Between 1924 and 1934, the Pennsylvania Railroad purchased or built over 30,000 of the X29 class of box cars and an additional 5,000 of the auto car variant, the X28. The X29 -- a 40' 50-ton all-steel car -- became the most ubiquitous freight car of the late steam/transition era. These cars appeared in every corner of the US and Canada.
The PRR’s X29 fleet of nearly 29,000 cars performed greatly during the pressures of WW2, however due to this intense amount of service a good portion of the fleet was in dire need of rebuilding. Following the successful rebuild program of X26’s into X26c’s the PRR started a similar program in 1948 for X29’s, which resulted in the X29b, X29d, X29e, X29f and X29g subclasses. The rebuild was performed at both the PRR’s shops in East Altoona and Terre Haute, Indiana. The rebuilt X29’s were enlarged with only the frame, underbody equipment and trucks remaining original to the car. The X29b’s had a 7 foot Youngstown postwar door applied to them while the X29d’s had a 8 foot Youngstown postwar door. (Source: www.mountvernonshops.com)
The X29 suffered from two major deficiencies: a very small capacity stemming from the 8'7" interior height and deteriorating side panels at the floor level. To remedy this, the carbody of the X29 was removed and the carbody of a 10'6" interior height post war AAR design boxcar placed on the underframe. Lightweight Youngstown doors, diagonal panel roof and 4/3/1 improved dreadnaught ends were applied. Along the side of the car was a reessed side sill reflecting the original width of the X29.
The Pennsy mixed power hand brakes. Photo evidence shows Ajax, Universal and Ureco hand brakes. All cars received Apex running boards. The majority of the cars got 2D-F8, a minority 2D-F12 trucks, both of which shared the common Pennsy V-9306 cast side frames. (Source: Sunshine Models)
Early X29s had plate ends and later cars had dreadnaught ends. Some were fitted with steam lines and lettered for RAILWAY EXPRESS AGENCY.
Overview of Sub-Classes
| X29 | X29A | X29B | X29C | X29D | X29E | X29F | X29G | X29K | X29L | |
| Builder | X29 Rebuild | X29 Rebuild | X29 Rebuild | X29 Rebuild | ||||||
| First Built | 1924 | 1940 | 1952 | 1959 | ||||||
| Interior Height | 8'6 5/8" | 10'6" | ||||||||
| Capacity | 3034 cu ft | 3478 cu ft | ||||||||
| Quantity Built | 1 | 4,500 | 3,100 | 900 | ||||||
| HO Scale Models |
Red Caboose Sunshine (out of business) Overland (brass) Precision Scale (brass) |
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Walthers (new tooling 2021) Funaro & Camerlengo Sunshine (out of business) |
Funaro & Camerlengo Wrightrak (out of business) |
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| Notes |
New body on old underframe. Corrigated roof & ends. |
New bodies on old underframe.
500 cars painted with "Don't Stand Me Still". |
New bodies on old underframe. | Roof hatches for flour loading | 8' Youngstown Door |
Cars on the PRR roster (as listed in the Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER)):
| Class | Car | Number | AAR Class | PRR Oct 44 | PRR Oct 48 | PRR Apr 52 | PRR Oct 53 | PRR Oct 58 | PRR Oct 63 | PRR Apr 68 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X29 | 49301 | 57641 | XM BX | 7970 | 7878 | 7044 | 6779 | 6039 | 380 | 34 |
| X29 | 90633 | 92500 | XM | 1706 | 1678 | 1483 | 1424 | 1265 | 223 | 11 |
| X29 | 93995 | 96126 | XM XME | 1883 | 1846 | 1593 | 1520 | 1292 | 169 | - |
| X29 | 97949 | 103324 | XM BX | 4809 | 4925 | 4330 | 4317 | 3784 | 441 | 23 |
| X29 | 502000 | 505948 | XM BX | 3558 | 3504 | 3034 | 2922 | 2563 | 292 | 15 |
| X29 | 566091 | 574091 | XM | 7770 | 7637 | 6643 | 6374 | 5590 | 707 | 47 |
| X29a | 49300 | - | XM | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| X29b | 26501 | 31000 | XM XME XML XMP XP | - | 381 | 4404 | 4485 | 4415 | 4347 | 2525 |
| X29c | 93654 | 93659 | LC | - | - | 4 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 3 |
| X29c | 504829 | - | LC | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| X29d | 22301 | 23500 | XM XML XL XMP XP | - | - | - | - | 1195 | 1181 | 972 |
| X29d | 23600 | 26500 | XM XML XL XMP XAP XP | - | - | NEW | 999 | 2880 | 2837 | 2083 |
| X29e | 22501 | 23600 | XM | - | - | - | - | 100 | 100 | 56 |
| X29e | 22501 | 23600 | XP | - | - | - | - | - | - | 42 |
| X29f | 31001 | 32000 | XM | - | - | - | - | NEW | - | - |
| X29f | 606250 | 606649 | XML | - | - | - | - | - | 398 | 395 |
| X29g | 605350 | 606249 | XM XML XL XP | - | - | - | - | - | 898 | 879 |
| X29h | 22301 | 23500 | LC | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| X29h | 23600 | 26500 | LC | - | - | - | - | - | - | 26 |
| X29k | 93650 | 93683 | LC | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| X29k | 93684 | 93693 | LC | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| X29l | 22301 | 23500 | XM XL | - | - | - | - | - | - | 129 |
| X29l | 23600 | 26500 | XM XL | - | - | - | - | - | - | 287 |
| Roster data compiled by Rich Orr; courtesy of prr.railfan.net. | ||||||||||
The X29
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The X29 is available in both plate-end and dreadnaught end versions from Red Caboose, distributed by Intermountain Railway; schemes include Merchandise Service and Railway Express Agency. Decals are available from Mount Vernon Shops.Red Caboose X29
The X29B
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The X29B's were numbered 26501-31000, the first cars being the highest numbers.
The X29B's received numerous special assignments, the most notable being Merchandise Service with a total of 290 cars in 1956. The cars received a band of white and silver and an enlarged keystone logo, signifying their special service.
The X29B's were modern cars and served well. There were 4035 cars in service in 1965.
Funaro & Camerlengo offers the X29B as a resin kit with multiple variations. Decals are available from Mount Vernon Shops.
Funaro & Camerlengo X29B
The X29D
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Funaro & Camerlengo offers the X29D as a resin kit. WrighTrak offered the X29D as a resin kit (out of business). Decals are available from Mount Vernon Shops.
Funaro & Camerlengo X29D
The X29E
No HO scale model has been released to date.
The X29G
No HO scale model has been released to date.
X29 in MoW Service
