Builder: Matt Csenge
Region: Americas
Category entered:
Year entered: 2026
Brand of building bricks used:
LEGO
Since 2026, the Brick Train Awards have accepted models created with other LEGO®-compatible construction brick systems.
About Boston & Maine (B&M) 50-foot four-door milk car no. 1908 by Matt Csenge
In December 1957 and January 1958, the Boston & Maine Railway took delivery of 35 new all-steel milk cars, which fell into two groups: the cars numbered 1900-1914 were four-door mechanically refrigerated cars, and the cars numbered 1915-1934 were two-door ice cooled cars. The cars were equipped for operation in passenger consists, with steam heat lines, air signal lines, and brackets for markers. They also featured extra-large springs on the outside of the truck bolsters. Unusual for freight cars, aside from brake rigging, the four-door cars are asymmetrical, featuring an enclosure for a gasoline engine in one corner.
The four-door cars were assigned to the Bellows Falls to Boston run for the Bellows Falls Creamery and First National Stores, transporting processed milk in glass bottles. The two-door cars were used in general milk service, and could hold 300 to 500 cans of milk. Two cars - one of each series - were preserved by the Railroad Museum of New England.
I acquired a copy of the 2/1986 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman, which includes diagrams for both of these milk cars, along with a couple more from other railroads. The car is my first to be built with a studs-down bottom, allowing for significantly more underside detail!