USRA Export Boxcar

USRA Export Boxcar?

All in all an excellent model of a difficult subject, despite lacking the distinctive "Estado" pattern cast steel sideframe trucks. The KC brake cylinder/tank/triple is not acceptable, but easily replaced. I wholly commend the provision for wire grab irons. But it's not a USRA Export Boxcar. While it is an export boxcar, the USRA was a WW-I institution that closed in 1920. These cars were built in the early 40's, initially for one of the South American meter gauge lines, when acquired by the USATC for Army use during WW-II. I am not sure if the order was condemned, of if production was continued as the quickest way to obtain modern narrow gauge boxcars suitable for world wide use. Possibly both. It is known that some saw service on the WP&Y, and on Oahu where a few survive.. I suspect that most served on North African or Indian meter gauge lines. Their wood sheathing was preserved using the Wolmanizing process, and for this reason a car is illustrated in one of the 1940's Car Builder's Cyclopedias, and reproduced in one of the Train Shed Cyclopedias. In the late 1950s the White Pass made several purchases of these cars' underframes from Honolulu, and used them to build their 11xx container cars. An initial attempt with the bare frame was apparently not satisfactory, probably due to lack of side sills in the original stressed skin construction. Later conversions added steel channel side sills, initially 10" deep, a few 8", and 7" deep for most conversions. These initially ran with welded plate stake pockets and six sets of chains and binders to take three of WP&Y's 8' cube containers. Later these were removed and replaced with container cones at WP&Y's merchant box and ore bin spacing. I can provide photos if anyone wants to take on the project.