I cannot thank you enough for posting these two photos, Eric, particularly the view looking northward. A long interest in what are more properly called Dominion Cars, less than 10% of the 75,000 +- of which were construced having used the Fowler patent, not withstanding, what REALLY interests me in the photo is the car door seemingly sealed with some sort of heavy paper. Presumedly this was to keep the lading as clean as possible but other than newsprint what might the lading have been???? I have seen examples of this use of what I presume was a heavy paper for years but never in a photo good enough to post and raise question about. Thus the value of this one to me. In all the carloading manuals I have looked at, or have
acquired, over the years not one bit of documentation of this practice has been found. Blocking for pipes, tractors and such I have plenty of but not doors sealed with paper in this fashion. What do we
(collectively) really know about the practice.

As an aside for both you and Tim O'Connor it must be pointed out
that Armand Premo's postings on the Dominion cars are absolutely correct in all respects. My own photos, however, indicate that the
Dominion cars were much more prevalent on CNR-CV routings through New England by 1950 than on CPR routings with the possible exception of the CPR "Short Line" thorugh Maine. Given a moment after New Year's Day I will try to find a few car numbers for you and leave it to the two of you to look up car groups for accuracy of door widths, end construction and such. A reminder may be in order for this. But that cars were far more common than most seem to realize, with such cars being owned by both the Erie and NC&StL as well.

Happy New Year, Don Valentine