Need old boxcars Detroit area

Hello --

I'm an illustrator working on a book cover for a novel set in the 1930s where much of the plot involves trains.

I need to find some old boxcars I can photograph for reference, but I'm having no luck so far. I'm just north of Detroit.

Any ideas on where I can find boxcars near me?

Thanks,

Rick

It will help if this thread gets bounced to the midwest forum.

Moderator?

SlowFreight wrote:It will help if this thread gets bounced to the midwest forum.

Moderator?

Done and done.

sdream: A good place to start would be the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso - you can compare their 1920s Wabash RR boxcar with their 1940s Pere Marquette RR boxcars, and see if they have more pictures of other cars from that era. I believe the Henry Ford Museum has some elderly boxcars as well, but their website isn't intuitive enough for me to find specifics.

Thanks for the help, Andrew. The Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso looks like a good resource.

Anything closer to Detroit would be good. I didn't think it would be this difficult to find boxcars. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with an art director not sure what they want.

Thanks again.
-- Rick

http://dreampool.com

Last time I was at Greenfield Village there were some boxcars lined up behind the roundhouse area, but I think they were all steel and of 50's and 60's vintage. IIRC, everything inside the museum is motive power.

I don't recall Coe Rail (Walled Lake) having any vintage rolling stock, but they might be worth a try..

I'll agree that Owosso is probably your best bet. Either I-96 (Webberville exit) or I-69 (Perry exit) will take you there in short order (maybe I-75 to Flint, then I-69 west). Take the M-52 exit and head north, SRI is just a block off M52, and a block or so south of M21.

When I was there for Train Fest I stayed in Brighton - it took me about 40 minutes to get to Owosso.

Thanks for all the good information, Tree. Haven't made the trip to Owosso yet, still trying to pin down the art director on what she really needs so I can avoid any wasted effort, they won't pay any of my expenses.

-- Rick

http://dreampool.com

It may be easier to find a hobby shop & build a model. Look for the USRA styles or rebuilt USRA. The hobby shop may have some kits with laser cut wood sides. You could try the Atlas website, for example, to see if their pictures of the product will be adequate.

I don't know about building a model, but it would be easier to look at models and look at old photos for referene than to try to find actual old boxcars.