CP 404114 started out as a stock Accurail 36ft Fowler boxcar kit. All the molded-on grab irons were removed (Accurail uses a soft plastic, so not difficult to do) and replaced with separate detail parts. Additionally two windows were added in (one on either side) and the original wood doors replaced with steel Youngstown doors. These modifications transform the model into a CP Fowler boxcar that has endured into the 1970s in maintenance-of-way service. Paint patching, renumbering (the entire CP 400000-series is reserved for non-revenue equipment) and weathering further enhances the transformation into a “Material and Tool Car.” The separate underbody brake-lines and scale draft gear are actually stock Accurail details. These kits are great value for the money.

CP literally purchased tens of thousands of Fowler 36ft boxcars during the 1910s. With so many on the roster, a good number of these were rebuilt to extend their service lives. CP 404114 represents one of these rebuilds that was further modified during the 1950s to continue life in Reserved Service (CP’s term for maintenance-of-way). Regardless of their age CP still employed a good number of Fowler cars in work service into the 1980s, keeping them on the roster for over 70 years.