Please click on the images at right for pricing, SKUs, high resolution photos, prototype photos, car number options, and/or to order!
After World War II, Southern Pacific and subsidiary railroads SSW and T&NO embarked on an aggressive program to upgrade their aging 40-foot box car fleet to move lumber, paper, and other products. While other railroads were buying “modernized” boxcars, such as the infamous welded “PS-1s”, SP and its subsidiaries purchased a massive fleet of more than 19,000 new boxcars. These cars were different: they were built in 1950-1953 with riveted construction, and had 10’0” inside height instead of 10’6” inside height. While SP and subsidiaries initially ordered cars with 6-foot door openings, they settled on larger 7-foot door openings, built by Pullman-Standard, for the majority of the fleet. No layout is complete without these unique postwar 7-foot door boxcars, including railroads far from SP lines. While groups of these cars were rebuilt, repainted and restenciled over the years, examples remained in their as-built appearance (although repainted) through the 1970s.
These prototypes operated all over the USA, Canada, and Mexico from their origins in the early 1950s until the late 1970s. Our first release of replicas follows the features of these four prototypes:
The Southern Pacific Brown Delivery 1950+ cars wore the original Southern Pacific scheme from 1950, as applied by Pullman-Standard. These cars were assigned SP class B-50-28. It features the horizontal Southern Pacific Roman-style stenciling, plus the iconic “Southern Pacific Lines” logo painted in black. The details on the car include a Youngstown door, Apex running board and brake step, 8 rung side and end ladders, Universal handbrake housing, and a Miner handbrake.
The Texas & New Orleans (SP-T&NO) Brown Delivery 1953+ cars wore the livery for Southern Pacific’s Texas and New Orleans subsidiary. Delivered in 1953 as class B-50-32, these cars shared many stenciling features of the 1950 SP-delivered cars, pictured above. These cars include the horizontal Southern Pacific Roman-style stenciling, but stenciled up high. These cars also include the iconic “Southern Pacific Lines” logo painted in black and white. The details on the car include a 5-panel Superior door, a Morton style running board and brake step, 7 rung side and end ladders, a National-Peacock handbrake housing, and a Peacock handbrake.
The St. Louis Southwestern (SSW) Brown Delivery 1951+ Pullman-Standard prototypes were ordered from Pullman-Standard to protect origin loadings on the Southern Pacific’s St. Louis Southwestern (“The Cotton Belt Route”) subsidiary. Delivered in 1951, these cars featured the sharp “Blue Streak Fast Freight” lightning bolt graphics “underneath” the classy “Cotton Belt Route” herald, proving that the transition era really was a high point in railroad graphic design! The details on the car include a 7-panel Superior door, a Morton style running board and brake step, 8 rung side and end ladders, a Universal handbrake housing, and a Universal handbrake.
Southern Pacific liked to keep their fleet of boxcars in good condition, and part of that work was to apply fresh paint and modernized graphics to the cars over time. In 1960, SP was applying this modernized scheme that was seem alongside the originally-painted SP and predecessor cars. The details include a Youngstown door, a Morton style running board and brake step, 8 rung side and end ladders, Equipco handbrake housing, and a Equipco handbrake.
Now… on to the models!
Our July 2023 release includes the four prototype paint schemes described above. It also includes four undecorated options – available for purchase today! Please click on the images at right for pricing, SKUs, high resolution photos, prototype photos, car number options, and/or to order!
The Tangent Pullman-Standard SP Lines “Postwar” 40’6” Box Car is a state of the art, dimensionally-accurate scale replica that was tooled to Pullman-Standard plans and verified with field measurements. The distinctive look of the 40-foot boxcar with 10’0” height and 7-foot door openings is what sets this Tangent model apart from the 40-foot boxcars you already have. Our model comes with highly accurate “true-to-life” colors and “hyper-accurate” lettering including exact stenciling, fonts, and lettering placement. The Tangent PS “Postwar” 40-foot boxcars include appliance variations accurate for specific paint schemes, including different doors, door tracks, side and end ladders, brake systems, handbrake and brake step details, and running boards. Our boxcars include “near-scale” draft sill with beautifully-rendered side “key” detail, plus correct ASF 50-ton A-3 Ride Control trucks. Finally, our scale replicas operate as well as they look, equipped with free-rolling CNC-machined wheels and Kadee® scale couplers, meaning our models are truly ready-to-run.
We make the best cars money can buy in HO scale. A quick synopsis of our era and railroad-specific detail variations include:
- Dimensional accuracy – designed from actual Pullman-Standard blueprints and verified with field measurements
- Highly correct “true to life” colors
- “Hyper-Accurate” lettering including exact fonts and lettering placement
- Extremely realistic “bracket grab irons” and ladder assemblies
- 7 or 8 rung side and end ladders
- Beautiful diagonal panel roofs
- “See through” running boards and crossover platforms (in both Apex and Morton combinations)
- “Near scale” draft gear
- Genuine Kadee® scale couplers
- Separate flexible rubber air hoses
- Three 7’ door options (Youngstown, 5-Panel Superior, 7-Panel Superior)
- Two door track options
- Side tack board types/sizes and locations
- Six prototypically-accurate brake stands (Ajax, Universal, 2 Equipco versions, Miner, National/Peacock)
- Six possible handbrake “brake wheel” options (Ajax, Universal, Equipco, Miner, Peacock, Modern) National/Peacock)
- New ASF 50-ton A-3 Ride Control trucks
- 33” wheels, with front and back detail and accurate tapered axles
- Separate truck brake beam parts
- Recommended age 14 years and older
Don’t miss out on the Tangent Scale Models Pullman-Standard SP Lines “Postwar” 40’6” Box Car with 10’0” Height and 7’ Doors – one of the most-prolific car types on North American rails! 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. These are 40-foot box cars tooled in the current era and they look spectacular.
Please click on the images at right for pricing, SKUs, high resolution photos, prototype photos, car number options, and/or to order!
