Salvaging a wreck: a Civil War boxcar gets rebuilt An old Mantua car gets a new lease on life/Bill Gill
Rebuilt with AAR safety appliances, this HO scale 28-foot boxcar (above) came from an unlikely source, a Mantua Civil War era model (below).. PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
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he HO Connecticut & Vermont Railroad frequently wanders outside its normal time and set-
ting. These excursions usually begin when a large project bumps to a stop while rivets get counted and recounted or a major goof imposes a temporary halt to regroup. They often gather mo- mentum on their own. This time the Siren beckoned with pictures of O scale hunkered-down boxcar kits cast by Dallas Mallerich at Boulder Valley Models. What was I thinking? The C&V is not O scale nor narrow gauge, and it operates in the early 1950’s, not the late 1800’s. Happily, I wasn’t think- ing and rolled with the whim. Whims can be good. A Mantua W&A
R.R. Civil War boxcar lay forgotten, strewn across several drawers and box- es. The roofwalk and some of its stand- offs were missing, along with one door, an end ladder, stirrups, couplers, brake staff and wheel, and a visible corner of the underframe was broken. The wreck
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN 49
should have been disposed of but a tiny voice whispered, “If you build it, it will run.” I ferreted out the pieces. The harsh toy-like appearance of the Mantua car softened after comparing it to online photos of other vintage cars. It had nice basic proportions. Close
enough, I mused, to become a home- built 28-foot car using only odds and ends on hand, no new purchases. Box- cars on the C&V are similar in height and length. More variety is appropri- ate for the era.
An arsenal of detail parts was PHOTO COURTESY OF MODEL POWER
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