X23 Series Camp Car Information for Modelers

From a Westerfield kit...

HISTORY

The X23 camp cars were created in the early 1940's. Holes were cut in each side for four standard camp car windows. This required the removal of the horizontal ribs where the windows would be placed. Unlike the X23B revision which unbolted these ribs, the camp car conversion merely cut them off, leaving a visible flange. Full grab irons were bolted to the door and a large bar-stock step placed underneath it. The end braces were cut for the placement of a standard camp car door. Grabs were bolted to the jams and the end grabs revised. A standard platform that could be hinged up when not in use was bolted to the end sill.

As converted the sides and ends were painted gray with underframe, roof, end sills and hand rails black. Beginning in 1953 the sides and ends were painted chrome yellow. Photos from this period show that end sills and hand rails were also yellow on most cars. It is unknown if dimensional data was added to the newly converted cars. Assignment lettering (tool car, etc.) was not always present. Lettering was black. The style remained the same except that a few cars received Gothic lettering in the 1960's. Car 499327 is the sole known example.

Almost all camp cars had electrical connections on the ends of the cars. Tool and material X23 cars seemed to have a standard round junction box over the door and a standard rectangular junction box to the right of the door. The two were connected, probably by a conduit and a flexible cord hung from the rectangular box. These electrical details could be car color, black, or metal, depending on when they were attached and when the car was painted.