Conrail Modeler's Resource - Conrail Maintenance of Way Models

For HO Scale modeler's here is a collection of Conrail Maintenance of Way models from Matt Snell's Conrail empire. An easy way to model the Conrail MOW crews without it tying up the main line is to put the equipment on modified flatcars. So where do we get this equipment, decals, and railroad cars? Well its all pretty much commercially available through Custom Finishing and Bowser with a bit of scratch building. The blue Conrail decals on the equipment is something the HO Scale modeling community has needed for a long time. FINALLY we are able to offer these decals. More detail to come soon!

Conrail "Jimbo" tie handler. The Jimbo has the ability to travel between cars equipped with rails on the top chord.

Kitbashed from a Custom Finishing tie handler with addtional scratchbuilt parts.

Gondola is a Walthers thrall gondola.

Conrail Rail Gang (Production Gang train. Track equipment was transported on flats equipped with
rails.

Track equipment is Custom Finishing kits. Flats are
Bowser flats modified with attached rails. Here is a Fairmount Tie Handler.

Conrail Rail Gang (Production Gang) train Crosstie Exchanger.

Usually the last car of the train had a ramp which could be lowered from the flats to the rail, allowing the euipment to be off loaded.

Conrail Ballast Regulator waits for its next worksite.

Modern "Univans" replaced older type bunk cars. These are pre-fab mobile home type trailers built by Mobile International, then mounted onto specially equipped
flatcars. There were 4 basic arrangements of car:

UVD: Univan Diner
UVK: Univan Kitchen
UVREC: Univan Recreation Car
UVSLP: Unvian 10 man Sleeper

All Univan models are scratch built bodies using Alexander Scale Models (Tomar) window castings, Micro Engineering doors, and Detail Associates & TLH roof details. The fuel tanks are scratch built from brass tubing. The flats are Bowser flats modified with Tchy grating & scratch built electrical boxes.

Univan Diner/Office/Recreation car

PUMAS car: One of a kind car which was specially outfitted as a mobile gym. The project was undertaken as part of the Philadelphia Division PUMAS (Philadelphia Union Management Action Studies) program.

Univan Sleeper car

Univan Kitchen car

Univan trains usually had a generator car, making them fully self contained. There are many variations from a simple large generator mounted on a flat car to more exotic setups.

This generator car is based on a prototype seen at Enola Yard (Enola, PA) and was extensively kit bashed from a Bowser flatcar, with Tichy, A-Line, Kibri,& various other parts.

CR 50874- A typical Conrail ballast car. These were rebuilt from covered hoppers by Morrison-Knudsen. The roofs were cut down & ballast doors were added in place of the standard hopper discharge doors. A model of this car is available from Eastern Car Works as well as the now defunct E&B Valley.

CR 52125 - Conrail ballast car markings varied from car to car. most that were painted gray received the large "CONRAIL" lettering, but not all received the Conrail logo.

CR 51690 - Conrail ballast cars remain in variations of predecessor paint schemes to this day. This model is of a car photographed in 2003 at Livernois Yard in Detroit, Michigan. The PC reporting marks were painted over & white "CR" letters applied
over the old "PC". The model is a Roundhouse/MDC covered hopper with the roof cut down & Eastern Car Works ballast doors added.

CR 52741 - Not all Conrail ballast cars were fully repainted into the Conrail grey scheme. Many ballast cars that came from Penn Central remained in PC yellow until the end of Conrail. The PC markings were painted out & the word "CONRAIL" was stenciled onto the car on the left hand side.

CR 53215 - In the latter years of Conrail's existence an order of new ballast cars was fabricated by Ortner. In the event you cannot locate the Hobbytown kit the sides can be fabricated from styrene.

These cars were equipped with hydraulic discharge doors & that is what the A-D designation marked on the car sides stands for.

The model is an out of production Hobbytown kit with the ends modified to accommodate the brake & hydraulic equipment and ballast doors added.

In the event you cannot locate the Hobbytown kit the sides can be fabricated from styrene.

Conrail 56288 - Another variation of the newer gondolas was this ribbed side version. The model began as a Walther's kit & had styrene panels added for the reporting marks.

Conrail 56416 - Toward the end of Conrail's existence older gondolas were taken out of service & replaced with newer models. This model is a Walther's Thrall gondola custom painted & decaled using Microscale set #856.

Conrail 56500 - In later years the paint on MW gondolas was changed to gray or yellow from the standard Conrail Oxide Red paint. The model is a Life Like Proto 2000 kit custom painted.

Conrail 67250 - Conrail MOW gondolas were initially painted red with yellow panels containing the reporting marks, thus making them easily visible to crews. The model is an Athearn gondola custom painted.

Conrail 80047 - Conrail rostered several types of scale test cars. One type was a hopper that had a waterproof cover added. This particular car was assigned to Elkhart Indiana & was built using a McKean hopper with a McKean "hopper topper" added.

Conrail 80047 Scale test car lettering close up.