Con-Cor - 1452G - Boxcar, 50 Foot, Steel - Cadiz Railroad - 1000

Model Information: This model was originally manufactured by Kato for Con-Cor. Manufacturing was later moved to Con-Cor's Chicago facility. The model sort-of resembles the PRR C41 prototype.

These models have issues, and I would advise most modelers and runners to stay away. First, they use a wonky clip-in truck that is not easy to swap out for MTL (or other knuckle-coupler equipped) trucks. For all of the samples of this model I have seen, the metal underframes, though nicely detailed, arrive out-of-the-box scuffed. The early Kato versions come with some very nice low-profile nickel-silver plated wheels, but the Con-Cor made version have some of the WORST wheelsets I have ever seen. They are plastic, low-profile jobs which have casting flaws that make them run horribly. Since you cannot swap the trucks easily, you simply cannot run this junk. Perhaps Con-Cor improved their wheelset quality in later runs, but the ones I looked at (VNOR 7739) are awful. Furthermore the Con-Cor releases have LOWER quality pad-printing than the earlier Kato releases. Unfortunately, the Kato releases used a high-gloss paint that looks terrible. So no matter which version you get, it will be disappointing.

Prototype History: While the 40-foot boxcar was a standard design, and it did come in different setups depending on the type of freight being transported, it was not large enough for efficient mass commodity transportation. The 50-foot boxcar made its first appearance in the 1930s and steadily grew in popularity over the years, which further improved redundancies by allowing for even more space within a given car. Today, the 50-footer remains the common boxcar size. After the second world war ended, and steel became once again readily available, steel became the go-to choice for construction of boxcars. Pullman Standard and ACF were some of the most prolific builders of these cars.

These cars came in many variations. For instance, double-doors became practical for large/wide loads, end-doors useful for very large lading such as automobiles, and interior tie-down equipment was helpful in keeping sensitive products from being damaged in-transit. In 1954 the Santa Fe developed its "Shock Control" (and later "Super Shock Control") technology for new boxcars with upgraded suspension systems to further improve the ride-quality and reduce the chance of damaging freight.

In the 1960s, the flush, "plug" style sliding door was introduced as an option that provides a larger door to ease loading and unloading of certain commodities. The tight-fitting doors are better insulated and allow a car's interior to be maintained at a more even temperature.

Road Name History: The Cadiz (pronounced “kay-deez”) opened in 1902 to move tobacco from Cadiz, Kentucky 10 miles to a connection with the Illinois Central in Gracey, Kentucky. In 1984, they purchased the connecting former IC line from Gracey to Princeton, Kentucky from Illinois Central Gulf, nearly tripling the length of the CAD. Traffic included fertilizer, furniture, lumber and scrap steel. Cadiz participated in the 1970s shortline boxcar boom with a fleet of bright yellow cars. Sadly, the Cadiz shutdown in 1985 and was formally abandoned three years later.

Brand/Importer Information: Con-Cor has been in business since 1962. Many things have changed over time as originally they were a complete manufacturing operation in the USA and at one time had upwards of 45 employees. They not only designed the models,but they also built their own molds, did injection molding, painting, printing and packaging on their models.

Currently, most of their manufacturing has been moved overseas and now they import 90% of their products as totally finished goods, or in finished components. They only do some incidental manufacturing today within the USA.

Important Note: The Con-Cor product numbering can be very confusing. Please see here in the article how to properly enter Con-Cor stock numbers in the TroveStar database.