New Atlas HO/N Scale Frisco FFF Box Car

I joined the Atlas Golden Spike Club back in December at Bob Hoover's suggestion, and look forward to receiving the SLSF HO member club car. As Manny mentions, this same Frisco car is also available in N-scale.

I have had this same car (I think) for a year or so as KCS 15550. Nice model!

Ken

 

Tom - Yes, they were real. The cars were originally built in 1919, and were rebuilt into the steel side "FFF" version in, I think, 1939-1940. The "FFF" colors were tan with a red brown trim, roof and ends. I don't know how many of these there were. I'll try to get more details.

The best kit in HO is Sunshine 4.2. I have it, but have not built it. I'll get out Martin's data/instruction sheet to get the details on the car.

I look forward to the Atlas HO car.

Ken

 

Tom -

Here is what Martin Loften had to say in the data sheet that comes wirh his HO Sunshine Models kits 4.1 and 4.2, Frisco Steel Side Rebuilds of the USRA Double Sheathed Boxcar:

"Within the block of steel side rebuilds was a varying number of cars painted in a billboard style beginning in the late 1930's. Ends, door, side sills and roof were a dark brown and sides a light tan. They were lettered in red and displayed a Frisco "coonskin" herald in red and brown on the left and a circular "FFF" or Frisco Faster Freight emblem in red, brown and black on the right. The billboard lettering conveyed the Frisco's transition from the drag freight era to fast, short freights hauled by abundant power from the Springfield shops. The road gradually lost interest in the expensive paint scheme as the nation entered World War II, but cars remained in tan and brown for many years. Some cars were intended for on-line LCL use, but photos indicate that the cars readily made it off-line. Some car numbers of tan and brown cars were: 127079, 128000, 128046, 129171, and 130159."

I've often felt that the data sheets alone were a good enough reason the buy Martin's excellent Sunshine kits.

Ken

 

Here is what appears to be a Frisco photo of SLSF 128046 just out of the shop and looking rather spiffy.

From their drawing, it appears Atlas will be doing SLSF 130159.

I did one of these cars years ago using a Train Minature USRA DS boxcar and the old Walthers decals. It looked pretty neat rolling along with the usual mix of brownish boxcars. When I bought Martin's Sunshine kit 4.2, I sold the TM for some reason. Wish I still had it.

Ken

 

Manny - True, the TM decorated car comes up often on eBay. But, the TM decoration on that car is terrible. I did my car starting from one of those - but I repainted it and decaled it with the old Walthers decal set for this car which was pretty nice (but unfortunately no longer available). My repaint/redecal car looked way better than the car as TM decorated it. You also need to change the TM brake wheel - the rim on their wheel looks about a scale 1-foot in diameter! And, you need Andrews trucks.

Ken