HO Scale Car Manufacturers

 Bachmann

            These are actually ready-to-run (rtr) models of post War cars

            34’ box car (originally just UP &CP, now a greater variety of lines)

            34’ water tank car

            34’ flat car

            34’ gondola

            34’ highside gondola w/coal load

            Bobber caboose, post war

            Replacing wheelsets with all metal wheelsets highly recommended

            With proper repainting and weathering these are acceptable behind a

                        Mantua General but will look better pulled by a 4-4-0 or 2-4-0 from

                        Rivarossi, AHM, Pocher, Mehano or IHC.

            These have been used successfully with OO scale figures and 1/72^nd scale

                        figures such as those available through IMEX (search eBay).

Microtrains

            N scale rtr rolling stock in plastic.

Tyco/Mantua

            28’ box/house car (multiple road names)

            28’ horse car

            28’ flat w/ low sides

            28’ water tank car

            Much taller and wider than typical 1860s rolling stock but finest rtr

                        currently on the market

            Bobber caboose, post war

            Drovers caboose, post war (Though the B&O RR lists a Drover Car on their

                        roster during the Civil War era. I have thus far not come across an

                        image of that B&O car.)

            Replacing wheelsets with all metal wheelsets is easy to do and highly

                        recommended for operations.

            Look fine when pulled by a Tyco/Mantua General but being pulled by a

                        Rivarossi, AHM/Pocher/Mehano/IHC 4-4-0 looks even better.

            These have been used successfully with OO scale figures and 1/72^nd scale

                        figures such as those available through IMEX (search eBay).

Rivarossi/AHM/Pocher

            34’ box car (California Fast Freight & Missouri Pacific)

            34’ water tank car

            34’ flat car

            34’ stock/cattle car (Lehigh Valley, Union Pacific, USMRR)

            34’ horse car (USMRR, B&O RR, Wells Fargo)

            Bobber cabooses, post war

            See notes for Bachmann and Rivarossi/AHM/Pocher/Mehano/IHC cars

listed above.

 IHC/Mehano

            Remakes of many of the Rivarossi line with less refined detailing

            34’ box cars (multiple road names)
            34’ flat cars (ditto)

            34’ ventilated box cars

            34’ tank cars

            34’ rail & tie cars

            34’ blacksmith car

            34’ bunk car

            34’ crane car

            See notes for Bachmann and Rivarossi cars listed above.

            I have successfully modified/backdated one of these ventilated box cars to

                        be more closely to scale and with an arched rather than a peaked

                        roof.

BTS

            Wood kits less trucks and couplers

            28’ USMRR arch roofed house/box car

            28’ USMRR peaked roof house/box car

            USMRR horizontal sheathed house/box car

            USMRR 9 stake flat car

            USMRR 5 stake flat car

            USMRR open top stock car

            USMRR peaked roof stock car

            USMRR gondola

            USMRR box car #767

            Dictator Mortar and flat car

            Conductor’s car

            GA RR flat car

            GA RR box car

            Densmore tank car (post war but looks cool)

            Atlantic & Great Western 21’ flat car

            Also, makes water tanks, wood ricks & other appropriate buildings

            Also offers O scale wood Civil War rolling stock kits

            For “Bill’s” wood kits in N scale, go to Republic Locomotive Company. 

Rio Grande Models

            Outfit car #01789 kit can be used as a variation of a way/conductor’s car

            Wood kit less truck and couplers 

Red Ball > BC Models>?

            4 wheel coal jimmies

            Come up not infrequently on eBay

 Alkem Scale Models

            No longer available check eBay, train flea markets, etc

            28’ Stock cars

            28’ Illinois Central RR ventilated box car

            Coal jimmies

            If you are interested in a quantity, check with Bernie on the Civil War RR

                        groups.io site.

            I have a number of these kits yet to build in my stash but have seen fine

                        models built from these kits. Just don’t ask me to remember where.

Concord Car Works

            Can sometimes be found on the used train market

            Wood and metal kits

            Arched rather than peaked roofs. Look good in a train of Tyco/Mantua cars.

            28’ green box cars labeled for Central RR of New Jersey

                        Came in at least 3 different car numbers in green

                        Also available in a CRR of NJ brown paint scheme

            26’ PARR drop bottom gondola

                        I have only seen (& purchased) one of these

Silver Crash Car Works

            No longer available (check eBay, train meets, etc.)

            28’ box cars

            Resin kits less trucks and couplers

            A more modern design than the Tyco/Mantua cars 

Bitter Creek Models

            www.bittercreekmodels.com

            Great source for rtr trucks. Make sure to specify if you want proto 88

                        Wheels. He provides excellent customer service. He has built trucks

                        with wheels supplied by the customer and has sold me just the

                        sideframes in the past. If you contact him, please let him know I told

                        you about his fine products.

            25’ CP RR box car kit less trucks and couplers

            4 wheel coal jimmies

            23’ Colorado Central Hon3 box & powder car combination kit (kit can make

                        either one but not 2 cars) This is a narrow gauge car but can ride on

                        standard gage trucks. I just ordered 2 to see what they look like.

            They also make various 32’, 34’ & 37’ wood kits that can be bashed if so

                        desired

Roundhouse/MDC

            They made a number of old time 36’ cars.

HOWEVER, these are TOO long, TOO tall, & TOO wide to be used in a Civil

            War era model RR

Their shorty flat cars have steel under beams & should not be used 

Ye Old Huff n ’Puff

            Various wood kits that can be modified into appropriate Civil War era

                        rolling stock.

            Less trucks and couplers

            Nice open top stock car (a box of sticks for the advanced/patient modeler)

LaBelle

            Wood kits less trucks and couplers

            Nothing specifically for the Civil War modeler

            I have backdated and otherwise modified a number of their Ohio River &

                        Western RR 24’ box car kits to represent older Civil War era rolling

                        stock. I have made my own trucks using Reboxx 0.950” axle length

                        wheel sets and side frames from Bitter Creek Models. A future post

                        will show I did this.

APAG

            24’ D&RG box car resin kit w/o trucks and couplers

            With trucks and metal wheels, this produces a car much heavier than

                        necessary. I have drilled and cut out the inside of one of these cars to

                        lighten it. It is much easier to just build one of the BTS kits. 

Central Valley

            28’ Union Line box car (probably not currently available)

            I purchased an already built one of these at a train meet. I have never seen

                        a kit in a box, though I have seen and purchased Central Valley kits that

                        produce larger Union Line box and ventilated b ox cars.

            An interesting (to me) note: I just read in John White’s The American

                        Railroad Freight Car that one of the innovations that made the Union

                        Line successful was that they used cars with wider treads on the wheels.

                        This allowed them to operate on different roads with slightly

                        different gages. Cars did not have to be unloaded and then reloaded

                        in a different car. This resulted in faster shipping times and less

                        chance of consignments being pilfered in route to their destination.

                        For HO modelers, one could use code 100 rather than proto 88

                        wheelsets and be operating prototypically. Note these cars did not

                        operate on the broad, 6’ gage railroads.

Funaro & Carmerlengo

            3801 DL&W LACKAWANNA 1890's OLD TIME Wood Boxcar Post Civil War

                        Much later than Civil War but can be backdated by leaving off some                            parts and using styrene for others. I am going to try to get more

                        information on this model. So far, I have not found necessary

                        information in John White’s book or online.

            C&K Box Car #5 resin kit makes 2 cars, less trucks & couplers. Make sure to

                        shorten car body per kit instructions! When modified and backdated,

                        these can represent very early box cars. Trucks from Bachmann John

                        Bull passenger cars with spoked wheels recommended.

Shapeways

            Various shops producing 3D prints, trucks, detail parts

            Panamint Models

                        2 different versions of B&O 10 ton pot hoppers. Use the older version

                        2 different versions of coal jimmies. Use the wood spring version &

                                    only one of the brake wheels

                        He offers the best, most prototypical trucks in both N & HO scale. If

                                    you order, order the finest print material you can. Avoid the

                                    cheap stuff because you lose the detail. These trucks come in a

                                    variety of early styles in both wood and archbars, freight and

                                    passenger.

                        B&O flour 4 wheel flour cars

            Barm Model Productions

                        27’ 10” Harlan & Hollingsworth box car such as that shown in John

White’s The American Railroad Freight Car and used by the

Philadelphia, Wilmington, & Baltimore RR as well as the

USMRR.

                                    This is an arched roof design car

                        Harlan & Hollingsworth early gondola

                        Less trucks and couplers. He offers appropriate trucks with & without

                                    brakes as items.

                        He also offers 2 different 6 wheel Norris tenders, a B&W RR

                                    Brookline engine, and several American detail part 

        DMS

            These were designed for N scale. I have no direct experience with either                                 their N or HO scale offerings. The images they show for HO scale make me                      hesitant to order anything from this vendor.

The train shop

            An eBay vendor I came across in my latest eBay search

            3D printed PRR coal jimmy kits, 2 per kit

            Less trucks & couplers

            Less expensive than Panamint (The Train Shop cars are currently $48.52 +

                        $8.50 shipping, slightly less if you buy more kits)