box cars – Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads

Rapido Trains X23 box cars and R7 reefers

Rapido Trains recently released a couple of HO scale freight cars that fit right into my 1926 modeling focus. These models reflect Pennsylvania Railroad prototypes built in the Teens.

Special run N&W box car

The Norfolk & Western Historical Society has produced a special run of HO scale 36-foot box car kits with Accurail. These models have wood ends and a straight center sill.

Resin kit builds – Missouri Pacific cars

I’ve built several HO scale resin freight car kits since the summer of 2023. For some reason, I’ve forgotten to share the overall progress. Some details have appeared on the blog, but overall summaries have been lacking. Let’s start with a couple Missouri Pacific cars that were enjoyable builds.

Rapido Trains Pennsy X23 box car and R7 reefer

The latest Rapido Trains HO scale model announcement has created quite a buzz among railroad modelers, especially for those modelers focused on the 1912-1940 years. Model production has started on the Pennsylvania Railroad X23 class box car and R7 class refrigerator car. These are distinctive prototypes that had many years of service.

Prototype finds

My wife and I were driving around our new area recently and we stumbled upon a small railroad museum in Newtown Square, Penna. An old box car caught my eye and we had to circle back for a closer look.