 50 foot Box Car & Body Mount Kadee 907s

-Ted

Nice (how-to) write up Ted !

Ted, how do the length and width scale as compared to the prototype? (I see you got the height right ha ha).

Greg

Rooster,

Thank you. It seems not too many folks that do things describe how to do it.

Greg,

I think what you are asking is does the length and width of the LGB 50 foot car, when scaled up, compare to the prototype dimensions.
Since I don’t have control short of dissecting or adding material to the LGB car, I did not address this for practical reasons.

That said, the car’s length and width are reasonable since they closely match other 1/29 scale brands’ products when physically comparing them or coupling the cars to one another.
From looking at prototype drawings that I have that appear to be as close to the LGB car that I can assess, the prototype width is typically 10 to 10 1/2 feet wide which is close to what I recall measuring when scaling.

As to the length of the LGB car, there are a few ways to do this with respect to prototype dimensions. For example, measuring from one end of the car to the opposite end “over the strikers”, as it is termed, can vary as to cushion type draft gear, if any, and to its particular design.

The LGB car retrofitted with Kadee 907 boxes are virtually the same as the LGB vestigial draft gear boxes that extend to the end of the foot platforms. Looking at many prototype exterior post type box car pictures shows some that are like the LGB car and others with very pronounced draft gear projections beyond the end of the platform, not all of which are identified as having a cushion or shock type system.

I will have to measure the LGB car’s exact length and check it against the closest material I have to work with, particularly the book, “BNSF Railway Freight Cars Volume One” by Robert C. Del Grosso.

Page 77 has a dimensional drawing of an exterior post car but with a plug door. Looking at the book’s tabular specs. and other data, it looks like the LGB car in BNSF livery may best be representative of a former SLSW car (Frisco). BNSF mergers included the Frisco.

-Ted

If you have a prototype reporting mark, you might be able to get the extreme dimensions from ShipCSX: https://shipcsx.com/pub_sx_trackingpublic_jct/sx.trackingpublic/UmlerSearch

" Rooster " said:

Nice (how-to) write up Ted !

Another well put article for future reference