Information Request: Pre-war(?) B&O Mail Car

[GDorsett]

Picked this up at last weekend's show and have no idea what to do with it, but it's cool. It looks pre-war and the trucks look far too big to be correct. Does anyone have information or know where to find it? I can supply more pictures of requested...

 

 

 

[bill937ca]

I would think much earlier than pre-war.  I reminds of the equipment the Maryland & Pennsylvania ran until the early 1950s.  I would guess the car dates from the 1800s.

[GDorsett]

By pre-war, I meant pre-WWI. Pre-both wars.

[Nick_Burman]

Old Ambroid kit... circa 1860's I should say. Definitely needs a change of trucks.

 

Cheers NB

[GDorsett]

Here is what my club found for me:
https://rrmuseumpa.org/collections/roster/?fbclid=IwAR3WOqcTJ0Rdx5qC2msRNNVxhXt9qJuGJaaQLzOsc-ilKV7t8yIDfmqqbcs

If you scroll down to the coach section, there is one labelled Cumberland Valley Combination Car. It was built in 1855 and looks almost identical to this model except for two things:

A: This model has the wrong trucks. It's got heaviweight trucks off of a Pullman coach

B: This model is a coach/mail combination, not a coach/baggage, so it had windows along the sides of the narrow portion.

 

2 hours ago, Nick_Burman said:

Old Ambroid kit... circa 1860's I should say. Definitely needs a change of trucks.

 

Cheers NB

I am not familiar with Ambroid, do you have an era for the model's production?

[bill937ca]

This appears to be a payroll car which would explain the walkway along the side of car.  This would go back to the days when employees were paid in cash.

 

https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/36570

 

http://www.trainweb.org/ambroidkits/trains/woodkits/Ambroid_H-Cars.htm

 

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-ambroid-ho-scale-atlantic-523640751

[GDorsett]

It would seem that it had several uses. Very interesting.

 

[Nick_Burman]

3 hours ago, GDorsett said:

I am not familiar with Ambroid, do you have an era for the model's production?

 

OK, the model is of a payroll car. If it's an Ambroid kit then it was part of the "1 in 5000" series, released in 1976. Gloor Craft later took the tooling up and released the same car.

 

Cheers NB

[GDorsett]

Yup, someone at my club found it as well.

Awesome! One mystery solved!

Now, what to do with it...

 

You wouldn't happen to know what the correct trucks are called, would you? I'd like to replace these horribly incorrect Pullman Heavyweight trucks with the correct ones. I've got a set on another car but I don't want to cannibalize that car.

Edited August 13, 2019 by GDorsett

[Nick_Burman]

8 hours ago, GDorsett said:

Yup, someone at my club found it as well.

Awesome! One mystery solved!

Now, what to do with it...

 

You wouldn't happen to know what the correct trucks are called, would you? I'd like to replace these horribly incorrect Pullman Heavyweight trucks with the correct ones. I've got a set on another car but I don't want to cannibalize that car.

 

Nope but I think that Bethlehem Car Works truck #1265 (Passenger Trucks 7' w/b Axle to Axle) might suit your needs...

 

Cheers Nicholas

[ben_issacs]

Folks, 

Pre War, What War, it could even be pre the Spanish-American War.

Anyrate, it's a pretty old car.

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.

 

[GDorsett]

4 hours ago, ben_issacs said:

Folks, 

Pre War, What War, it could even be pre the Spanish-American War.

Anyrate, it's a pretty old car.

Regards, 

Bill, 

Melbourne.

 

Pre both world wars.