Micro-Trains - 076 44 160 - Boxcar, 50 Foot, Steel - Akron Canton & Youngstown - 517835 MW

Specific Item Information: This 50' boxcar with Barber Roller Bearing trucks was lettered for the Akron, Canton & Youngstown, which was a Class 1 railroad that operated between Mogadore and Akron, Ohio from 1907 until 1982. In 1964, the Norfolk & Western Railway acquired operating control of the AC&Y and it was fully merged into the N&W in 1982.

Series Information: N SCALE NS FAMILY TREE SERIES COMING MAY 2023 Pre-ordered December 2022 Car Pricing Range $27.90-$32.95 Series includes 11 cars Founded in 1982 through the mergers of Norfolk & Western and the Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern grew further in the late 1990s with the acquisition of just over half of the trackage and assets of Conrail Corporation. Today, NS is one of the largest Class 1 Railroads with over 30,000 employees and operates nearly 22,000 miles of track in the Eastern and Midwestern United States.

Model Information: This Micro-Trains tooling models a 50 foot plug and sliding (Combination) double door steel boxcar. The sliding door on the model opens.

Prototype History: While the 40-foot boxcar was a standard design, and it did come in different setups depending on the type of freight being transported, it was not large enough for efficient mass commodity transportation. The 50-foot boxcar made its first appearance in the 1930s and steadily grew in popularity over the years, which further improved redundancies by allowing for even more space within a given car. Today, the 50-footer remains the common boxcar size. After the second world war ended, and steel became once again readily available, steel became the go-to choice for construction of boxcars. Pullman Standard and ACF were some of the most prolific builders of these cars.

These cars came in many variations. For instance, double-doors became practical for large/wide loads, end-doors useful for very large lading such as automobiles, and interior tie-down equipment was helpful in keeping sensitive products from being damaged in-transit. In 1954 the Santa Fe developed its "Shock Control" (and later "Super Shock Control") technology for new boxcars with upgraded suspension systems to further improve the ride-quality and reduce the chance of damaging freight.

In the 1960s, the flush, "plug" style sliding door was introduced as an option that provides a larger door to ease loading and unloading of certain commodities. The tight-fitting doors are better insulated and allow a car's interior to be maintained at a more even temperature.

Road Name History: The ACY finished their 10 mile line between Mogadore and Akron, Ohio in 1912. In 1920 a big opportunity presented itself as New York Central began selling off a number of subsidiaries to avoid running afoul of anti-trust laws. One of these subsidiaries the Lake Erie & Western had controlled the Northern Ohio Railway which ran from Akron to Delphos, Ohio. The NO was leased to ACY, even though it was 16 times the size of the ACY. They operated under the ACY flag and in 1944 the two merged. They never did reach Canton or Youngstown. The ACY was best known for serving the tire and rubber industry in the Akron area. Passenger service was a bit of an afterthought with the last mixed train operating in 1951.

The heaviest power in the steam fleet were USRA light Mikados, at least one of which was equipped with a tender booster. Their diesel fleet (about 18 locomotives give or take) was a bit odd. Their switchers were all Alco and their road power was all Fairbanks Morse. The FMs were setup to run long hood forward. In 1964, the AC&Y was purchased by the Norfolk & Western as part of the N&W-NKP-Wabash-P&WV-AC&Y consolidation. Unlike the other roads, the N&W kept the AC&Y as a separate operation.

By 1970, all of AC&Y's Alcos and FMs had worn out and had been traded in to EMD. However, they were traded in for new locomotives for AC&Y's parent, Norfolk & Western. N&W then leased older power (mostly ex-Nickel Plate GP-9s) to AC&Y. At that point, the only way to tell you were seeing an AC&Y train was "Leased to AC&Y" painted in small letters below the road number on N&W geeps. Finally, the AC&Y was merged into the Norfolk & Western in 1982 in preparation for the Norfolk Southern merger.

Brand/Importer Information: Micro-Trains is the brand name used by both Kadee Quality Products and Micro-Trains Line. For a history of the relationship between the brand and the two companies, please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide.

Manufacturer Information: Micro-Trains Line split off from Kadee Quality Products in 1990. Kadee Quality Products originally got involved in N-Scale by producing a scaled-down version of their successful HO Magne-Matic knuckle coupler system. This coupler was superior to the ubiquitous 'Rapido' style coupler due to two primary factors: superior realistic appearance and the ability to automatically uncouple when stopped over a magnet embedded in a section of track. The success of these couplers in N-Scale quickly translated to the production of trucks, wheels and in 1972 a release of ready-to-run box cars.

Micro-Trains Line Co. split off from Kadee in 1990 to form a completely independent company. For this reason, products from this company can appear with labels from both enterprises. Due to the nature of production idiosyncrasies and various random factors, the rolling stock from Micro-Trains can have all sorts of interesting variations in both their packaging as well as the products themselves. When acquiring an MTL product it is very important to understand these important production variations that can greatly enhance (or decrease) the value of your purchase.

Please consult our Micro-Trains Collector's Guide