Tangent is Scale Models is happy to announce the second release of our Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car! This is not just a single box car model, but instead a system of 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car models. Today, we release seven all-new paint schemes for the industry’s first “high-detail” 86’ auto parts car model in HO scale. This is not a pre-order announcement — the cars are available right now!
During the 1960s, the most radical freight car designs employed the extreme height clearances offered by Plate F car designs. In 1964, no car type articulated this extreme more than the 86-foot, purpose-built “Auto Parts” boxcars. These large boxcars became fixtures on the rails all over North American mainlines, riding hot trains to deliver components vital to the productivity of auto plants. While several car builders offered 86’ auto parts boxcars, the most prolific builder of the double plug door design was Greenville Steel Car Company of Greenville PA. More than 4,400 of these cars were acquired by most major railroads, and they were assigned to pools where multiple railroad’s cars served a specific shipper or shippers. Original utilization of these cars was for Ford, Pontiac, and Chrysler, as well as deliveries from 3rd party parts suppliers to the auto plants. Greenville’s 1964-1978 production was the longest run for this car type, with many still in service today.
The Tangent Scale Models Greenville 86′ Double Plug Door Box Car continues the design and operational standards set by previous models in the Tangent product line. Our product currently builds up to seven major build variations (yes SEVEN, you read that right), including three specific body variations, four different brake layouts (two brake systems), four different draft gear combinations, and three underframe styles which incorporate Center-of-Car Cushioning and End-Of-Car Cushioning options. The Tangent Greenville 86’ box car includes a 70-ton or 100-ton truck option, with selections appropriate for each paint scheme, and both include “spinning” roller bearing caps. Finally, our cars are weighted properly and come with Kadee® couplers mounted in specially-designed coupler pockets which means they operate as good as they look. Due to the car’s size, we recommend curves of 24” or larger for these models.
Our December 2020 release includes these seven new paint schemes – available for purchase today!
– CSX “Repaint 1991/92+” offers one of our most requested schemes for this boxcar. We chose our CSX numbers from ex-C&O Chessie cars, repainted into the CSX “Insignia Blue” scheme. Each of the three numbers features car-specific lettering and stencil locations. Car #180888 was repainted in 1991 while car numbers 180893 and 180899 followed in 1992. The “Ease Up!” stickers at each car end are present, along with their micro-sized counterparts on the doors themselves! This 1977-built Greenville group features body-mounted brake rigging hanging down from the underframe and 100-Ton low-profile trucks with 36” wheels and rotating Timken roller bearing caps, just like the prototype. These beauties are available with three road numbers!
– CSX “Repaint Conspicuity 2005+” is our offering for the “conspicuity” era modelers in this release. These 1991 Insignia Blue CSX repaints have conspicuity striping, making them appropriate for the 2005+ era. Each of the two car numbers features specific data and conspicuity striping patterns to offer accurate variety for your trains. Originally part of the same C&O 1977 group of cars as offered above, our models share the features of the prototypes including body-mounted brake rigging hanging down from the underframe and 100-Ton low-profile trucks with 36” wheels and rotating Timken roller bearing caps. These cars are ready to operate with two different road numbers!
– GTW “Original 1977” is a true classic scheme in the world of boxcars. Our “Good Track Road” offering features beautiful blue paint with white graphics. The Grand Truck Western received 75 Greenville cars in 1977. These replicas feature our 1977 body with end ladders, body-mounted brake rigging hanging down from the underframe and 100-Ton Barber S-2-C “Low Profile” trucks with 36” wheels and rotating Brenco-6 roller bearing caps, just like the prototype. This scheme is available with six road numbers!
– L&N “Original 1965” represents the second Louisville & Nashville order of Greenville 86’ Double-Door box cars. Delivered in 1965, this group of 55 cars featured Center-of-Car Cushioning with truck mounted brakes. Fun fact: By 1965, L&N was using “Codit” reflective liquid on its reporting marks, resulting in among other things, an increase in nighttime visibility. We have duplicated this distinctive look with our model’s lettering – note the subtle change for the shade of yellow for the large L&N and car number versus the rest of the data and graphics. We sweat the little details too – our model is equipped with an accurate National Champion-Peacock hand brake and 70T trucks with 33” wheels and rotating Brenco-6 roller bearing caps. Finally, this L&N offering was part of the Ford’s Chicago Stamping Pool, resulting in an accurate Chicago Heights, Illinois return route stencil and is available in six different numbers.
– NW B-108 “Repaint 1975+” is one scheme we could not resist choosing for our second run. By the 1970s, the NW had settled on its black paint scheme and bold white graphics. Our N&W offering for this production represents cars that received new paint at Roanoke in 1975, including era-defining COTS and extra single door guides applied. This is a large group of cars, originally delivered to the N&W in 1966, and the models feature a correct 1966 body with Center of Car Cushioning and Truck brake appliances mounted to 70T Trucks with 33” wheels and rotating Timken roller bearing caps. This classic 1970s black repaint is available in four road numbers!
– WP “Original 1964” 1966+ Era shows off some of the boldest graphics we have in the 86’ Greenville box car world. This rolling billboard features Western Pacific’s huge yellow lettering and “Distribution Dividend” logo. These cars were delivered in 1964 with full running boards but were soon modified in 1965. These significant modifications included the removal of the roof running board, the lowering of the brake wheel housing and removal of high grab irons and end ladders. Our WP model replicates this 1966+ look with exact features: an accurate 1964-built body, bolt “remnants” on the sides and ends of the model, and a roof with the old bolt locations of the running board supports! The features go on and on, including 70T trucks with 33” wheels, accurate truck-mounted brake details and rotating Timken roller bearing caps. This car is available in six numbers.
All of these models – and prototype images – can be seen at www.tangentscalemodels.com !
If your favorite railroad is not listed in this run, don’t fear, we have many more schemes coming. Please keep in mind that these were pooled boxcars which means you might consider buying cars in a variety of road names. For example: Prototype photos show the WP car is going to look equally good rolling through San Bernadino, California, Wabash, Indiana, or Hapeville, Georgia. The L&N car is going to be perfectly at home in Buffalo, New York, Windsor, Ontario, or Howard, Colorado! Ford auto parts pools are a wonderful thing. The boxcar schemes were always varied in train consists unless you model the very modern era. And today, when you see a cut of these you usually see a mix of roadnames represented, although the mix is fewer of course due to the shrinkage in railroads!
This second release of our Greenville 86’ Box Cars includes 7 different possible build variations. We also have more body variations in progress, including the quad-door cars. Please keep in mind that quad door cars represented 8% of the overall Greenville Steel Car production. This is why we have started with this system of double-plug doors – in order to satisfy the greatest fleet and paint scheme percentages! These are the statistically-relevant cars from a prototype production standpoint.
The Tangent Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car system is a state of the art, dimensionally-accurate scale replica that was tooled to Greenville Steel Car plans and verified with field measurements. Our model comes with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact stenciling, fonts, and lettering placement. Our Greenville 86’ system of models offers a multitude of detail variations and phases to replicate the many different Greenville Steel Car offerings. A quick synopsis of our era and railroad-specific detail variations include:
• Body shells with or without overlapping side panels
• EOCC (end of car cushioning) or COCC (center of car cushioning) “near scale”draft gear variations with genuine Kadee® scale couplers
• Separate flexible rubber air hoses
• Roofs with running board supports remaining in place (1965+ appearance since the running boards were gone by 1966) and roofs without running board supports (1965+ Greenville production)
• Under car brake system variations
• “See through” etched metal end crossover platforms in three possible options: Gypsum, Apex, or Morton
• Side tack board types/sizes and locations
• Seven prototypically-accurate brake stands (Ajax, Universal, Equipco, Miner 6600, Champion-Peacock, Elcon-National, Peacock 850)
• Two possible handbrake “brake wheel” options
• Optional 3rd door arm hinge parts to be configured one of three ways
• Two brand new truck sideframes: 70-Ton Barber S-2A Roller Bearing Truck or a 100-Ton “Low Profile” Barber S-2-C Roller Bearing Truck (outlined at the end of this press release)
• 33” or 36” wheels, as applicable to each model
• Two brand new truck brake beam part options
• Three brand new “rotating” roller bearing truck cap options
• Recommended age 14 years and older
Finally, check out the TRUCKS on these cars! Our Greenville 86’ High Cube Double Plug Door Box Car models feature one of two new truck options – either a 70-Ton Barber S-2A Roller Bearing Truck or a 100-Ton “Low Profile” Barber S-2-C Roller Bearing Truck. These all-new truck options are systems of their own! They include your choice of 3 different “rotating” roller bearing caps and 3 different wheel options. Each truck also has the option of two separate brake beam parts, either for body-mounted brake systems (which are our standard offering), or for truck-mounted brake systems (available as a swap-in part). Our trucks and parts are available separately, and our RTR-cars come equipped with the correct configurations of trucks and parts!
With accurate roadname and era-specific details, genuine Kadee couplers, and all-metal wheels, we provide you with a high-value model that will provide you with years of enjoyment and curb-appeal. Pricing for RTR models is $54.95, with quantity discounts for direct purchases from Tangent Scale Models.
That wraps up our update for today, and thank you for supporting the family-owned businesses in our industry!
David Lehlbach
Tangent Scale Models