Bluford Shops N 86755 86' Double Door Boxcar, Cotton Belt #65045

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.


This group of flashy cars was delivered to Cotton Belt by Pullman Standard in 1967. Cotton Belt_x0092_s parent Southern Pacific made sure they got top billing in this paint scheme. In keeping with the pooling nature of the auto parts car fleet, this group was initially assigned for loading on the New York Central in Buffalo, New York.