I recently took delivery of a four-pack of Branchline Trains 40' boxcars decorated for Canadian National. This scheme is a recent release, and should anyone else have purchased kits with this road name, or be intending to purchase same, a few things should be mentioned in the interest of modeling the CN cars accurately. If you are modeling the steam era CNR anytime from January 1948 onward, you will need some of these cars.

    Firstly, anyone seriously interested in modeling CN steam era 40' steel boxcars should have copies of Stafford Swain's articles in the Aug. 1993 and Feb. 1994 issues of RMC on his workbench.

    The road numbers in my four-pack are 528212, 528538, 529153 and 530015. Referring to Stafford's articles, these cars were part of a 2000-car order delivered in 1951, featuring improved dreadnaught ends, diagonal panel roofs, and Youngstown doors.

    The Branchline boxcars have the appropriate built dates. However, the kits come with raised panel roofs, inappropriate for this number series. CN 10'-6" boxcars were delivered with raised panel roofs through the 1948 deliveries. When deliveries resumed in 1951, the boxcars came with diagonal panel roofs.

    There are two things a modeler wishing an accurate car can do: renumber it, or replace the roof. I am interested in doing the latter, and e-mailed Branchline Trains a couple of weeks ago inquiring as to whether I can purchase roofs separately, but have not received a reply.

    In addition to the obvious concern of the roof, the modeler will also be advised (as per Stafford's articles, again) that several modifications are necessary for these cars to match CN prototypes. Most noticeable of these are: removing all traces of poling pockets from the ends and sides; discarding the narrow end ladders altogether; replacing the side ladders with Tichy or Des Plaines (or the like) 8-rung ladders with attached stirrups; replacing the end ladders with the same (for cars built 1951 onward) or with the kit-supplied 8-rung ladder (shortened to 7 rungs) and drop grab (for cars built up to 1948); replacing the straight grab on the right side of the ends with a drop grab; employing Detail Associates 6412 offset stirrups below the end ladders (for cars built up to 1948); replacing the kit-supplied side stirrups with Detail Associates 6414 straight stirrups; and painting the brake detail CN Mineral Brown to match the body.

    Be advised that the simple act of removing the poling pocket detail makes the addition of DA stirrups necessary, as the mounting holes for the kit-supplied parts will have disappeared.

    I found the bracket grabs supplied with the kit to be reasonably close to scale, and elected not to replace them with slightly finer DA pieces, as the work to do so would have been more trouble (and more expensive) than the gain. The running boards and brake step are not as fine as Plano, Kadee, Detail Associates, etc. parts, but likewise, I considered these to be marginal improvements which I will not make, given the dozen or more of these cars I'll need on my roster.

    Aside from the necessary modifications, I am impressed with the sharpness of lettering, the close match to CN paint chips, and the ease of assembly of these kits.

Ian Wilson
November 11, 2002

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