Broadway Limited - 3662 - Boxcar, 40 Foot, Steel Single Door - Boston & Albany - 50634, 50624, 50626, 50628

Model Information: Brodway Limited launched this model in January of 2018. It is a full 3rd generation model priced appropriately at $29.99 for singles $99.99 for 4-packs (which makes the 4-packs a bargain). It features metal wheels, body-mount couplers and enough detail parts to make most modelers and collectors feel they are getting their money's worth. Of special note is the fact that these feature opening doors. Operating doors are a bit of a rarity outside of Micro-Trains releases and it is nice to see other manufacturers note that modelers like these! Furthermore, I took my finger and tried to pop out the doors to test the reliability. These doors are in there well. That is not always the case as other manufacturers' operating doors sometimes come off at the least amount of jarring.

The model has a nice heft to it and the wheels run smoothly on Kato Unitrack. These two features can make operators/runners happy that these cars will track well. They feature MTL-lookalike couplers. Never as good as the real thing in my opinion but they cut a couple of dollars off the price and these appear to be relatively well-made clones.

The print quality and rivet placement both look good to my untrained eye. The color looks accurate and the underframe details are awesome. These cars feature a die-cast underframe with a plastic skeleton affixed to it. The result is an underframe that others should be jealous of. I know, I know - who looks at an underframe? I do, and when I see a half-hearted effort, I will call it out.

The features are: Beautifully Detailed and Accurately Modeled; Precision Paint, Color, and Lettering Schemes; Many separately applied details including hand rails; Detailed underbody & brake system; Composition: ABS; Minimum Operating Radius: 9.75 in.

Prototype History: Steel boxcars became a common site in the post-WWII period (also known as the transition era). Steel construction resulted in a lighter, lower-maintenance car that was less expensive to acquire and operate. The economies of scale that happened during the war along with a cessation of orders from the military resulted in a plentiful, inexpensive source of metal and aluminum for the railcar manufacturers which in turn led a complete replacement of the aging wood-sheathed fleets with new steel cars.

Road Name History: The B&A was the result of two mergers accomplished in phases between 1867 and 1870. The merged lines included the Hudson & Boston Railroad, the Albany & West Stockbridge, the Western Railroad (by that time a paper railroad operated by the A&WS), the Hudson & Berkshire and the Boston & Worcester. Construction continued until late in the century. The result was a line running from Boston, Massachusetts west to Worcester, Springfield, Pittsfield and on to Albany, New York, plus a number of branches. In 1900 the B&A was leased for 99 years by the New York Central & Hudson River, In 1914, the lease passed to New York Central Railroad. As during the NYC&HR period, Boston & Albany retained their own corporate identity during NYC’s lease although locomotive and rolling stock design practices followed those of parent NYC. Lima Locomotive Works worked with Boston & Albany to develop the 2-8-4 wheel arrangement for locomotives in fast, heavy freight service. This wheel arrangement was named the Berkshire in honor of B&A’s route through the Berkshire Mountains. Commuter traffic on the Boston end was extensive with a 4 or more track mainline required from the city as far as Riverside and triple track all the way to Framingham. For many years, tank engines were used for commuter operations so the power could run in reverse at speed to return to their home terminal. The largest of these were 4-6-6T’s. Around 1951, New York Central lettering began to replace Boston & Albany lettering on locomotives and cars. The B&A was officially merged into NYC in 1961 but many freight cars assigned to specific services continued to receive B&A reporting marks for many more years.

Brand/Importer Information: Broadway Limited Imports, LLC defines itself as "the world's foremost producer of top-quality HO and N scale model trains".

The company was founded in 2002 and introduced its first N scale model in 2009.

Broadway Limited Imports is composed of a team of 15 fun loving individuals who are dedicated to creating the most realistic model railroading experience possible, with the best customer service possible.

The Broadway Limited Imports headquarters is located in Ormond Beach, Florida at 9 East Tower Circle. It's just under an hour's drive from Disney World.

About Broadway Limited Imports.