I poked into a site I don't visit often (Atlas Rescue Forum), and stumbled on a thread describing some new cars Walthers may be producing: http://atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/7481/walthers-mainline-boxcars-early-reefers What's labelled a USRA Single-Sheathed car is really an XM-1 type car, but very close to a car the Frisco had many of: https://www.walthers.com/40-usra-composite-boxcar-ready-to-run-undecorated Unfortunately, they don't seem to offer the car in Frisco. They are also offering a USRA Double Sheathed car, in a variety of roadnames, but again no Frisco. I am surprised, as I thought the SLSF had the most USRA DS cars: https://www.walthers.com/40-usra-wood-boxcar-ready-to-run-undecorated They do offer a USRA Double Sheathed Rebuild in Frisco, though--4 different numbers: https://www.walthers.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=usra+rebuild+frisco It's close to the real ones: https://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/friscoline/images/photos/p01590.jpg They also have a reefer: https://thelibrary.org/lochist/frisco/friscoline/images/photos/p01590.jpg I have been modeling all of these cars with Accurail and Tichy cars, but these come with knuckle couplers and metal wheels, so they may be worthwhile.(especially the rebuild DS car).
Gary, thanks for the heads up on these. The undecorated DS boxcar would seemingly be a pretty easy task for modeling as one of the Frisco's. The rebuilt cars are a nice option to have. Wish there were options for the "Frisco Lines" coonskin for WWII and earlier yodelers. I am also thinking that any rebuilds lost the vertical handbrake shaft, but would have to verify. Either way, that's an easily modifiable detail.
You are correct--the rebuilds did not have vertical brake staffs, at least as far as I know. The ladders aren't correct, either. But if you want one of those cars, you can get a resin kit, or the cheap option is to build a Tichy USRA rebuild kit, and glue Accurail fishbellies to the underframe, paint,and decal. I've been working on one, on and off, for a while. But with the Tichy kit, decals, metal wheels, Kadees--I'm guessing the Walthers Street price will be around $22. Maybe that's the cheap option. The SS cars look nice, but I think the ends are incorrect. I use the Accurail cars, and replace the fishbellies with channel. The Accurail DS cars seem to be fine for the Frisco.
