Micro-Trains - NSE MTL 21-16 - Boxcar, 40 Foot, PS-1 - Milwaukee, Racine & Troy - 202146

Specific Item Information: The paint scheme on this new N scale boxcar was inspired by a custom-decorated Athearn HO scale kit released in 1974. The boxcar featured the Great Gulch, Yahoo Valley & Northern name and Gulch Route herald to the left of the door. This was the name of Model Railroader founder Al Kalmbach's O scale layout. He started building the model railroad in the winter of 1928-29. To the right of the door was Model Railroader's 40th anniversary logo.
For our 2021 annual car, we decided to have some fun. We kept the orange-and-black paint scheme, but replaced the Gulch Route herald and lettering with that of our HO scale Milwaukee, Racine & Troy staff layout. We put the updated MR logo to the right of the door.
We partnered with Micro-Trains Line Co. to produce the N scale car. The ready-to-run model is based on the company’s 20000-series 40-foot boxcar tooling. The injection-molded plastic body has positionable doors and a factory-installed brake wheel and running board casting. The ladders and grab irons are molded.
The die-cast metal underbody features body bolster and floor board detail, as well as mounting pads for body-mounted couplers. Plastic stirrup steps are clipped to the side corners. The center sills, crossmembers, brake appliances, and related rods and pipes are a separate plastic piece clipped to bottom of the metal casting. The boxcar is equipped with pin-mounted solid-bearing trucks, plastic wheelsets, and truck-mounted Magne-Matic couplers.
The boxcar, made in the United States of America, is offered in one road number.

Model Information: This is Micro-Trains first body style. It was introduced in 1972. Its is a model of a Pullman-Standard PS-1 boxcar from circa 1957. Micro-Trains does not market it as a PS-1 so as to allow themselves some latitude so they can use this car to model non-PS prototypes. Hundreds of different releases have used this body style in various paint schemes and road names. They are equipped with 6' sliding doors, either Youngstown (4/5/4 rib pattern) or Superior (7 panels). It is not a model of a "modern" steel boxcar as the length (40 foot) and the roofwalk are more typical of the transition era (1939 - 1957).

In 2019, Micro-Trains started releasing this model with new body-mounted couplers attached to a new underframe.

Prototype History: The 40' Boxcar is widely known as one of the most popular freight cars used by railroads as they transitioned from steam to diesel. In particular the Pullman Standard or PS-1 design was one of the most popular and was widely used by North American railroads. These boxcars were built beginning in 1947 and share the same basic design, with certain elements such as door size, door style or roof type varying among the different railroads and production years. When production of these cars ceased in 1963, over 100,000 had been produced.

So just what is a PS-1? Well the simple answer is it is any boxcar built by Pullman Standard from 1947 on. The design changed over the years – sometimes subtly, sometimes for customer request, and sometimes in a larger way. In general, most PS-1’s built from 1947 to 1961 share the same dimensions and basic construction techniques. These cars all had a length of 40′, a height of 10’5″ or 10’6″, welded sides and ends and roof of Pullman’s own design. The greatest variation was in the size and style of doors used. Pullman Standard also offered 50′ and later 60′ boxcars – also with the PS-1 designation.

Road Name History: The Milwaukee, Racine & Troy Railraod (MRT) is a fictional railroad.
The MRT layout was built and is owned by Model Railroader staff. It is an HO scale, 28 x 54 feet, freelanced bridge line layout, modeling Southeastern Wisconsin in the 1980s and 1990s.
Style: walk-in
Mainline run: approx. 200 feet
Minimum radius: 36" (main)
Minimum turnout: no. 6 (main), no. 4 spurs
Maximum grade: 3 percent eastbound, 1.5 percent westbound (5.5 percent downgrade on staging ramp)
Benchwork: 1 x 4 open grid
Height: 493⁄4" to 671⁄2"
Roadbed: cork on 3⁄4" plywood
Track: code 83 flextrack
Scenery: plaster over cardboard webbing and Sculptamold over foam
Backdrop: painted hardboard, photo at Milwaukee Harbor and Port Marquette Yard
Control: CVP and NCE DCC (MRC on WSOR)

Read here the 1989 article of Model Railroader about the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy layout.

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