Rapido Trains Pennsy X23 box car and R7 reefer

Rapido Trains photo

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.

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Shawmut freight car update

Dave Ramos photo

I was recently searching for something on my blog and I came across Perry Squier’s posts on Shawmut freight cars he was building. After reviewing his posts again, I realized the final appearance of some models had not been shared. It’s time for project closure!

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Missouri Pacific boxcar fleet

Steven Hedlund shared an interesting review of the Missouri Pacific boxcar fleet. His profile includes subsidiary Lines and historical notes on how the company grew. The MP was a major bridge route between western states and rail connections at St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans.

Missouri Pacific boxcars pop up in many pre-1930 images. Steve reviews several car designs and lettering changes through the first decades of the 20th Century. His Missouri Pacific PDF can be reviewed in the Freight Car Fleets resource section of the blog.


In other Missouri Pacific news, a new book is coming soon from the MP Railroad Historical Society. Charlie Duckworth has curated selected photographs from the Society archives for a 160 page book. Additional details can be reviewed on the Society Store.


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Roadtrip finds

My lovely wife and I hit the road recently to visit our kids and grand kids, and my parents. We drove from middle Tennessee to Buffalo to celebrate a second birthday with a grandson. The Heritage Discovery Center was holding an open house, so we dropped by for a visit the day after the party.

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