Keep in mind you have to be sure that not only was that car around in the 1950's, but that the paint / lettering scheme is correct for that time. Freight cars last a long time, so it's easy to find a model of say a 1941-built 40' boxcar wearing 1960's lettering.
This is a website that I use for research in the late steam era, and it has a link to the Steam Era Freight Car List in yahoo groups, whose cutoff date is 1960 plus other links and lists of cars such as all the 1937 AAR cars built, 1944 AAR cars built, PS1 40' and 50' Boxcars built.
http://www.steamerafreightcars.com/index.html
Rick J
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
The NMRA published a book, which might still be available, on the postwar freight car fleet. One of the authors, Ted Culotta, had a substantial series of articles in Railroad Model Craftsman on that same topic. RailModel Journal and Model Railroading both also had long running freight cars of the fifties series'.
Don't forget the many Morning Sun and similar color books that sometimes focus on the freight cars of a particular railroad.
Model Railroader itself published a superb article by John Nehrich in the March '86 issue, "Boxcar Fleet of the Fifties."
In addition to various Car Builders Cyclopedias, don't forget that old Trains magazines, as well as industry publications such as Railway Age, covered the "newest' freight cars as they were released.
I happen to be very impressed also with the Railway Prototype Cyclopedia series of soft cover books -- here is their website http://rpcycpub.com/
Lastly, remember that the cars you see are, or were, never all new. A train in the 1950s had plenty of cars 10, 20, 30 and more years old, so long as they met interchange standards. So for example if I was modeling 1958, I'd want a Car Builder's Cyc from the 1930s as well as one from the 50s.
Dave Nelson
Hi - agree that the railway equipment registers and carbuilder's cyclopedia's will be great references for the types of information you seek. Might also try looking on-line, some issues or excerpts may be available that way, as well. Hope this helps, Art
While it goes beyond "general info", you might want to look for a copy of The Official Railway Equipment Register from the late 1950's. This manual was issued by the National Railway Publication Company. Thousands of each issue were printed (they are softbound), as just about every railroad billing clerk had to have one available. They turn up regularly at train shows, and usually aren't that pricey. For EVERY US railroad and private car owner, there will be a line for each type of car, showing:
AAR Design; Description; AAR Code; Numbers of the cars; Dimensions inside-outside-and doors; Capacity in cubic feet and lbs; as well as the number of cars in service.
Especially if one is modeling a smaller line (say Central Vermont, Maine Central, EJ&E), the listings can be reviewed pretty quickly to reveal the proportion of various car types owned by the railroad. The multiple-page listings of the larger railroads (N&W, UP, etc.) would take longer to study. Of course, railroads didn't just handle their own cars, but these volumes show what was in service on the nation's railroads on the date of publication. One copy of one issue from the late 1950's would be all that you need for many years of reference and study.
Bill
Gidday, Our hosts have in their Shop, under "Special Issues" , "How to Model Railroads of the 1950s". In it there is an article, "Freight cars of the 1950s" and while it is fairly generalised, which is what I'd expect from an 8 page article I find that it's useful.
The article also refers to an"Information Station PDF" article collection, Freight Cars of the 1950s" found under on the "How-To" menu on the top of this page. As I am too mean to chase the moths from my wallet and dust off my credit card, I am unable to comment on the PDF.
As for specific cars, a question to this forum can provide, or at least direct you to, good information.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Can anyone recommend a good book or website that focuses on rolling stock of the 1950's. I'm looking for general info of types of cars in use, ie tanks, hoppers etc.