with wraparound grabirons
As modernized in the early 1890s
| 28' SP Boxcar with wraparound grabirons As modernized in the early 1890s | |
| For several decades before 1900, boxcars with a length of 28’ were common on American railroads. This kit matches the 28’ boxcars purchased by the Southern Pacific Railway and its many subsidiaries in the 1870s and 1880s, and then rebuilt and modernized in the early 1890s. The modifications carried out at that time (as seen in photos and drawings in Southern Pacific Freight Cars – Volume 4: Boxcars by Anthony W. Thompson) included small changes in the hardware on the doors, and a major change in the ladders. The grabirons were moved to the right end of each car side, and to the neighboring left side of each car end. The five rungs at each corner - on both the sides and ends - were then formed from a single iron rod that was bent around the corner of the car. These 'wraparound grabirons' were one of the most characteristic features of SP boxcars in the Huntington era, and our kit's one-piece body is designed to make their installation as easy as possible. (As with all our kits, the modeler provides HO scale grabirons of his choice.) In the late 1890s, a few further changes were made to the prototype cars, in particular the addition of small metal lumber doors and tie rods on the car ends (neither feature is included in our kit). More than 2400 of these cars remained in revenue service in 1901, and 551 in 1908, but only 12 were left by 1912. Click on these photos for full-size images:
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| Outside Dimensions of Car | Length 28'2", Width 8'6" over sheathing, Body Height 8'10" from bottom of sheathing to top of roofwalk |
| Siding / Roof | 3" siding / 3" roof boards |
| Lettering | For the years 1891 to 1898, use Austin Modeling Associates set
#55, which has "SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY" around the perimeter of the
SP medallion (as seen on the cars above). The set also includes reporting marks for the SP and all
subsidiary roads (e.g. the Galveston, Harrisburg & San
Antonio). For 1899 to 1912, use AMA set #56, without the word COMPANY in the medallion. Both sets are available from the Silver Crash Car Works PAINTING DEPARTMENT at $4 per set with the kit, or $5 per set on their own. Clover House also has two sets of dry transfer lettering (8148-20 and 8148-21) for SP 28’ boxcars with the post-1898 herald. |
| Recommended Trucks | The prototype rode on the SP version of a Thielsen truck, with a wheelbase of 4'10". Rio Grande Models has
a 5' wheelbase truck for a Virginia & Truckee (Central
Pacific-built) boxcar that is close to being correct for these cars.
The truck is not listed in the Rio Grande Models online catalog, but is
available on request. |
| Estimated Construction Time | Basic kit: 3 hours including grab-irons and brake wheel Options requiring extra time: underbody brake rigging |
| Kits Available From | Silver Crash Car Works ($27 plus postage) |
