Article and Photos by Todd Curphey
When ScaleTrains announced the Pullman-Standard Backpacker double-stack cars in early 2020, I quickly placed a preorder. It was something I’d been seeking for quite some time, and it filled a gap on many levels. But to truly appreciate this highly detailed masterpiece, we need a bit of history and a deeper understanding of prototype intermodal trains.
I've been a member of various model railroad clubs in the Pacific Northwest since I was a teenager. While I’ve had small switching layouts over the years, the appeal of running long trains on large club layouts has always been what I enjoy most. The social aspects and operating sessions also make model railroad clubs fantastic organizations. Early on, I began modeling intermodal trains, which were still relatively new and exotic at the time. When Walthers announced their first Thrall double-stack car kit in the late '80s, I ordered a few along with 40' containers. I didn’t know much about double stacks back then, but I noticed the wells seemed bigger than necessary for the containers. It turned out the cars were designed for 48' containers, which were common in the early double-stack models. That marked the beginning of my education on intermodal railroading and the differences between domestic and international containers.
From the mid-'80s through more recent years, changes in how container shipping lines handled containers were frequent. During this time, it was common to see stack trains dedicated to specific container shipping lines. In the Pacific Northwest, Union Pacific handled trains for K-Line and APL (American President Lines), while Burlington Northern (later BNSF) managed trains for Evergreen, Hyundai, Sea-Land (later Maersk), and others. These were usually Seattle/Tacoma to Chicago trains. There were also mixed intermodal trains that carried both international and domestic containers, trailers, and autoracks to terminals like St. Paul, Kansas City, and Memphis.
The mergers of the mid to late '90s transformed the railroad landscape, and I realized that if I wanted to accurately recreate the trains I had seen and photographed in my youth, I needed to focus on a specific era. I settled on modeling the pre-merger years, choosing the 1985-1995 timeframe. This also helped me avoid the temptation of buying every new model released. My intermodal modeling gravitates toward the early '90s, an exciting period for railroading, with new technologies and equipment emerging.
As I expanded my knowledge, I realized I needed to categorize my intermodal equipment. Certain types of equipment were more likely to appear on specific railroads and trains. I decided to model a dedicated international stack train rather than a mixed train with no specific identity. I chose the BN-Evergreen train with its colorful mix of green Evergreen, orange Uniglory, and leased brown containers. When I began modeling this train nearly two decades ago, 48' well cars were my go-to, even though they were better suited for domestic intermodal service. Back then, 40' well car models were scarce. The A-Line kits were the only option, but they lacked basic details like stirrups and ladders. Intermountain later released RTR versions, but they too were lacking in detail. Athearn’s Maxi-1 cars, while available, were light and had unpainted plastic parts that cried out for paint. Walthers eventually released Thrall 40' well cars, but they represented a more recent prototype that didn’t fit my era.
So when ScaleTrains announced their models, I was thrilled. Finally, a highly detailed and fully painted model of a prototype from the early years of my era—and with a die-cast body for added weight. It stays firmly on the track in long trains despite its low-profile design. Needless to say, I was elated.
I weathered the model soon after receiving it, though it’s more suited to the later part of my chosen era. I’ve since tested it on steep mountain grades in trains with over 40 wells, and it has performed flawlessly. Considering I weight my containers, this isn’t a light train by any measure. The car is perfect for international container service but also fits well in mixed intermodal trains. With 40' containers on the bottom, containers from 40' to 53' can be stacked on top. However, 53' containers need to be staggered in alternating wells due to space limitations. My photo shows this arrangement on a prototype BNSF intermodal train.
After being so pleased with my first-run model, I didn’t hesitate to pre-order the BN car and more Evergreen containers from the latest announcement.
