eightyeightfan1 Wrote:Walthers released "all door" boxcars maybe 10 or 15 years ago. I bought a two car pack when they came out.
Getting off topic here, but I believe you're referring to the Thrall-Door box car that several manufacturers have produced over the past few years. No resemblance at all to the Southern Railway All-Door car which could be considered the father of the All-door box car:
More years ago then I'd like to admit, Ambroid produced a very accurate all wood kit for the Southern car that was really nice, but difficult to build (I know; I tried):
Currently, Bachmann has a very poor model (representation is more like it) of this car which they also have painted for other roads, such as UP and SP, which of course never had these cars. Among the things wrong with the Bachmann model are the incorrect ends and paint job:
What makes the SOU car so unique was the fact that as built, the doors were rolled up with a wheel located on each end of the car and then the two center posts would be moved to the end of the car, giving you a clear 50ft open area. Over time, the roll up doors became a problem as they were often damaged by shippers and were replaced with 4 sliding doors:
Eventually, all these cars were converted to bulkhead flats before finally being removed from service. Remove the roof and doors and you've got a bulkhead flat!
