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Cornfields
Products bearing Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific marks are made under trademark license from Union Pacific Railroad Company.

Bluford Shops is introducing a new run of our N scale Pullman Standard 86’ Quad Door Auto Parts Boxcars. This new set of releases will feature a new draft gear design that accommodates 1015 and compatible couplers (included,) our latest 70 ton roller bearing trucks and metal wheels. The minimum radius is 11”. They also include separate wire grab irons and etched metal platforms on the ends. The draft gear is mounted to the body but has a spring centered swing action that both resists string-lining the train pulling through curves and resists the trucks climbing the rail during shoving moves.

 

These super-size boxcars were originally built to carry high-value low-density automobile parts such as body panels and window glass to final assembly plants. This Quad Door variation was developed at the request of General Motors but could later be found serving other manufacturers as well. Cars were purchased in pools that included several railroads (based on mileage) and several auto plants. For instance, a pool could include plants in California, Michigan, Georgia and New York and include boxcars from more than half a dozen railroads. Cars could be assigned to any destination in the pool whether or not it was on the home road. In later years, these cars could be found carrying other low-density loads such as turbine fans, paper pulp, breakfast cereal and even peat moss used in landscaping.

 

Placement of road numbers, some data elements and even logos may vary by road number based on the prototype. Pre-Orders will remain open at least through November 28 with release planned sometime in the second half of 2023. MSRP: $36.95 each. Retailers take note, this is a short-discount item. Please contact our distributors Heartland Hobby Wholesale and Walthers for details.

Pre-Orders are closed on items shown in RED.
New 86' Quad Door Boxcars are coming to N Scale!
Pre-Orders are now open. Ask your dealer to order through our distributors Heartland Hobby Wholesale, Walthers or in Canada, Puce Creek.

CSX first appeared in 1980 as a holding company whose railroad subsidiaries were consolidated in stages. The CSX image was adopted for rolling stock in 1986 however equipment still carried reporting marks for Seaboard System, Chesapeake & Ohio or Baltimore & Ohio for another year. It was during this period that these CSX-B&O boxcars began to appear. This paint scheme will be available in 4 road numbers.

87230  CSX - B&O  #B&O 492018

87231  CSX - B&O  #B&O 492007

87235  CSX - B&O  #B&O 492049

87237  CSX - B&O  #B&O 492043

 

Norfolk Southern inherited 86’ quad door boxcars from both predecessors Southern and Norfolk & Western with more joining the fleet as a result of the Conrail split. The yellow reflector stripes began to appear in 2005. This paint scheme will be available in 2 road numbers.

87240   Norfolk Southern #NS 657497

87241   Norfolk Southern #NS 657494

 

 

Rock Island was an early adopter of the 86’ quad door boxcar, receiving this batch from Pullman Standard in the summer of 1964. They are thought to be the first boxcars to be delivered to RI without running boards. It seems the builder received special dispensation to leave them off. This paint scheme will be available in 3 road numbers.

87250   Rock Island shield #RI 32958

87251  Rock Island shield #RI 32964

87255   Rock Island shield #RI 32960

 

 

 

Conrail had the largest fleet of 86’ quad door boxcars having inherited the fleets from Pennsylvania, New York Central, Penn Central and Erie Lackawanna. Most were painted in this “medium logo” paint scheme. Two road numbers in this release CR 293779 and CR 237455 have the yellow centerplate inspection dot next to the road number. The other two do not.

87260   Conrail medium logo #CR 293067

87261   Conrail medium logo #CR 293779

87265   Conrail medium logo #CR 237665

87267   Conrail medium logo #CR 237455

 

 

 

 

Union Pacific took delivery of this batch of 86’ quad door boxcars in July of 1966. UP was still using the “RAILROAD” version of the shield not to mention the 6-color “automated rail way” slogan and map used on many UP boxcars with cushioned underframes. This group was initially assigned for loading at a Chevy plant on the NYC in Cleveland. This paint scheme will be available in 4 road numbers.

87270  Union Pacific Automated Railway # UP 980212

87271   Union Pacific Automated Railway # UP 980219

87275   Union Pacific Automated Railway # UP 980215

87277   Union Pacific Automated Railway # UP 980217

 

 

 

Missouri Pacific received this group from Pullman Standard in February of 1965. Like most auto parts boxcars, these were part of a multi-railroad, multi-plant pool with this group assigned for loading at a Chevy plant on the GTW in Flint, Michigan. MP was the only railroad to also stencil the road number on the left door so it can be identified when the open door covered the regular road number stencil on the car side. This paint scheme will be available in 3 road numbers.

87280   Missouri Pacific as delivered #MP 272017

87281   Missouri Pacific as delivered #MP 272001

87285   Missouri Pacific as delivered #MP 272020

 

 

 

Grand Trunk Western obtained this goup of boxcars in the summer of 1967. They were also assigned for loading to the Chevy plant in Flint, Michigan. We present these cars as they appeard after 1974 with consolidated stencils and ACI tags. This paint scheme will be available in 3 road numbers.

87290   Grand Trunk Western post-'74 #GTW 378221

87291   Grand Trunk Western post-'74 #GTW 378249

87295   Grand Trunk Western post-'74 #GTW 378237

 

 

 

This New York Central paint scheme represents an early delivery (February of 1965) from Pullman Standard. This group sports extra heavy NYC reporting marks that seem to be unique to this batch. Perhaps the original stencil specs went missing and Pullman Standard made replacements based on the heavier lettering used in the logo. These cars had black ends, a practice discontinued on later deliveries. The paint scheme will be available in 4 road numbers.

87300   New York Central black ends #NYC 67088

87301   New York Central black ends #NYC 67042

87305   New York Central black ends #NYC 67095

87307   New York Central black ends #NYC 67063

 

 

 

Southern Railway served auto plants in Georgia and rostered a respectable fleet of these quad door cars. This is the second paint scheme applied to these cars including “Gives a Green Light To Innovations” and “Southern Serves The South” mottos. This paint scheme will be available in 3 road numbers.

87310   Southern Gives a Green Light… #42372

87311   Southern Gives a Green Light… #42353

87315   Southern Gives a Green Light… #42365

 

In 1995 Canadian National was privitized and their US subsidiaries were transitioned to the status of “paper railroads” with operations and marketing images integrated into CN. Since subsidiary Grand Trunk Western had many more 86’ boxcars than CN, GTW blue was adopted as the new standard color. As the internet became ubiquitous, CN added their website below the familiar CN noodle. These cars have “CANADIAN” (English) on one side and “CANADIEN” (French) on the other. This paint scheme will be available in 3 road numbers.

87320  Canadian National website #CNA 798028

87321   Canadian National website #CNA 798053

87325   Canadian National website #CNA 798027

 

 

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