The Chicago Great Western purchased stock cars from The Hicks Stock Car Company, of Chicago, Illinois. In 2017, I embarked on a scratch building project to develop a particular type of Stock Car in the CGW fleet. I had several criteria for wanting to try such a project. First, the car is not available from a manufacturer or in a kit. Second, it has to be unique in itself among other cars in its class. I also have a certain philosophy when it comes to modeling. I try to build it out as it would look when in service and not freshly delivered from the manufacturer to the railroad. And I just don’t mean a weathering job. Also, the model has to be tough/sturdy enough for operating on a robust layout with detailing that is going to hold up well because I have a habit of accidentally knocking off the detail parts. I am not wanting just a shelf model.
I chose the CGW 6517 car, and as it turns, out my research into the Hicks revealed the company was a very competitive builder back in the 1890’s. Bohn Chapin Hicks was granted patents for a number of innovations, and I have all those printed out with drawings and explanations that were submitted to the patent office. Suffice it to say, even though having specifications, it can increase the complexity for the modeler making it that much more challenging. A few of his patents included partitions inside the car, watering troughs and double decks.
Given that photos of the Hicks cars are rare, one does not have a lot of visuals to go on, so it is easy to make mistakes as not all cars had the features of these patents. I suppose it depended on what the railroad ordered. If CGW shipped cattle and sheep from Elizabeth, Illinois, to the Chicago Stock Yards (approximately 150 miles), a double deck model without water troughs might have filled the need, whereas Santa Fe shipping cattle in from way out west, water troughs might have made more sense to help reduce trauma or losses during shipping.
I developed a 127 page document which I entitled, Hicks Locomotive & Car Company, Research & Development Data Pack outlining the 6517 Single Deck Car built in 1907. The document includes photographs in my collection obtained over a year and half of my part-time research. This information was immensely valuable in order to bring all the parts together as though Hicks were alive today building the same car. Click HERE to read this document by John Wubbel: Hicks Locomotive & Car Company, Research & Development Data Pack 6517 Single Deck Car built in 1907 (takes a minute to open because of so many photos)
My partially built rendition of the Hicks Stock Car can be seen in this picture:
