Model Railroading > MILW 4785 cu ft grain hopper comparison

MILW had 3 cars total in the 100500-100502 series.

Scale Trains did the models several months ago. This week Intermountain's version of the same cars arrived in hobby shops. Both companies have produced quality models as expected. The only difference I see in the castings in the stirrup steps.

The lettering on the cars is difference. Intermountain cars have thicker, bolder billboard letters. Small lettering in boxes on the IM cars are larger and more opaque than the ST cars.

So which model is more correct?

Thanks.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/20 13:35 by fbe.

Goggle is your friend for photos!

So far no luck in finding proto photos of any of these cars online. I cannot find any proto images on the Scale Train web pages either.

If you can find a link, please send it along, thanks.

Checked my copy of Milwaukee road Color Guide vol 2 by Nighswonger, they confirm the 100500 to 100503 numbers are seperate from the yellow 4740's below and grey 4740's abovve but they don't have any photos that I can find of the exact numbers or that capacity car.

https://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=11458

The link provided by top hat leads to a Keith Belk photo of DME 23374 which is a 4785 cu ft car still in MILW yellow paint with the Resourceful Railroad panel. The reporting marks are on a white patch. The original Milwaukee Road billboard matches the Scale Train models. Since those are sold out the Intermountain Models cars with bolder letters in hobby shops now are your only choice. Who knows when either company will do a second run.

The ST stirrups are correct, the IM stirrups can be replaced with after market parts.

NStophat, thanks for the link.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/20 11:00 by fbe.

Good info. Very consistent with theway Milwaukee would purchase or lease odd sized lots of unusual cars apparently for specific customers. Curious if these were in general service or assigned to a specific shipper, either way it's an interesting car, not to mention the whole Milwaukee Road crazy way of things.

I don't see the F(?) above the car numbers indicating it was a lease car. I have heard nothing about a reason for the 3 car order. These might be wreck replacement cars from another road or something tagged onto an order coming from PS to another road which would save on set up costs for such a small order. MILW has them in the 113 class which is the same as their 4740 cars. I will have to see if I have a post 1972 ORER to check.

The ORER from 04/75 lists these cars with gravity unloading and a lined interior. There are no special routing, loading or customer codes assigned to these cars. Just plain grain cars which probably cube out before they weigh out with export wheat.,

They didn't have the "F" as-built.

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't see the F(?) above the car numbers
> indicating it was a lease car. I have heard
> nothing about a reason for the 3 car order. These
> might be wreck replacement cars from another road
> or something tagged onto an order coming from PS
> to another road which would save on set up costs
> for such a small order. MILW has them in the 113
> class which is the same as their 4740 cars. I
> will have to see if I have a post 1972 ORER to
> check.