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3400 series 40' PS 1 Steel Boxcar - Lettered in the 250-299 series cars with the large AA pennant. See page 10 of Craig Wilson's book.

• The Accurail car has an 8-foot door which makes it closest to the AA 1200-1399 series.  It also has Pullman-Standard doors which none of the AA cars ever had.  The prototype 1200-1399 series cars had Superior doors.  The 250-299 series you reference were not P-S cars.  They were built by the Wabash to an ACF design:  4-3-1 improved Dreadnaught ends, diagonal panel roof, 10-panel riveted sides, 6-foot "Youngstown" type door.  The Accurail 3400-series is nowhere close - not even a good stand-in.  The Accurail 3500-series is actually much closer to the AA 250-299 series.  Primary difference:  the Accurail car has a "tabbed" lower sill while the protoptype cars had a "solid" lower sill that ran between between the bolsters as one piece.  And the stirrup steps at the corners were a different design - easily replaced.

3500 series 40' ACF Style by Wabash Steel Boxcar

• It has the right roof, right ends, right number of riveted panels, and the right size and type of door.  The primary difference between this and the Accurail model is that the stirrup steps are a different shape and this car has a solid one-piece sill running between the bolsters where the Accurail car has a "tabbed" sill.  An ambitious modeler could make these modifications on a pre-decorated car and have an almost perfect model.  There are a couple of paint schemes to choose from but this is the one I recommend doing.  Large 60-inch pennant herald on the right side of the car.  If it sells well, you could go back later and do the "original" paint scheme - 24-inch outline pennant on the left side above the reporting marks and the "ANN ARBOR" roadname on the right side and lower on the body.

2800Series Panel Side Coal Hopper  - Lettered in the 30700-30724 series cars. See page 41 of Craig's book.

• This is a pretty close match and Accurail has actually offered the car in an AA scheme (Accurail #2809) although the reporting marks and numbers look small and "thin" when compared to the prototypes.  Slight differences in panel size but overall a good match.

2500Series USRA Coal Hopper  - Lettered in the 30500-30599 series cars. See page 41 of Craig's book.

• Another good match and again Accuail has done this car as their #2545.  Same issue with reporting marks/number size.

2700Series Wood Side Hopper  - Lettered in the 30900-30974 series cars. See page 41 of Craig's book.

• This is a close match too.  Accurail offered an AA car as their #2714.

Coal hoppers are well covered but there were 100 of the USRA cars (2500-series), 25 of the panel-side cars (2800-series) and 75 of the wood composite hoppers (2700-series) and all of them were gone by 1962 with the change from Wabash to DT&I control of the AA.  Not really correct to be running them behind orange diesels.

5200Series Double Door Riveted 50' Steel Boxcar  - Lettered for 15061, this is the only car of this type that the AA had - See page 48 & 56 of Craig's book.

• ***Nope.  Again the difference between Pullman-Standard cars (the prototype cars assigned to the AA by the DT&I) and ACF cars (the Accurail model).  So the ends and roof are completely different (prototypes had P-S ends and roof while Accurail car has 4-3-1 IDE ends and diagonal panel roof).  Now the prototypes were an early P-S type which had riveted sides rather than welded panels typical of later P-S production and the Accurail cars DO have riveted sides and double doors.  

"A reasonable stand-in" (the Accurail 3500-series for the AA 250-299 cars, and 3400-series for the 1200-1399/1400-1409 AA P-S cars) although as a "historical association" we should acknowledge the shortcomings.  

This is the Accurail 5900-series 50-foot double door WELDED boxcar.  It is an approximate match to:

The 6000-series boxcars that were obtained second-hand from the Denver & Rio Grande Western.

What is right about it:

• 4-3-1 Dreadnaught ends

• diagonal panel roof

• welded sides (4 panels left, 6 panels right)

• lowered ladders and no roofwalk

• double "Youngstown" type doors (although it appears to be a 15-foot  openingcompared to the model's 16-foot) same lower sill shape

• although the model does not have the "notches"  at the corners where the stirrup steps attach

What is not right about it:

• Prototype has a cushion underframe - the Accurail model does not

• the prototype is an ACF "Precision Design" boxcar so the the panels to  the right of the doors have a very subtle recess in the panels.  Not  easy to see in the photographs.

4641 series 40' wood Wabash System Herald Ann Arbor Railroad Boxcar

This car has not been reviewed.