HISTORY OF O SCALE WEST MEET CARS

Page Created 03/2007

Page Updated 04/2007

Page Updated 12/2007

Page Updated 4/2008

Page Updated 12/2009

Page Updated 7/2010

These web pages provide a history of the meet cars that have been offered by OSW.

The cars offered at the OSW meets were:

Intermountain kit PFE reefer painted passenger green lettered for Express Service. The car numbers were 912 and 935. The Train Shop in Santa Clara joined OSW in the order; they offered two other numbers. Those numbers aren't known now. Intermountain re-ran this car with different numbers; I was told by them that it was their most popular boxcar scheme. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Intermountain kit for the AAR boxcar painted in two tone grey for Southern Pacific passenger express service. The car numbers were 5708, 5709, and 5738. Intermountain found it extremely difficult to pad print the stripes on those cars, and as a result they only made the 100 cars that OSW ordered. So if you see one of these cars for sale, remember it is one of 100. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Original Atlas/Roco 53' 6" mill gondola custom painted and lettered for the Western Pacific. A special 2-rail conversion packet that included trucks and mounting screws, KD couplers and mounting screws, and instructions was provided by OSW. Some cars came with broken stirrups, so OSW would drill those car sides to receive the Grandt Line delrin stirrups which were also provided by OSW. The number of cars was probably 100 with road numbers of 6538 and 6596. OSW discovered that a simple way to change the white lettering to yellow was to carefully draw over the lettering with a permanent yellow marking pen. An overspray was then required to conceal the differences in gloss between the overcoated letters and the rest of the car. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Intermountain AAR boxcar painted green and lettered for SP Express Service. There were three numbers, with 50 cars each numbered 5704, 5712, and 5744. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Crown Model Products (before they were acquired by Weaver) single sheathed boxcar painted black and decorated for Southern Pacific Overnight Service. Road numbers were 15953, 15954, and 15955. OSW received less than the number of cars ordered because CMP's printing process developed a problem. It is not known whether CMP ever re-issued this scheme. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Intermountain tank car kit lettered for Fruit Industries Wine. Reporting marks and road numbers were CDLX 1075, CDLX 1076, and CDLX 1077. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Atlas/Petersen Supply stock car decorated for the Union Pacific yellow scheme. Road numbers were 48216, 48224, 48237, 48249, 48253, and 48250. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Weaver/Petersen AT&SF XF Food Service boxcar road numbers 22682, 39863 and 39903. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Intermountain AAR box car kit. Three road numbers (not known) with OWR&N lettering and three road numbers (not known) with OSL lettering. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Intermountain tank car kit lettered for Hercules Powder. Reporting marks and road numbers were WCHX 1708, WCHX 1726, WCHX 1742, and WCHX 1750. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Red Caboose reefer kit lettered for Roma Wine. The roof was modified by RC to have plugged ice hatches, which is correct for cars in wine service. Reporting marks and road numbers were CDLX 294 and CDLX 297. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Red Caboose reefer RTR lettered for Italian Swiss Colony TIPO Wine, and having a very colorful image of a wicker-wrapped wine bottle on the side. The roof was modified by RC to have plugged ice hatches, which is correct for cars in wine service. Reporting marks and road numbers were CDLX 279 and CDLX 285. OSW is sold out of these cars.
AtlasO/Petersen RTR 50 foot AAR boxcar lettered for Tidewater Southern and with the cornucopia herald on the side. TS 506 and TS 507. OSW is sold out of these cars.
AtlasO/Petersen Southern Pacific outside braced box car, 26542 and 26835. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Red Caboose flat car RTR lettered for Southern Pacific, 42640 42658, 42672, 42699, 42705, 42719, 42726, and 42741. OSW also offered loads for these cars that were supplied by Grizzly Mountain Engineering. OSW is sold out of these cars.
The Red Caboose wood reefer lettered for Western Pacific ice service. Two paint schemes were offered: silver and red. The cars were assembled and weighted, with metal non-magnetic wheelsets, and included KD couplers to be installed by the modeler. The silver cars were road numbers 7025 and 7032; the red cars were road number 7021 and 7038. OSW was the only source for this model decorated for Western Pacific. Note: the wheelsets on the cars are different from those shown in the photos; the wheelsets in the photos have been painted as part of preparing the cars for layout use. OSW is sold out of these cars.
The S scale meet car was the Pacific Rail Shops PFE reefer. It was RTR, a first for Pacific Rail Shops. There were two paint schemes. Each scheme had four road numbers available. The paint schemes are the PFE double herald with a black and white UP herald, and the PFE double herald with the color UP herald. OSW is sold out of these cars.
The AtlasO 70 ton covered hopper lettered for Southern Pacific in the "bubble gum" large gothic scheme. OSW worked with Petersen Supply Company to bring this car out. OSW sold the 2-rail version of this car and Petersen Supply sold the 3-rail version.
The scheme on this car went into use during the late steam era and lasted for the rest of the lives of those cars.
3-rail cars may be available from Petersen Supply; pricing is shown with the car image.
OSW is sold out of the 2-rail cars.
The S scale meet car was the Pacific Rail Shops PFE reefer, ready to run, painted in the double herald (black and white UP herald) scheme and with three new road numbers. OSW is sold out of the S scale cars.
There were two O Scale meet cars. Still available. One is the Weaver double door low inside height steel boxcar painted two tone gray and lettered for UP express service (1946-1952). A photo of the prototype is here.
Note: the meet cars will not have the trucks shown in the photo. The trucks will be the AAR/Bettendorf style truck. Allied full cushion trucks are available from Weaver. The amount of work to adapt those trucks to this car is unknown.
These cars have been documented to roam off line. In one instance the car appeared in Chicago. In another the car was in the consist of SP train 26, the Odgen - Oakland mail train.
This car was available in three numbers, 75 cars total. The cars were available with either Delrin or die-cast trucks. The price for the delrin-trucked car is $42.00. The die-cast trucked car will cost $10 more. Both prices include couplers.
The other O scale car was the Red Caboose wood reefer lettered for PFE - WP. This car differed from from the previous runs by RC of the PFE - WP car in that this car had orange side hardware instead of black side hardware (1952). This car was available in 12 numbers. OSW had two sets of 12 numbers plus one other car for a total of 25 cars. These cars were $55 each which includes metal wheelsets and KD couplers. OSW is sold out of the PFE reefers.
The S scale meet car was the S-Helper Service USRA 40 foot double sheathed box car painted and lettered for Northwestern Pacfic. It was available in four numbers, 50 cars of each number. These cars are sold out.
There were two O scale meet cars, both based upon the Red Caboose wood reefer.
One car was lettered for GN/WFEX. Five cars were available at the meet, and all are sold.
The other car was lettered for PFE in the post-1952 scheme which was a black and white UP herald (in addition to the SP herald) with all side hardware painted the body color instead of black. There were 95 of these cars available at the meet. OSW is sold out of these cars.
Still available. There were two S scale meet cars. One was a kit for a Southern Pacific class F-70-7 53'6" flat car. The other was the Southern Pacific class F-50-16 40 foot flat car. The kits were available with or without trucks and couplers (T&C); there was a choice of scale trucks and KD 802 couplers or hi-rail trucks and AF compatible couplers. A bulkhead kit is also available for $13.00. The S scale cars that remain are available from Howard'S Trains.
There were three O scale meet cars.
One was the Red Caboose wood reefer that was available at the 2009 OSW; this car sold out at the 2010 meet.
Another was the Weaver UP Express Service box car that was available at the 2008 meet. This car is Still Available.
The third O Scale meet car is the AtlasO trainman 53 foot gondola painted black and lettered for the Southern Pacific, who had 50 of these cars. Still Available.
The S scale meet car was produced by S-Helper Service. It represents a Southern Pacific class B-50-12A rebuild 40' box car; "represents" since it is not an exact model. There will be 4 different road numbers available. Availability of the cars is TBD.

To Purchase

For the O scale cars, if you want to purchase one or more of the cars that listed above as Still Available, please contact Errol Spangler at "Oscalerr at yahoo dot com" or by post at seven oh four Lakebird D r i v e, Sunnyvale, CA 94089; you can also call him at area code = 408 prefix = 734 number = 2832 (see the Contact link below for help in decoding the preceding phone number information). Errol will also have the most current availability of the limited quantity cars. Note: the S & H charge will vary with how many cars you purchase and how you want them shipped to you.

For the S scale cars, if you want to purchase one or more of the cars that listed above as Still Available, please contact Lee Johnson at "leemax at jps dot net" if another source is not identified in the description of the car. Lee will also have the most current availability of the limited quantity cars. Note: the S & H charge will vary with how many cars you purchase and how you want them shipped to you.

Those meet cars that remain will be available at the 21st Annual O Scale West, and S West 6, to be held January 27 - 29, 2011. For more information about that event click here.

TO CONTACT O SCALE WEST