Pennsylvania X29 "Shadow Herald" Boxcar
Our second Texas Western "Club Car" offering is from Red Caboose and Intermountain.
The Texas Western’s second custom built car is a Pennsylvania X29 Shadow Herald boxcar built by Red Caboose and Intermountain. The cars are "ready to run", and feature:
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Kadee #5 couplers
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RC PRR 2D-F8 trucks
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Intermountain metal wheel sets.
The car is available in six road numbers.
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$34.94 + Shipping
TWMRC
on-line Store
PRR X29 Shadow Herald History
In 1923, the Pennsylvania Railroad deemed it necessary to create a new standardized boxcar. Older cars in its fleet dating to the turn of the century were proving inadequate to keep up with the railroad’s needs. At the same time, the American Railway Association was developing a new boxcar based on the USRA steel boxcar of WWI vintage. The new 1923 ARA boxcar was designed to be lighter, have greater weight and volume capacity, and be easier to maintain than older steel and wooden cars. The ARA design suited the Pennsylvania’s needs, and with a few minor tweaks (such as Pennsy-standard trucks and brake gear) the car entered production in 1924 as the X29.
In all nearly 30,000 X29s were built between 1924 and 1934, making it the single most populous design on American rails. This is even more surprising due to the fact that the X29 boxcar had one major flaw, one that also plagued the 1923 ARAs: rust. The original ARA design of the walls and floor allowed moisture to collect along the bottom sill, leading to rapid rusting of the bottom sides of the cars.
The Pennsylvania design copied the ARA walls and floor exactly, thus the X29 soon developed rust patches, eventually leading to the sides rusting through. In an attempt to remediate this problem, the PRR applied patch panels along the bottom sides of the X29s, leading to a distinctive row of rivets along the lower sill. Apparently this repair worked, as there is nary a picture of an X29 that did not receive this treatment. In addition to the patch panels, in the ‘40s and ‘50s the road modernized the cars with the addition of a sturdier underframe, new AB type brake systems, and, on occasion, Youngstown doors and Dreadnaught ends.
However, one thing that was not changed was the brake staff. When modernizing a car, most railroads would apply horizontal brake wheels to the cars in place of a vertical brake staff. The Pennsy opted to leave the original staff and wheel in place, giving the cars a distinctive look among transition era freight cars.
During their 40-year history, X29 cars at one time or another wore practically every boxcar paint scheme the PRR devised. From the classic circle keystone to the merchandise service schemes, to drab MOW tones, and eventually the somber Penn Central facade, the X29s had many faces. One scheme, however, tends to stand out among the rest. In 1954, during the billboard lettering craze of the ‘50s, the Pennsy began experimenting with a new 57” tall keystone logo to replace the older 28” circle keystone, along with using larger lettering and numbers. This was designed to attract attention, and thus publicity, effectively using the freight car as rolling billboards. The idea worked quite well, as X29s and other cars were soon repainted with the new logo. Aside from the new logo’s size, it also bore a ‘shadow’ effect. Thus, the new scheme gained the name “Shadow Keystone,” and remains among the most memorable aspects of the Pennsylvania in the late transition era.
In the end, the X29s finished their days in MOW service under the Penn Central, with the last ones possibly making it to that demise in 1976.
Click here to go to the Texas Western Store: TWMRC on-line Store
This link will connect you directly to the club's secure on-line "store" on the Texas Western Railroad Association website, where you will be able to purchase this and other Texas Western Club Cars.