By Harry K. Wong
Like Batman and Robin battling crime, purpose-built 86- and 60-foot boxcars formed a “dynamic duo” to transport auto parts between suppliers in the Upper Midwest and automotive assembly plants located all over North America.
Now available from Tangent Scale Models is its first production of highly detailed replicas representing Thrall-built 5,880 cubic foot double plug door 60-foot boxcars in HO scale. These Thrall cars follow hot on the heels of Tangent’s recent release of similarly sized, but fishbelly-silled, 60’ double plug door boxcars of a completely different design built by Greenville Steel Car Company. Unlike the Greenville 6000cf cars, the Thrall 5,880 cubic foot boxcars deliver a graceful low-slung appearance over the rails, with a uniformly low side sill throughout its length.
Built to carry heavy auto parts such as engines, transmissions, axles, and glass to Ford assembly plants from their suppliers, these Thrall 5880s were built in 1969 for twelve major railroads, with many additional subsequent owners and paint schemes.
Like its prototype, Tangent offers the Thrall 5880 in two major variations — either equipped with Keystone End-of-Car Cushioning or Freightmaster End-of-Car Cushioning. The differences go on beyond just differences in draft gear.
First up on the test track is Tangent’s rendition of Norfolk & Western 601171, replicating one of a huge order of 269 Thrall 5880 Boxcars delivered beginning in April 1969 to the railroad. Freightmaster End-of-Car Cushioning was specified on N&W Thrall 5880s. After delivery, these cars were assigned to a home base of Melvindale, Mich., and were seen serving Ford automotive assembly plants from New York to California. The paint and lettering on this car represents an in-service car during the first few years of its service life with ACI placards and “Code 65” pool assignment markings. Wisely, COTS stencils affixed to these cars during the 1970s were left off for the customer to optionally apply from aftermarket decal sets, as placement and style of COTS stencils often vary greatly from car to car. On the B-end, this N&W car sports an Equipco 3750 handbrake.
