Who made this car? Is it a custom, or was it a kit? I'd like to purchase one in better condition and/or the kit and make it myself.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item...=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002

Any ideas? I am still too inexperienced to identify cars made by certain companies.

Appreciate it.

IT could be the intermountain kits with a modifed doors. These molds have subsequetly been sold to Atlas O

Is it Kraemer (SPELLNG )

Looking very carefully at the eBay photos of that NYC box-car, it appears to be made up from six resin castings: two sides, two different ends, a roof and a floor/underframe. There is no brake piping or rigging detail under it. However, the locations for the reservoir, cylinder and valve are those square bosses seen in the underframe.

Bill Clouser in the 1960's produced a line of box cars made like this one, as built-up carbodies to which one added other details. Later, Eric Bronski I think produced several of the former Clouser freight cars as kits, under the Bronze Key name for a short while.

This NYC double-door/door-in-end 40' automobile box-car may be one of the Clouser or Bronze Key cars, given its level of fine detail. A rare catch if so! Few were made when new and they are not easy to find now.

Ed Bommer

Its a shame that these are rare beasts. Where did the tooling for all of this disappear? Someone should bring it back!

New ebay search items: bronze key and and clouser

I bet this car is almost twice my age.

Thanks guys. Never heard of/seen these kit makers before.

The sides looking at the underbody picture seem rather thick to be one of the Clouser castings. I'm extrapolating from the Clouser trolleys which were exquisite works...

Note that the seller states "Construction is cast metal." Of course he could be wrong...

Athern O gauge I think. These were made in the mid to late 70's. The kits came with metal sides (painted and lettered very good) and ends and had to be assembled over a wood block. Plastic trucks (good trucks) were also part of the kit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Marty Fitzhenry,

I don't think it is a Clouser. I have a few of them and never saw a 40' double door with an end door. Clouser cars were made with a metal-filled epoxy and would appear to be heavy and even metallic if you cut into the casting. The end looks like an old Walthers lead casting. The roof is not Intermoutain or Athearn. The doors look to be fairly modern castings like plastic. Maybe it is hybrid made up of parts from several makers.

Gene Deimling

It could be a Clouser car. He did make a 40' double door box car with an end door and rectangular panel roof. I count myself fortunate to have one. Unfortunately over the internet we can't pick it up. Once you've had a Clouser car in your hands you can spot another one almost blind folded by its very solid construction and heft.
Ed Rappe