Frisco Pullman 40' Express Boxcars - SLSF 465-469 - Allied Full Cushion, ASF A-3 Ride Control Trucks

I do not have good records on Frisco's express box fleet.

But, express box SLSF 465 was renumbered from express box SLSF 161788, 466 from 149194, 467 from 143054, 468 from 127542, and 469 from 148413.

These cars were based on the 1937 AAR box car design. IMWX, Red Caboose and Branchline offered models in HO-scale.

I also have a photographs somewhere of express box SLSF 146186. I have no idea where it fit in, or if it was renumbered. A mystery.

Does anyone have a decent set of diagrams for the full express boxcar fleet - 40ft, 50ft and the express reefers?

All I have is the one attached.

I have the Branchline model of SLSF 149194, running on Allied Full Cushion trucks. Neat looking car.

Photograph of SLSF 149194 is also attached. Note the diagram shows that the Allied Full Cushion Express Trucks were changed out in 1949, for standard "Bettendorf" style trucks, ASF A-3 Ride Control trucks - Frisco's favorites.

The Allied truck was high maintenance, and had a very nasty habit of coming off the rails at speed! Ouch!

Ken

 

Chris,

Here you are.

Photographs are from an unknown source as I do not have good records as to where the majority of the photographs in my collection came from, so I cannot provide credit.

I post them to provide an answer to your very logical question.

Though the livery on the Athearn cars is correct, or close to correct, the box car model is not - dimensions are wrong.

But, unless you want to get one of the 1937 AAR box car models I mentioned in an earlier post and decal it yourself, you have no choice.

So I would say go for it and enjoy them! "Close enough is often good enough in this here hobby!"

FYI, I have a good supply of Champ Frisco express decals if anyone wants to do one using the correct model. I use them to decal passenger cars in the deluxe gold color.

I could spare a few I guess.

Ken

 

Chris,

Everyone here has summed things up pretty well.

I have the Athearn 3-pack of these cars. They do come with what I think are the Bettendorf trucks.

My modeling era is 1943, so in order to get my cars "prototypical", I do need to renumber them and get the correct trucks on them.

I thought that Mike Condren had some photographs of these on his site, but his are of the old Pullman troop sleepers that were converted for express use.

FMIG Newsletter has drawings of SLSF 465-469 on pages 17-18, but I think they may be duplicates of what Ken has already posted.

Seems that I somewhere remember reading a story of an engineer, maybe Charlie Dischinger, going to switch one of these old express cars out, only to find out that one of the trucks was not attached to it.

Nuts, I need to find where I have seen or heard that. Or have my head examined.

Best Regards,

 

Chris and others,

The standard Athearn HO Bettendorf truck was intended to be an ASF A-3 "Ride Control" truck, the Frisco favorite, and the truck used under the express box cars after those having the Allied Full Cushion trucks were re-trucked.

It is not a real good rendition of the ASF A-3, but that is what it is.

So, no need to retruck the Athearn model unless you are a truck geek like me!

If so, then go with the Kato or the Kadee ASF A-3s, both commonly available.

Ken

 

Ken,

I would honestly love to have my with Allied Full Cushion trucks.

Know of a good place to find them?

If nothing else, they look much more interesting than the alternatives.

Best Regards,

 

Chris,

Here are a couple of quick photographs of my Branchline SLSF 149194 riding on the Allied Full Cushion trucks.

I believe the trucks are Eastern Car Works #9043, a kit, quite nice. Notice how the side frames even look like a big casting, which they were.

The good news is they did not cost much, and went together easily. The bad news is I think Eastern Car Works has gone out of business, so they may be hard to find.

I was not aware Athearn was making this truck.

I wonder if they obtained the Eastern Car Works dies?

I have another pair of the Eastern Car Works trucks, but I do not want to part with it.

I also had a pair of the Hallmark Models brass Allied Full Cushion trucks, which were quite nice, though they are a little different looking than the Eastern car Works version.

But, I sold them a few years back to someone else on frisco.org.

Ken

 

Ken and Rich,

Thanks for the additional information.

The close-up photographs of the Eastern Car Works trucks are nice.

May have to start scrounging eBay.

Best Regards,

 

When first introduced, the Branchline Frisco express box kits were sold as individual numbers.

I only bought one, the car SLSF 149194. I liked the number, and had a good photograph of it.

I now wish I had bought a second number as it is a nice car, and is the correct 1937 AAR model.

Plus I had the two Allied Full Cushion Eastern Car Works trucks.

Speaking of where to get the Allied Full Cushion truck, I wonder if Walthers will sell theirs that they used under their war-time troop Pullman and kitchen cars?

It is a terrific looking truck.

Ken

 

There is the answer.

They look good!

Ken

 

Karl,

Sorry about that.

One of my many great failings is that I have two to three thousand Frisco photograph files, largely all undocumented as to source, photographer, time, place, etc.

That is why I usually do not post them.

Ken