Spring Mills Depot is proud to announce our 4th car!

All new tooling for a signature car!!!

Once again Spring Mills Depot is going full tilt
on a project car. If you can't do it right, why do it?

Alton and GM&O versions have been posted!
B&O grated end platform versions have been posted!
B&O non-cupola versions have been posted!

We expect the cars to arrive - TBD.

This has been a very very difficult model to engineer. Almost no two are alike and to account for all of the variations has been a small nightmare. There are more variations than our PD3000 covered hopper. We are only going to run what we have orders for. Any cancellations will just lower the production run to make it fair for those that keep their orders. Most road numbers will be limited to a run of 24 cars. Due to other projects in the pipeline, a second run might be considered in 8-10 years so it is strongly recommended to take advantage of the first run if you want any.

These RTR cars will feature crisp detail and sharp painting - just like our previous cars. Models will have the correct details based upon the period and paint scheme. Some details are: T&G or plywood sides, various window combinations, early/late short/tall smoke jacks, toilet vent, various marker light types, old C or new C or J grabs, wood or aluminum cupola windows just to name a few. The cars will have wire grabs, metal wheels, and Kadee ® couplers.

The B&O built 400 I-5 cabooses between 1924 and 1929. The I-5c and I-5d versions received narrower steps and lengthened truck centers. Alterations through the years produced many different window configurations. Spring Mills Depot will offer as many of these variations as possible based on photographic evidence and available documentation.

Update 9/18/24: A final decision has been made for all preorder customers prior to 1/1/24 to receive a special gift for not canceling their preorder. It will be similar but different than what we did for our DODX flat car preorder customers.

Update 10/31/24: All CAD has been approved. Cutting of tooling has begun!

Update 12/15/24: New pricing posted on the website. The cost of things have increased a bit since we announced the car. We are honoring all preorder pricing which is one of the benefits of making a preorder. Once you place a preorder with us, you are locked in with pricing and shipping. Obviously, you can request a full refund at any time.

Update 12/30/24: We received a box of parts. We built a test caboose. These cabooses are going to be awesome.

Update 1/16/25: We received several engineering samples for review.

Update 1/23/25: Photos of the engineering samples are posted HERE on the Model Photos page. All preorder customers were sent an email giving an update as to the status of the project. Some new 'surprise' schemes have been added to the site on the Artwork and Ordering pages. Additionally, the engineering samples will be on display at the Springfield, MA Amherst show January 25-26, 2025 and the Timonium, MD GSMTS show February 1-2, 2025.