SOG Class “Great Lakes” Ore Car

HISTORY

Ore cars first appeared on the railroad scene around the time of the Civil War. These cars were wooden in construction and could handle around 20 tons of iron ore. By the turn on the century, large veins of iron ore were being found in the upper midwest and the iron ore business began to boom.

While the ore could be transported in a standard hopper car, the ore hauling railroads worked to find a specialized car to handle the heavy ore more efficiently. From this, the more modern steel ore car was born.

The SOG Class ore car was a fairly standard design of the Bethlehem Steel Works and was sold to many of the Midwestern ore haulers like the Duluth Missabe, & Iron Range, Chicago & Northwestern, Duluth South Shore & Atlantic, Lake Superior & Ishpeming, and Great Northern among others. These 70 ton cars were built in several batches by Bethlehem Steel starting in the mid 50s and some are still in service today, although they have mainly been replaced by the “U” series cars and newer 100 and 125 ton cars.



Our Car

 Our car is based on the LS&I “SOG” class 70 ton cars. It was modeled from photographs and drawings supplied in the various LS&I books. It would also be right at home painted for many of the other roads mentioned above. The car is designed to use Titan Trains Bettendorf trucks (not included) and use Live Steamer Parts solid shank couplers for the prototypical close coupling. Properly constructed, this car will traverse #5 switches and 35’ radius curves. This kit is a mix of welding and riveting to fully assemble.

Our kit includes:

  • Laser cut sheet metal parts for the body

  • 1X2 steel tube for the frame and bolsters

  • Precision Steel Car details including grab irons, brake wheel and other brake details

  • 3D printed Railhead Designs air tank, triple valve and brake cylinder

  • All the screws, bolts and rivets to assemble the car

  • Option to add LSP solid shank couplers to your kit box for a reduced price.

  • Full instructions with drawings written out in an easy to understand manner.

  • Customer support from the Reading Car Company team!

This car is shipped in a cardboard box and can be shipped worldwide. See our shipping page for more information.

How to Order

Order via our “Order Now” button below or email us for other options. Cars can be shipped, picked up at our facility near Reading, PA, free delivered to the Buckeye Limited Convention in Coshocton, OH or we can arrange pickup directly from one of our partners in Central OH.

We accept cash, check, money orders, and credit cards.

Flat rate shipping of $60. For multiple cars, we can do a better price on shipping. Please email us (Russ.Swinnerton@gmail.com) for a shipping rate. We will bill you directly after that.

Price: $975. Flat Rate Shipping $60




National Steel Car 5277cf Boxcar Canadian National Scheme

 From 1975 to 1980, National Steel Car built over 1000 of the 5277 cubic foot plug door boxcars. Most of the cars went to Canadian railroads (Canadian National, Ontario Northland, British Columbia Railway, and Canadian Pacific) for paper service, however some also went to Grand Trunk and later in their lives, the cars were sold off by the Class 1 Railroads and purchased by smaller railroads and leasing companies. One car was converted by Canadian National into an “Autonomous Geometry Car” and outfitted with devices to measure track geometry in regular freight trains.

The Reading Car Company model of the NSC 5277 is a faithful recreation of the boxcar in 1:8 scale. These files for this car were drawn from blueprints supplied by Canadian National to make them faithful replicas of the real thing.

This offering is a very limited edition and has all but sold out. Only 2 of the run of cars is still available and when they’re sold out, they will not be re-run.

These 50’ plug door cars feature fully formed steel parts along with a mix of Precision Steel Car details and 3D printed details. The roof can be opened using the included hinge and gas strut system. All necessary 4-40 screws are included in the kit. Trucks and couplers are not included, but can be ordered from us along with the car. The 5277 is also pre-drilled in the frame for air line installation to make adding brakes quick and easy. Please note the door on this car is non-operating.

The car features:

  • All steel welded construction. This model should be assembled with either a MIG or TIG welder. This is not a hard process and can be learned by anybody (with practice!).

  • Precision Steel Car details including their brake wheel and grab irons.

  • Numbers etched into the steel so the car becomes “build by number”. Lightly etched numbers disappear when covered with paint.

  • Tab-in-slot construction makes assembly easy!

  • Steel frame included and it includes 1/2” holes for installing air lines all down the length of the carbody. This keeps air lines inside the frame and safe from damage.

  • Steel roof that gives the option of being fixed in place or use the included hinges and gas strut to make the roof openable to use the inside of the carbody for storage.

  • Frame has 1/8” starter holes for locating couplers and trucks to make it easy!

  • All screws and details included.

We can ship this kit to you, or we can arrange pickup or local delivery in PA, DE, OH, MD, NJ and most of New England. Only 2 remain, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. These kits will not be produced again.

Please contact us regarding pickup, delivery or shipping prior to ordering. Click below to order!

Price - $2,550