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N-scale Varnish Passenger Car User's Guide

ILLINOIS CENTRAL

UPDATED 16 JANUARY 2007.

Click here to visit Fred Klein's excellent N-scale Passenger Car website  

The following are cars that can be accurately modeled currently in N-scale using available car sides, kits and R-T-R models.  The list below are recommendations only, based on the best information that I have on-hand.  If you know of additions or corrections that need to be made, or know of suitable decals for lettering these cars, please email me by Clicking Here.

Below is a list of links for the manufacturers featured on this page:
American Limited Models Des Plaines Hobbies Union Station Products
Brass Car Sides Lazer Horizons Wheels of Time
M&R Models

NEW ITEMS NOTED BY **.
SERIES CAR TYPE MAKER - ITEM # NOTES
  NAMED-series 1, 10
 
 		   P.S. 11 DBR
 
 		   LH N-4168
  M&R 60-125
  USP 4168A*		   
  NAMED-series 1
 
 		   P.S. 10 Rmt - 6 DBR
 
 		  **LH N-B&O4167
  M&R 60-124
  USP 4168A*		   
  NAMED-series 1
 
 
 		   P.S. 6 Sect - 6 Rmt - 4 DBR
 
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-509
  DPN1520
  L.H. N-4099
  USP 4099* 		 
  NAMED-series 1
 
 
 
 		   P.S. 10 Rmt - 5 DBR
 
 
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-517
  DPN1522
  L.H. N-4072
  M&R 60-34 or 60-34-2 12
  USP 4072*		   ex-NYC Cascade-series
 
 
 
 
  NAMED-series 1
 
 		   P.S. 22 Rmt
 
 		   L.H. N-4122
  M&R 60-54
  USP 4122B*		   ex-NYC
 
 
  NAMED-series 1
 
 
 
 
 		   P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR 
 
 
 
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-517
  DPN1525
  L.H. 4
  M&R 60-33 12
  M&R 60-33-2 12
  USP 4069H*		 
  City of Jacksonville
  City of New Orleans		   P.S. 18 Rmt
 		   LH 4068
  USP 4068		   
  General Beauregard
  General Jackson		   P.S. 3 DBR - 1 Comp - 1 DR - bar lounge
 		   USP 4101*
  		  
  Gulford
  Memphis		   P.S. 2 DBR - 2 Comp - 1 DR -
  lounge observation		   USP 4102*
 		   
  1900 Bougainvillia   P.S. baggage - dorm   M&R 60-119   
  2200 - 2202 5   Budd dome - coach   Kato R-T-R   ex-MoPac/T&P
  2600 Camellia   P.S. coach/nurse room   M&R 60-120   
  2601 - 2603 2   P.S. 60-seat coach   M&R 60-123   
  2614 - 2640 3
 		   P.S. 56-seat coach
 		   M&R 60-60-122
  USP 7531*		   
  3300 Bamboo Garden   P.S. tavern - lounge obs.   M&R 60-127   
  4100 Palm Garden
 		   P.S. dining car
 		   M&R 60-121
  USP 7585*		   
  4125, 4126
 		   P.S. twin-unit diner table car
 		  **LH C&O7605
  USP 7605IC*		   R# 4175, 4176
 
  4127, 4128
 		   P.S. twin-unit diner table car
 		  **LH C&O7605
  USP 7605IC*
 		   ex-NYC, nee-C&O
 
  4125A, 4126A
 		   P.S. twin-unit diner kitchen - dorm
 		  **LH C&O7607
  USP 7607IC*		   R# 4175A, 4176A
 
  4127A, 4128A
 		   P.S. twin-unit diner kitchen - dorm
 		  **LH C&O7607
  USP 7607IC*		   ex-NYC, nee-C&O
 

Foreign sleeper cars leased by Illinois Central.

In addition to the cars listed above that were purchased from various lines, the I.C. leased additionals sleepers from various lines to help meet peak demands for sleeper space on both the City of Miami and the Panama Limited.  While the best known were Budd dome - sleepers from the North Coast Limited (NP - CB&Q - SP&S), other sleepers from Chicago & NorthWestern, Lackawanna, New York Central, Norfolk and Western and Union Pacific also saw service in I.C. paint.  The table below lists all known cars that carried I.C. paint.

OWNER - SERIES CAR TYPE MAKER - ITEM # DATES
  C&NW - Named 7a   P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR   M&R 60-164   1957 - 1963(?) 7
  C&NW Imperial-series 7b
 
 
 		   P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR
 
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-516
  DPN1525
  L.H. N-UP4069
  M&R 60-26		   1957 - 1963(?)
 
 
 
  CB&Q 304, 305 6
  NP 306-series 6		   Budd dome - sleeper
 		   B.C.S. 173-524
 		   See Note 6.
 
  DL&W Kittatinny
  DL&W Lackawanna		   ACF 10 Rmt - 6 DBR
 		   L.H. DL&W9008
 		   1959 - 1966
 
  NYC Bay Bridge 8
  NYC Suspension Bridge 8
 		   P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-516
  L.H. N-NY4069B
  M&R 60-26 or 60-33-2		   1960 - 1962 8
 
 
  NYC Lorain County
 
 
 		   P.S. 13 DBR
 
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-521
  DPN1523
  L.H. N-NY4071
  M&R 60-32-2		   late-1960, to NdeM (1961).
 
 
 
  N&W County 9   P.S. 10 Rmt - 6 DBR   B.C.S. 173-533   1961 - 1967 9
  UP Imperial-series 11
 
 
 		   P.S. 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR
 
 
 		   B.C.S. 173-516
  DPN1525
  L.H. N-UP4069
  M&R 60-26		   1957 - 1959
 
 
 

Abbreviations:
  A.C.F. - American Car and Foundry   DBR - double bedroom   obs. - observation
  BE - blunt end   DR - drawing room   P.S. - Pullman - Standard
  Comp - compartment   Dup - duplex   Sect - section
  Dorm - dormitory   HW - heavyweight   SR - single room

* - It should be noted that the Union Station Products are Craftsman-level kits.  Some clean-up of parts and assembly is required, and care must be exercised when assembling these sides because of the delicate parts.

Note 1:  Lightweight sleeper cars of the Illinois Central carried named.  Below are the names for various sleepers.

  • Individual names of sleeper cars having 6 Rmt - 6 Sect - 4 DBR:
    Banana Road King Coal Land O' Strawberries Pelican State Prairie State Timberland
    Blue Grass State King Cotton Magnolia State Petroleum Sugarland Volunteer State

  • Individual names of sleeper cars having 11 DBR:
    Baton Rogue 10 Belleville Benton 10 Bloomington Bradley Brookhaven

  • Individual names of P.S. 10 - 6 sleepers. (Note:  The original series were ordered by the Chesapeake and Ohio but sold to the Illinois Central before delivery.  The cars were delivered with smooth sides.  Car names in red are former Norfolk and Western/Nickel Plate Road cars.  They were rebuilt by the Illinois Central to smooth sides.):
    Cabden Carbondale Chandeysson Clifton Council Bluffs
    Cairo Central City Charles City Coles County Covington
    Calumet Centralia Chebanse Cook County Crystal Springs
    Calvert Champaign Clarksdale Corinth Cynthia
    Canton

  • Individual names of sleeper cars having 4 DBR - 4 Comp - 2 DR (car names in red are former New York Central Imperial-series cars):
    Chicagoland Gilman Hayleyville Hattisburg Homewood
    St. Louisan Greenville Hammond HazeL.H.urst Hyde Park
    Galena Grenada Harvey    

  • Individual names of sleeper cars having 10 - 5 (ex-NYC Cascade-series):
    Fernwood Flossmoor Fort Dodge Fulton

    Note 2:  Coaches in this series carried the following names:
    2601 Calcasieu 2602 Carondelet 2603 Clairborne

    Note 3:  Some coaches in this series carried the names as noted below:
    2614 Baronne 2617 Feliciana 2620 Maurepas 2623 Tulane 2626 Poydras 2632 Litchfield
    2615 Dauphine 2618 Gentilly 2621 Orleans 2624 Pontalba 2627 Plaquemine 2633 Clinton
    2616 Delgado 2619 Gravier 2622 Tangipahoa 2625 Ponchatoula 2631 Springfield 2636 Kankakee

    Note 4:  Two Lazer Horizons sides may be appropriate for these cars, N-NY4069 and N-NY4069B.  I do not know the difference between these two plans so it is difficult to say which would be more appropriate.

    Note 5:  Budd dome coaches were purchased from the Missouri Pacific in 1968 for use on various I.C. passenger trains.  While the Budd dome - coach from the California Zephyr trainset is close in detail it would be necessary to create the cutouts for the trucks in the skirting for the models to be more accurate.  These cars retained all the Budd fluting when repainted.

    Note 6:  North Coast Limited Budd dome - sleepers were leased for use on the City of Miami from 1959 until and from until 1967, with the cars leased during for the winter season being used instead on the Panama Limited.  After the former Missouri Pacific dome - coaches were acquired, IC no longer leased the NP cars.  (Note:  Some sources have said that for the last season, 1967 and 1968 the cars were not repainted IC, but this has not been confirmed.)
  • CB&Q 304 used during the winter seasons of 1964 - 1965 and 1966 - 1967.
  • CB&Q 305 used during the winter season of 1967 - 1968.
  • NP 307 used during the winter season of 1959 - 1960.
  • NP 308 used during the winter seasons of 1963 - 1964.
  • NP 309 used during the winter season of 1959 - 1960 and 1964 - 1965.
  • NP 310 used during the winter seasons of 1959 - 1960 and 1965 - 1966.
  • NP 311 used during the winter season of 1966 - 1967 (repainted as NP 377).
  • NP 312 used during the winter season of 1965 - 1966.
  • NP 313 used during the winter seasons of 1965 - 1966 and 1967 - 1968.

    Note 7:  The following C&NW sleepers were assigned to the Illinois Central after U.P. shifted operations of its Overland Route passenger trains from the C&NW to Milwaukee Road.  Starting in late-1957 the following sleepers saw use on the I.C., remaining there until the cars were returned to C&NW (circa 1963) and retired.
  • 7a - The following sleeper cars can be modeled using M&R 60-164 sides:  Arcadia, Civic Center and Hunters Point.
  • 7b - The following sleeper cars can be modeled using the B.C.S. 173-516 sides, DPN1525 kit, L.H. N-4069 sides or M&R 60-26 sides:  Imperial Drive, Imperial Leaf, Imperial Mark, Imperial Point and Imperial Ranch.

    Note 8:  When these cars entered service on the IC their futures were already in doubt.  In 1962 Suspension Bridge and Bay Bridge were sold to the Atlantic Coast Line and were shipped to that line.

    Note 9:  The N&W County-series sleepers first entered service on the IC in 1961 when Buchanan County was repainted on 7/31/61 and it continued to where IC colors until repainted in N&W's PRR styled paint scheme on 9/2/64. McDowell County entered service after repainting on 8/30/63 and wore that paint until repainted 5/31/66 to N& Pevler-blue.  Sussex County was repainted to IC colors 8/30/63 and repainted back to N&W 5/31/67.  Some of these cars saw use in IC paint prior to being repainted back to N&W.

    Note 10:  IC sleeper Benton was repainted for use on Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited from 5/31/66 to 9/30/66, and sleeper Baton Rogue carried NCL paint from 5/31/67 to 9/29/67.

    Note 11:  UP sleepers Imperial Bird, Imperial Letter and Imperial Rock served on the IC from 11/1/57 until 5/29/59.

    Note 12:  Where two M&R numbers are listed it indicates that there are skirted and unskrited sides available.  Please refer to the M&R Master List, just click here.

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