B&O 381601 M–53 Box Car
This car was photographed by Christie Dembeck. The layout is Pro Custom Hobbies' Store layout.
HISTORY
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered in 1827 as America's first common carrier. The B&O pioneered several freight car designs. One of these designs was the M-53 series of 40 foot Box Cars. The Box Cars became known as "Wagontop" Box Cars because the design resembled that of a covered wagon. The design was very simple. The roof and sides were one piece of sheet metal. This eliminated the seam between the roof and the sides where leaks could occur. The design was very successful and the B&O went on to build several thousand box cars in this series. The B&O also carried the design into other cars, most notably the N-34 class of covered hoppers and the I-12 class of cabooses.
The Model
The model is a resin kit distributed by Central Hobby Supply of East Syracuse, N.Y. The kit is manufactured by Funaro & Camerlengo. This kit represents the first of the cars produced by the B&O. The kit is built with Creco doors.
The body is a one piece body with added details. All of the detail has been added per the prototype, including ladders and grab irons. Several of the grab irons had to be custom made to fit a particular area. The underframe has been completely detailed. All brake rigging and air lines have been added. The air line is .025 Plastic Rod. All of the lines from the various brake components is .010 wire. All other lines are .012 wire.
The car's base coat is Floquil Gray Primer to blend the different materials. The top coat is Polly Scale Zinc Chromate Primer.
The model was sprayed with Polly S Gloss Finish and Polly S Flat Finish after the decals were applied.
The decals are kit decals. The lettering scheme uses the "13 Great States" herald and layout. This scheme was applied to these cars during the mid to late 1940's.
The trucks are Kadee Bettendorf Trucks with metal wheels. The wheelsets are painted Rust with Oily Black used to represent the residue leaking from the journal boxes. The axles are painted Grimy Black. The truck sideframes are painted Grimy Black and weathered using Tarnished Black, Steam Powered Black, and Rust.