Bluford Shops N 86715 86' Double Door Boxcar, Ann Arbor #169001

Bluford Shops is bringing back our popular 86_x0092_ Double Door Auto Parts Boxcars. These will include our recently improved draft gear, magnetically operating couplers and metal wheels. The minimum radius is 11_x0094_. 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.


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 acquired in wide ranging pools including several plants and the railroads that connected them. It was common for cars to run for months or years without traveling on their home road_x0092_s rails.


When traffic patterns were adjusted, some of the Ann Arbor cars were leased to Soo Line. The reporting marks were changed from AA to SOO LINE and a _x0093_1_x0094_ prefix was added to the road number but otherwise the Ann Arbor paint scheme remained intact.