Model Railroading > MILW ribside boxcars from Accurail arrive in HO

My first order of these 40' long rib 6' door cars arrived at my local hobby shop today. These are models produced from the out of production Ribside Car Co dies. If you are happy with RCC models you will be happy with the Accurail models. The grabirons on the sides, ends and roofwalks are cast onto the models. All the ladders are standoff parts.

The airbrake components are properly located but have no linkage or piping components. All brake components on the car ends are modeled.

There are a couple of shortcomings you will need to take care of. The plastic couplers need to be replaced by correct models from KD OR Sargent work well. The truck sideframes are finely cast and make a good representation for 50 ton or 55 ton loads. They are equipped with plastic wheels and axles. Walthers Proto metal wheels with plastic axles make smooth running replacements. Since these cars were homebuilt in the MILW Shops the trucks came painted boxcar red. Accurail provides cast black trucks so they will need to be painted to match the carbody.

There is some fine part assembly required. All the parts are molded to fit in the mounting locations provided. One will need fine parts nippers or a sharp hobby knife and fine liquid cement to finish construction. A small screw driver is needed for securing trucks and couplers. If you are comfortable with Athearn blue box tank cars and covered hoppers you will be ready to start on one of these kits. After a couple of these you can move on to Intermountain kits if you can find them.

Thanks to Accurail for bringing this kit line back into production. Price is $18.98. You will need to add $5-$7 for replacement couplers and wheelsets.

I've built two, but the brake platform stanchions (the same parts as the end-car roofwalk supports) were too small (and my elderly eyes and hands too shaky) to mount properly, so I simply omitted them  I also broke both cars' brakewheel chain and link assemblies--a very fine sliver of plastic-- but was able to substitute some long-shanked metal craft pins without any trouble.

Art House

I used a small drill to enlarge the hole for for the handbrake rod. I think the paint on both parts made things too tight.

I am hoping Accurail will add complete underbody brake linkages over time. I guess that may depend on sales and what that will do to the price. I emailed them last night about casting the truck sideframes in boxcar red plastic since all the ribside cars were built with boxcar red painted trucks to match the carbody. I also hope Accurail also does short rib cars which were far more common than long rib cars.

If you travel through Duh Loot (Duluth) you can go down the lift bridge park and buy ice cream from a real MILW ribside car. You get to see how the side panel sections were rolled for strength and how they were welded together for the full size cars and attached to the car ends. Almost as good as a museum and the girls serving the ice cream are cuter, too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/20 10:29 by fbe.

I have forgotten to mention the end of the box is proudly marked

MADE IN THE USA

I came across this article which may be of interest to those of us who are picking up a ribside or two:

The Milwaukee Road Horizontal Rib Box Cars by James A. Kindakra

I'm trying to find when each of the two lettering schemes Accurail is offering was used. My research is just starting, but the two lettering schemes offered have NEW dates within months of each other, leading me to believe (if research was accurate) that the two schemes were used concurrently. For my era (1953), the 1940 NEW date will have to be repainted and a reweigh date and place applied.

I just ordered mine, so I haven't see one yet. Is the lumber door included? These were built with and without lumber door (small door on the A-end).

I hope this helps,

 

Arved Grass
Fleming Island, FL

The models have a lumber door on the A end with 4/5 Dreadnaught ends.