Bluford Shops N 86661 86′ Auto Parts Double Door Box Car, Norfolk And Western #355181

Norfolk and Western adopted this black paint scheme with the conjoined NW logo in 1971. N&W’s place in the auto parts network was primarily the result of their 1964 lease of Wabash which ran from plants in Buffalo, across southern Ontario, Michigan and west to Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City. Note the second two road numbers in this run have the NW logo, numbers and data placed higher and to the left when compared to the first road number.

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. 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. This led to situations where some cars from Western Pacific for instance would be running from Buffalo to Atlanta and back without ever seeing home rails. As a result, you would see a wider range of road names in a block of auto parts cars than you would with other types of cars. 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.

This 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 Fox Valley Models metal wheels. The minimum radius is 11″ (note the old “lift kit” for even tighter curves has been discontinued.) 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.