The National Steel Car Corp. 50-foot newsprint boxcar is the latest addition to the Master Line from Atlas Model Railroad Co. The model, based on tooling the manufacturer acquired from True Line Trains in 2020, features molded and separate, factory-applied detail parts; 33” metal wheelsets; and body-mounted Accumate couplers.
Prototype history
Between 1967 and 1971, National Steel Car constructed 3,592 newsprint boxcars at its plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Original owners were Canadian National; Canadian Pacific; Central Vermont; Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific; Minnesota, Dakota & Western; and Pacific Great Eastern. To learn more about the full-size cars, read John Riddell’s article “Newsprint boxcars” in the June 2002 Model Railroader.
The sample we received is decorated as CP 81061, part of the railroad’s 80967 through 81216 series built in April 1967 under lot P-6320/67. The prototype cars, which stayed in service into the 2000s, were equipped with Youngstown plug doors and a Hydra-Cushion underframe.
Model features
The Atlas Master Line model has an injection-molded plastic body with separate, factory-applied plastic four-rung side and end ladders; door rods; brake wheel; and see-through, etched-metal crossover platforms. Molded details include the stirrup steps, placard and route boards, door tracks, and door stops.
National Steel Car offered the newsprint-hauling boxcar with straight and notched side sills; our CP review sample illustrates the latter. Following prototype practice, the roof panels measure 3’-5” wide. The raised panels have a bow-tie profile similar to boxcar roofs constructed by Pullman-Standard.
The underbody is a multi-piece plastic casting. The floor boards, stringers, and crossties are molded. The center sills and crossbearers are cast as a single unit. Attached to the casting are the brake cylinder, control valve, levers, lever support brackets, and formed wire brake rods.
The air reservoir is mounted on molded stand-offs. Formed wire auxiliary and emergency reservoir pipes run from the air reservoir to the control valve; a brake cylinder pipe links the control valve with its namesake.
Information in Riddell’s article noted that boxcars from CP’s 80967 through 81216 series were equipped with a Hydra-Cushion underframe. That detail was omitted on the Atlas model.
A separate plastic casting consisting of the body bolsters, bolster block, and draft-gear box is attached to both ends of the underbody with a screw. A plastic washer, placed around the bolster, is located under the casting.
The car rides on screw-mounted Symington roller-bearing trucks. The trucks are cast in engineering plastic with crisp spring and bearing detail.
Model vs. prototype
Our review model is decorated in Canadian Pacific’s 1967 as-delivered scheme. The paint is smooth and evenly applied, and the color separation lines are crisp.
I found a prototype image of car 81061 online. The script lettering looks a touch bolder than what’s found on the full-size car, and the road number on the side is shifted too far right (the 0 should be to the left of the rivets). In addition, the top of the pine tree herald should be solid black.
The route board on the sides of the car should be below the placard board. The placard board on both ends is also misplaced. It should be located between the third and fourth corrugations, above the ladders, along the right edge of the car.
I compared the model to drawings in the June 2002 MR. The truck centers are a scale 40’-8”. That is correct for some NSC newsprint boxcars; the centers on 1967-built CP cars measured 38’-10”. The other dimensions closely followed published data.
I’m glad that Atlas Model Railroad Co. has brought the former True Line Trains 50-foot newsprint boxcar back to HO scale. The full-size boxcar was the first purpose-built car for newsprint. Examples of the prototypes could be found on railroads throughout the United States and Canada into the early 2000s.
Facts & features
Price: $36.95 (undecorated, $29.95)
Manufacturer
Atlas Model Railroad Co.
378 Florence Ave.
Hillside, NJ 07205
shop.atlasrr.com
Era: 1967 to 2000s
Road names: Canadian Pacific; British Columbia Ry.; Canadian National; Central Vermont; and Minnesota, Dakota & Western. Three road numbers per scheme; also available undecorated with exterior-post and flush doors.
Features
• 33” metal wheelsets, correctly gauged
• Body-mounted Accumate couplers, at proper height
• Minimum radius, 18”
• Weight: 4.9 ounces, .4 ounce too heavy per National Model Railroad Association Recommended Practice 20.1
