K114 - "Interim" AAR Box Cars - Santa Fe Bx-26
After the introduction of the 1932 ARA standard box car design, the inside dimensions of box cars began to evolve rather quickly. The Pennsylvania pushed the envelope with their X31 design and several roads followed by ordering larger box cars, too. Three roads ordered cars that were taller (and wider) than the 1932 ARA design, but shorter than the 1937 AAR design that would follow. These cars are interesting “hybrids.”
The first of these roads was the Santa Fe. In mid-1936, the Santa Fe purchased 500 box cars from Pullman-Standard (Lot 5522, class Bx-26, car nos. 136000-136499) that followed the AAR standard, but used an inside height of 9'7". The Santa Fe also opted for the Duryea Cushioned Underframe, which it was using on just about all new car purchases at the time. The increase in height over the 1932 design meant that the Dreadnaught ends could accommodate an additional corrugation, giving them four in the top panel and five in the bottom. As delivered, the cars featured only the Santa Fe emblem, without slogans, as these cars pre-dated their use on cars. Undoubtedly, they would have been repainted with slogans and maps or slogans and “ship and travel” lettering, but we have not found any photo documentation of a Bx-26 with a slogan, except for a car late in life in maintenance of way service. The cars were painted mineral red on all surfaces, except for black roofs that were the result of slate granules being added to wet paint to provide traction.
Speedwitch is offering kits to replicate these interesting prototypes. The cars incorporate accurate Duryea underframe components as well as one-piece body casting plus detail castings, styrene and metal parts, and accurate decals for as-built or straight map schemes with slogans. Kits do not include trucks, couplers.
| Kit K114.4 - Santa Fe Bx-26 “interim” AAR box car with Duryea underframe and “The Grand Canyon Line” slogan/straight map |
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> $40.00
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| Kit K114.5 - Santa Fe Bx-26 “interim” AAR box car with Duryea underframe and “The Scout” slogan/straight map |
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> $40.00
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| Kit K114.6 - Santa Fe Bx-26 “interim” AAR box car with Duryea underframe and “El Capitan” slogan/straight map |
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> $40.00
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| Kit K114.7 - Santa Fe Bx-26 “interim” AAR box car with Duryea underframe and “The Super Chief” slogan/straight map |
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> $40.00
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| Kit K114.8 - Santa Fe Bx-26 “interim” AAR box car with Duryea underframe and “The Chief” slogan/straight map |
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> $40.00
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