"State of Maine"-style HO Charcoal Heater Kit

2019 Update: This product is now available in two sprue sizes, which can be selected from the menu to the right.  The "small" size includes 2 charcoal heaters (as originally offered); the "large" size includes 4 charcoal heaters.​  A small hobby blade and a file or sanding stick will be required to separate parts from their sprues and to clean up the edges.

Also, for the first time ever, this model now comes with heater piping included along with the original bracing!  This improvement will make modeling and installation easier than ever.  Test prints have confirmed that the new piping is sturdy enough to withstand shipping and careful handling, and the pipes are even modeled to simulate the prototypical look of heavily-folded canvas lagging.

The versions of this model that originally came without bracing have been dropped to cut down on confusion-- we figure that, after all, the included bracing and piping can easily be modified or removed if desired.

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PROTOTYPE HISTORY

This is a Luminator-Mitchell "underslung" charcoal-fired railroad freight car heater. Mounted underneath a standard refrigerated car or insulated boxcar, these heaters helped keep perishable items warm and dry during cold winter months. These heaters were used on a number of railroads including Bangor and Aroostook; New York, New Haven, and Hartford; Canadian National; Canadian Pacific; and perhaps others. These heaters were standard equipment on the first of Bangor and Aroostook Railroad’s famous blue-white-and-red “State of Maine” potato-carrying insulated boxcars (which hit the rails 1950-1951 and saw service for several decades afterwards) and are a must for anyone modeling them!

​THE MODEL

These HO scale models feature impressive details including see-through 3D ventwork, an embosed oven vent door, an accurate vent adjustment ratchet, properly-positioned bolts and rivets, and more. The details look stunning in physical form-- we here at K. Kadwell have never seen a better portrayal! Measurements were taken from a preserved real-life example so we are confident in the heater’s scale accuracy, too.

The heater box is hollow, and the rear wall is a separate piece that locks into proper position using a built-in tab.

​MISCELLANY

The diagonal bracing used to mount these heaters in real life varied from car type to car type. The assymetrical bracing and piping included with our heaters perfectly matches the design used on BAR and NH cars, including accurate rivets and reinforcing plates.  However, brass or styrene strip can be used to modify or replace the included bracing if desired, and alternate piping arrangments can be created using 0.11" or 0.12" wire wrapped with masking tape to provide the heavy-duty lagged and insulated look of the real pipes.