LifeLike has the Mather stock car MDC has the 36 ft truss rod car Central Valley has a kit for the NP stock car Westerfield and Sunshine have resin kits for stock cars There are others other there as well.
Virtually yes. In a nutshell - the meat packing industry has become decentralized over the past few decades, meaning that instead of requiring cattle to be shipped very long distances to packing houses it is accomplished by much shorter hauls.
A good quality, modern shake-the-box stockcar is made by Accurail. I don't own any, but have built some for a friend. They are quite simple to build and make up into a nice looking car.
Lifelike make single and double-deck Mather Patent stockcars as part of their Proto 2000 range. These have many separate detail parts, and so require a little more effort to build. But they are by no means difficult for a modeller of average skills, and build up into beautifully delicate looking models.
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The model on the left is straight from the box, that on the right has been converted to K brakes, vertical brake staff, and Andrews trucks.
Central Valley make a kit for a radial-roof Northern Pacific stockcar. I have a couple of these, which I have yet to build. I'd say they'd require the most work to complete, of the three. But even a quick glance at the sprues tells you that they are high-quality products.
I was able to get one within the last 18 months. Probably old stock.
According to Rail and Wire, the publication of Illinois Railway Museum, the last Santa Fe stock car was taken out of service in 1974, IIRC, and disposed of before 1980. It now resides at IRM in restored condition I believe (I don't have the issue of R&W at my fingertips just now.)
Jay Americans have the best legislature money can buy. Unfortunately it's corporate money.
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