Boxcar Conversion

[WGL]

 Has anyone converted a boxcar with fixed doors to doors that open?  I unknowingly bought online a boxcar with fixed doors.  It is an Athearn with couplers mounted on the body & steel wheels, but not being able to open the doors for cargo bothers me.

[Jhanecker2]

WGL :  While all things may be possible, your conversion would take up more time & effort than it would be worth . Your odds of destroying the car are really high . If you don't have replacement parts for the doors you are going to have to remove to create the opening you're toast. Plus you would also have to make channels to hold the door and stops to limit the doors travel . Athearn used to make kits to make boxcars with moveable doors with several styles of doors.  Go that route it's easier in time and money. Hate to rain on your parade but unless you have a machine shop set up for model making and a vast amount of experience in fabrication it's cheaper to buy a replacement.      Good Luck !!! John  II

[Yampa Bob]

WGL
I read your post earlier but was hesitant to be the one to dampen your spirits. Since John bit the bullet, I agree that it would be quite a task.

You might be able to pick up an old car with working doors at a yard sale, and switch the bodies. 

[Dr EMD]

Rail cars carries freight, not cargo.

[pdlethbridge]

would a cargo vessel carry freight?   AKA freighter

[Yampa Bob]

Here we go again. LOL.  This was previously discussed at great lengths.

With the trend toward containerized and intermodal shipping, the terms "freight" and "cargo" are interchangeably accepted.  It may be a "freight car", but the material hauled is often referred to as "cargo."

Bottom line is it really makes no difference. You could say that "cargo" is an overall term whereas "freight" could be more specific depending on how it's packaged.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freight_train

[WGL]

  Thanks, Jhanecker2 & Yampa Bob, for dissuading me from the folly of trying to remove the doors!
    After painting over the NASCAR logos on 4 boxcars from my initial train set, I placed Great Northern decals on them.  The tiny bits with microscopic print are difficult to manipulate.