Modeling SP 26948 - B-50-12 - (Part 1) IMRC-Tichy Train Group

In staying with my boxcar modeling posts, I want to do a quick post on what I'm doing with this Tichy/IMRC R-T-R boxcar.

Tichy Train Group kit assembled R-T-R by Intermountain as SP 26948.

Some quick background on the 1000 B-50-12 class cars built under the USRA during WWI.  These single sheath boxcars were withdrawn from revenue service and the best 650 cars were rebuilt into all-steel boxcars with new bodies in 1949.

I plan to keep this model as a non-rebuilt model, which technically means my modeling era for operating sessions should be before summer 1949.  However, most of my research data, photos, etc for the Owenyo Branch and other modeling in general is more 1949-1953.  I'll probably be invoking a bit of "Rule 1" to allow this car to continue to operate.  If I want to be really accurate for some photos or something, I can always pull this single car off.  

SP 19020, a stock Accurail model from about 20 years ago.  With wood ends, these cars are close.

The SP still had several thousand of their own B-50-8/10/11/13 class cars (Accurail models, but with wood ends), which generally look similar in that they're single-sheathed 40ft boxcars, but the USRA cars have unique 5-5-5 Murphy Ends and some other subtle detail differences.

Let's look at the minor paint changes I've done so far.

Stock Model

Stock model shows pre-1946 SP initials and black trucks.

I'll be adding coupler pocket screws to ensure the couplers stay in place and never fall out.  I'll be replacing the couplers with '58 headed whiskers.

Black underframe with K-brakes.

The K-brakes will be fine, as they were not banned from interchange until 1953 by the AAR.

Retouching the Paint

I sprayed the underbody of the car and trucks with a lightened SP Freight Car Red.

The lightened SP Freight Car Red will serve as a base for my weathering.  I'll also be patching out the SAC 9-43 tare date with one within 36 months of the 1949 rebuilding commencement.

The light FCR paint also dusted over the sides and end to soften the stark white lettering.

The photos in Anthony Thompson's Southern Pacific Freight Cars Volume 4: Boxcars shows one of the B-50-12s going into rebuilding in the summer of 1949 with fairly severe weathering and the reporting marks being patched and restenciled.  I'm not sure I want to weather this model to that extent, as I would probably be replacing most of the reporting marks.  

I'll probably go with the theory that this car was repainted during the 1943 shopping, then was reweighed around 1946-47, which lasted it until the massive rebuilding in mid-1949.  It sounded like the B-50-12s were assigned to be rebuilt in a massive "All of the good cars in this class are going to be upgrade at once, regardless of how recently they were last worked on."  The 350 cars that were not selected to be upgraded and rebuilt were already out of service, a few probably went to MW, and the rest were scrapped.

In Closing

The rest of the weathering and changes will be covered in SP 26948 (Part 2).  I'll probably go with some low dusting and maybe some peeling roof paint, which I'm experimenting with on my Branchline Yardmaster boxcars.

Jason Hill

Related Articles:

SPMW 2676 - B-50-12, the only B-50-12 still in MW service in 1956.

Plastic Options for Modeling SP B-50-13/14 class cars - Using Accurail 40ft single-sheath boxcars. - I'll be expanding on this post soon with earlier cars of B-50-8/10/11 classes!