Westerfield HO-Scale NYC USRA Steel Boxcar, Dreadnaught Ends

Operating Era: 1921-1967. ALL 2900 SERIES CARS HAVE BEEN RE-MASTERED WITH ONE PIECE BODIES, INCLUDING #2951. New York Central, Boston & Albany, Cleveland, Cincinati, Chicago & St. Louis, Michigan Central, Cincinati Northern, Peoria & Eastern, Hannibal Connecting RR, Northhampton & Bath. The United States Railway Administration confiscated the railroads in December 1917. It produced standard freight car designs to ease the freight car shortage. The steel box car design was never built but NYC used the design throughout the 1920`s as their basic design. 21,000 cars were built for NYC and subsidiaries between 1922-28 with evolving design changes built in. See Kit #2951 for the Dreadnaught End version. Peoria & Eastern received 150 corrugated door cars from AC&F in 1926-27. It also received about 400 cars from Michigan Central in the 1940's, the only subsidiary to increase its cars after delivery. Some of the MC cars surely had the earlier Creco doors. Our kit contains both sets of doors and NYC Lines and System heralds to cover the life of the car (to the late 1960's). One piece car body casting. Universal Cement purchased 300 cars identical to the early New York Central from AC&F in 1923. Sometime shortly thereafter the towing staples were removed and heavier towing plates added. This acts as the spotting feature. In 1932 Universal sold 150 cars to Northampton & Bath. In 1935-6 Universal sold all but ten of the remaining cars, 67 to NB and 65 to Hannibal Connecting. Although repainted, the cars were never renumbered, resulting in non-consecutive numbers on both railroads. N&B cars went through three lettering styles, each making the lettering and herald bigger. In the early 1940's the door was braced by an additional steel plate. AB brakes were added about this time and in the 1960's a protective plate was added on the side sill next to the triple valve. All of these lettering and detail variations are found in kit 2953. NOW IN A ONE PIECE BODY. New York Central. USRA Steel Box Car, Built 1927 with Dreadnaught Ends. Operating Era 1927-1953.