I ordered one of the MR&T boxcars that I got an e-mail offer on from Kalmbach. Even though the MR&T is a fictional railroad, I've got some questions about the car as well as the MR&T itself.
1. I saw that the kit comes with two types of doors for the car. I realize that it doesn't matter what type of door is used since it's fictional, but does the type of door determine what kind of load the car is used for?
2. Is there a map of where the MR&T runs in relation to the real railroads of Wisconsin and what railroads it would interchange with and where? I model the mid-70s to mid-90s.
Kevin.
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Kevin,As you may recall I am a huge fan of boxcars and here's my two bits to do with as you wish. The MR&T boxcars would carry general freight regardless of the number of doors.
Here's my concern. What type of industries does MR&T serve? If there is a lumber mill then those double door boxcars could carry plywood or veneer lumber. If there is a plastic company then boxcars could carry gaylords of scrap plastic heading for a reclaim company.. A paper company? Then rolls of paper.
Maybe Mr.Otte will chime in and tell us what industries the MR&T serves.
I would be interested in having a inbound load from the MR&T in a Railbox or perhaps a Railgon.
I'm holding off buying any more cars for my 94/95 ISL because a 1954 steam era end of a branchline switching layout keeps floating around in the back of my mind. I have the steam engine and several KD 40' boxcars that I been buying over the years for such a layout..
Then there's those IM Corman GP16 that I am interestd in so around and around it spins!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I believe there was an article on the MR&T in the 1,000th issue of MR that may be of some help with questions regarding the railroad.
The MR&T track plan was in the April, 2017 MRR. You can find it by Googling the MR&T.
I'd post an image, but not sure if I would be violating the copyright stuff.
Here's a link: https://mrr.trains.com/how-to/track-plan-database/2017/02/ho-scale-milwaukee-racine-and-troy
Mike.
My You Tube
I do not post that much, but I do have a question...
Would it be possible to produce the same type of boxcar in Nscale?
For now only an HO is being offered.
With regards,
Dredgeboater
It is better to be roughly right, than to be exactly wrong...
Better to be roughly right, than to be exactly wrong...
And when you do what you did, you'll get what you got!
N Scale MR&T boxcars were made by Fox Valley Models
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=MR%26T+boxcar+n+scale&_sacat=0
N Scale MR&T Extended Vision Caboose by Atlas
https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/atl/atl50003149.htm
N Scale MR&T Extended Vision Caboose Riding Platform by Atlas
https://pnptrains.com/products/rolling-stock/caboose/n-atlas-50003281-extended-vision-caboose-mrt-79-riding-platform-nib/
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
chatanuga 2. Is there a map of where the MR&T runs in relation to the real railroads of Wisconsin and what railroads it would interchange with and where? I model the mid-70s to mid-90s. Kevin.
If you look at a map of Wisconsin, the MR&T roughly follows the route of I-43 southwest out of Milwaukee, at least as it's modeled.
I believe the Wisconsin Central and Wisconsin & Southern were inspirations.
In the December 1989 article, "Meet the MR&T" by Jim Kelly, he says the railroad connects Milwaukee with Fort Madison, Iowa.
Eric
Eric Whitethe railroad connects Milwaukee with Fort Madison, Iowa.
.
Maybe they haul Motorcycles and Beer!
-Kevin
Living the dream.
There's a brewery on the layout!
Eric White There's a brewery on the layout! Eric
Eric,Besides the brewery is there another industry that could ship in 50' Railbox boxcars?
My tobacco and alcohol distributor already has enough inbound loads.
BRAKIE Eric,Besides the brewery is there another industry that could ship in 50' Railbox boxcars? My tobacco and alcohol distributor already has enough inbound loads.
There's a paper plant on the WSOR section, and I suppose Kelly's Appliances at Bay Junction could, but that would more likely be hi-cubes.
MR&T INDUSTRIES:
Hello Larry, and others,
Expanding the topic just a little bit for those who care, here is my attempt at a compilation of industries on the MR&T. As it turns out, I had picked up a copy of the Dec 1989 MR at a swap meet, just for the map of the MR&T. There are other unidentified industries on the track plan. Plus over the years, industries on the MR&T have been featured in Model Railroader.
Thank you Eric, I had forgotten Kelly's Appliances at Bay Junction.
Industries that are shown on the trackplan include:
Troy/ East Troy
Spiering Paper Co
Kalmbach feed
unnamed bakery
WSOR Troy Branch revision --MR Jan 2008
REC Paper Products
Troy Cold Storage
Badgerland Ethanol Corp
Cargill Animal Nutrition
Kalmbach Feeds
Swanson Propane
Williams Bay
Bay Gas Co.
Northern Stove Co.
Hansen Storage -probable location ( March 1992 MR) -- mfd food storage, printing paper storage
Winter Hill
unnamed quarry & rock crusher (aka Larson Stone Co -MR March 2013)
unnamed warehouse (shingle plant- Continental or Consolidated Building Supplies - MR March 2013)
Mukwanago
Quad Graphics
Artz Lumber Co
Big Bend
Keller Brewery
Milwaukee/ Kelly's Island
Power Plant
unnamed Cement Terminal
Continental Grain - terminal silos
Sorry for the inserted line breaks above, I had formatting problems when pasting the text.
Hillyard, First thank you for the list.
Looks like REC Paper Products will be shipping office paper to Aloy's Office Supplies Inc. located on the team track. Aloy's also handles top grade office furniture,printers etc. Only occasional boxcars of paper and office furniture arrives by rail. Approximately eight cars a year.
I recently purchased the single-door MR&T 40-foot PS-1 boxcar (#40623). Like chatanuga I noted that Accurail included two styles of door, a corrugated Youngstown door and a paneled door.
Obviously, yes, it's a fictional railroad. But is there any established "canon" about which style of door the "real" MR&T used on such boxcars? Or any common-sense prescription for which door would make more sense for a boxcar with a stated build date of 4-50? It seems the Youngstown doors were more prevalent in general but I have seen pics of PS-1 boxcars with paneled doors. Interested in any wisdom others can supply.
Well if it is on YOUR railroad it could be there in dedicated service for a customer on the MR&T. In other words it comes to a specific industry empty to take a load back to the MR&T. Nothing say's it has to be loaded when it arrives on your railroad.
Bradley A. Scott two styles of door, a corrugated Youngstown door and a paneled door. Obviously, yes, it's a fictional railroad. But is there any established "canon" about which style of door the "real" MR&T used on such boxcars?
Some railroads, and the C&NW comes to mind, would at times place large orders for freight cars, including boxcars, but there was no uniformity as to who supplied doors, running boards, hand brake wheels, trucks, and other such variables. One possibility is that they wanted to spread their business around to numerous vendors. Another is that by sending smaller orders to the vendors they got more immediate delivery.
There have been other makes of kits over the years that supplied different choices of boxcar doors in the same kit. I recall in particular the IMWX 1937 AAR boxcar in Southern lettering (IMWX was either an ancestor of InterMountain or Red Caboose or both). I looked around and found one Southern car in the series had a particular door so I chose that one. But then I found photos of cars in the same series with a different door -- and not one of the choices in the IMWX kit! At that point I stopped looking because I didn't want to find photos of my particular car and learn I elected the wrong door or should have looked beyond the kit (and tried to match the paint - good luck with that) for the correct door. It pays to be cowardly when you have pretenses to being a prototype modeler.
And as others point out those are the dilemma you face when following a genuine prototype - not an "As You Like It" such as the MR&T. Or to put in another way, when ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to go looking for the truth on the internet, including these forums.
Dave Nelson