Aurora Miniatures has followed up its well-received HO Scale Gunderson/Greenbrier 50’6” FBOX high-cube boxcar with its larger cousin, the 60’9” TBOX, this time for both N and HO scales. Close to 12,000 of these distinctive grid-sided cars were constructed between 2016 and 2023. They were developed from an earlier design with vertical side posts only, which debuted in 1999 for conveying paper, forest products, and other bulk materials that need to be protected from the weather. The first TTX deliveries didn’t arrive until 2003.
With over 25,000 cars built for TTX, the 7550 cu. ft. TBOX boxcar has become a popular subject with model railroad companies in recent years. While National Steel Car, Trinity, and FreightCar America have all delivered variations on the double-plug-door Plate F design, it is the Gunderson (later Greenbrier) family of cars that dominates the roster, including in HO. Assembled in Mexico in a leased section of the Bombardier facility in Ciudad Sahagún using a large number of U.S.-made components, the earlier TTX Class XGH61B deliveries were branded as built by Gunderson Concarril but this later changed to Greenbrier Sahagún. Since April 2019, all the TTX XGH61B/C batches and the 2,500 or so cars delivered under other reporting marks wear the latter manufacturer’s sticker.
These cars are the inspiration for Aurora Miniatures’ first run of the Greenbrier 7550 cu.ft car in N and HO, the company offering an identical roster in both scales. There are 12 road numbers each of the TBOX as the XGH61B with the traditional reporting mark position and the XGH61C with high anti-vandalism markings. There are two variants of BKTY (a Union Pacific-owned mark), 12 in Armour Yellow with the “Building America” logo and six in the attractive General American Transportation (GATX) blue; the latter paint scheme also being released with Laurinburg & Southern (LRS) reporting marks in 12 road numbers. There are six mineral brown Utah Central (UCRY) cars, while the grey Ferromex (FXE) scheme is also offered in the same quantity.
