Model Railroading > MILW 4607 - Hi-Tech Details 40' Baby Hy-Cube

Just posting a pic of a quick little project I just wrapped up for a friend and fellow train club member. This is a Hi-Tech Details 40' baby Hy-cube boxcar flat-kit, lettered for Milwaukee Road. Ahh kits, we all remember those... They have a special place in my modeling heart. Just something different about holding a nicely finished kit in your hand as opposed to the fresh-out-the-box- RTR option. Not trying to bag on RTR (that much...)

• I dialed down the stock car number from 4609 to 4607 with the help of a few choice Microscale decals (close enough number "7"s that I had on hand...).
• A-line metal stirrups were installed along the lower corners instead of the super thin plastic options from the kit, for strength's sake.
• Hi-Tech Details rubber air hoses were CAed onto the sides of the coupler boxes.
• Kadee #5 style couplers installed on each end, along with ExactRail 33" metal wheels set into the provided Accurail trucks.
• The plastic crossover platforms were dressed up with a little silver sharpie marking to bring out their detail.
• A touch of semigloss white acrylic paint added along the top edges of the roof ends to accentuate the excess height markings.
• 3.5 oz of metal weight stuck inside as well to beef this box up for long 50 car freights. No weight provided with the kit, which is fine with me, saves on shipping costs!

Overall should be a nice (albeit short) addition to my buddie's 1980s Rio Grande freights. It's not the exquisite Tangent model... But for almost 50% less MSRP, I'm willing to bet it will easily pass the 3' rule if not the 18" rule. Especially after it gets a little weathering added to it.

Mr. MRL

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Like!

Tom Y

It is always nice to see someone modeling the home road.

Posted from Android

not as exquisite? don't sell yourself so short....that's a beautiful model. well done!

Could go even further with the Plano crossover platforms, Moloco draft gear and Kadee 58s.  That's why kits are so entertaining. Very nice work.

Not bad at all. Good job polishing that boxcar up.

Posted from Android

Cute boxcar, nic

Posted from Android

Any idea where the MILW ran cars like this and in what type of service?

I think the Hi-Tech sat a little too high which I fixed and get rid of the generic boxes for the cushioning.  It was and still is a great kit otherwise and, for my likes, can sit beside a Tangent model of the same car.  By the same token, the Eel River Models Beer car is a good model and once you fix up the cushioning device, it blends in with the Exactrail cars too.

Rick

Nice job on the Hi-tech box car.  It compares well with the new Tanget cars.

rschonfelder Wrote:
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> I think the Hi-Tech sat a little too high which I
> fixed and get rid of the generic boxes for the
> cushioning.  It was and still is a great kit
> otherwise and, for my likes, can sit beside a
> Tangent model of the same car.  By the same
> token, the Eel River Models Beer car is a good
> model and once you fix up the cushioning device,
> it blends in with the Exactrail cars too.
>
> Rick

And the Eel River cars repesent an earlier beer box car; I've got 7 of the Eel River cars (dated 1977 IIRC) and a similar number of the ExactRail beer cars (dated 1980).

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> Any idea where the MILW ran cars like this and in
> what type of service?

Judging from the route stencilling, more than likely assigned to Whirlpool Evansville IN for appliance loading.

penncentral74 Wrote:
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> Milwaukee Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Any idea where the MILW ran cars like this and
> in
> > what type of service?
>
> Judging from the route stencilling, more than
> likely assigned to Whirlpool Evansville IN for
> appliance loading.

I have a photo of one of these cars entrained on #262 out of Portland, OR in the summer of 1971. So they occasionally made appearances on the Pacific Extension. I think these appliance cars were more commonly seen on Lines East.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Cars in these pools ran to appliance distributorships, which could be found in most significant cities. Intermountain Distributors in Pocatello ID frequently had one of these on its warehouse siding in the '70s, and Poc was right on the UP and kind of a distribution center for Eastern Idaho.

I anticipate unit trains of these to appear on club layouts despite their independent travel patterns.

Rick

rschonfelder Wrote:
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> I anticipate unit trains of these to appear on
> club layouts despite their independent travel
> patterns.
>
> Rick

I've noticed that - so it's always a pleasure to see realistic freight consists whenever they are run!

Years ago I had a couple of the Athearn foobies 40' hi-cubes but have known for over 20 years that D&RGW never own anything like the Athearn model, so it was nice to see Hi-tech offer a corrct box car.  I'm also pleased Tangent is offering theirs and to randomly throw into freights heading to distributors around the country!

Cheers, Jim Fitch

> I anticipate unit trains of these to appear on
> club layouts despite their independent travel patterns.

Hello,

Not unit trains, but I have found several examples of "GE Specials" operating across the UP in the late '60s / early '70s.  Presumably they ran from Louisville via Kansas City, No. Platte, Cheyenne and Ogden to GE's huge distribution facility in Clearfield, Utah.  I can't say how many 40-foot high cubes were in those trains (possibly a few, but almost certainly not an entire train of them) - they were most likely comprised of a mix of appliance car types with a "fill" of other freight also possible on the trains.

Take care,

Mark



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/16 07:08 by mamfahr.

Don't feel bad....I have a ton of the PC ones as well....they are an interesting car to be sure. 

Our club also has some "shorty" enclosed autoracks.....and they do not look so bad...I am thinking they are around 60 feet long....they kind of grow on you :)

Bob