CNJ express box

[dave_van]

I am planning to make an express boxcar for my HO Nickel Plate Road. I need to know is Pullman green correct? Who makes decals for this car.
thanx

[geep39]

Yes, Pullman green is OK to use. Would not use Scalecoat, since it has a brownish cast, which would be OK for passenger cars, but not these cars.
The cars are ACF 10' inside height cars with "rolling pin" style Improved Drednaught corrugations on the ends. Champ made the correct decals for this car, and I don't know if you can still get them. You can try.

[DMesserPRR]

To extend this discussion, did CNJ use any of their 21,000-series (X-29) boxcars in express service? Color of car and lettering? Anyone have any photos?

[geep39]

It is rather intriguing to wonder if the CNJ did use its X-29-style boxcars in express service, but I don't think so. The question is: Why, all of a sudden, in the early '50's, did CNJ acquire a bunch of boxcars for this service? I'm wondering if they didn't get some pressure from DL&W, who had a number of silghtly older, similar boxcars that ran in trains that CNJ pooled with. Or, did CNJ see that its baggage cars were getting old, and this was a cheaper alternative to building more baggage cars.


If I can dig it out, I'll check out my copy of the railway equipment register of passenger equipment, and try to find out for sure.

[geep39]

When I checked my copy of the Official Register Of Passenger Train Equipment, dated January 1954, it only listed the 20 cars built in the 1950's by ACF as the only "Box, express" cars on the roster It seems very unlikely that any older boxcars were used in this service, as I suspect that they would show up on this roster.

[DMesserPRR]

Thanks for checking on this. :-)

[steveiow]

Sorry,but I've only just come across this .
I have just done a model using an undec. Branchline 40'AAR box car,Badgerflex SAL Pullman green and Champ decal set HB-25 specifically for these cars.
It looks OK,the colour is a lot closer to prototype than the new Athearn R-T-R's but I have two of those as well.
I have also used IHC heavyweight Baggage and RPO's for CNJ cars-where I live,ain't many CNJ modellers to criticise
Regards
Steve

[dave_van]

Thanks to all for the information the express box is now running on the headend of my passenger consist

[stationarchives]

This may be a bit late, but these cars all were equipped with train signal lines and steam lines. In this way they could be used in a passenger consist. The Champ decals do reflect this equipment. I suspect that the Cal Scale passenger car parts for this are still available.