I was getting together some parts for building a CN cinder car, and wanted an improved way to fabricate the Z's on the sides and ends. Many (all?) of these cars were made using frames and components from 36' "Fowler"/Dominion steel-frame boxcars. Including the Z's.

.010" thick stock for the part of the angle that meets the car side just looks heavy in HO compared with the real thing. I found myself taking the backing off two new razor blades, and inserting a spacer between them to cut strip of the appropriate width. Some 2-56 nuts and bolts hold the razor blades and spacers together.

This "tool" should have worked well to cut .005" strip to width, but I found that the blades flexed enough to vary the width of the strip as I was cutting it along a straightedge.

So .005" strip would be useful for making Z's, but I don't expect Evergreen to make the stuff for just my using a package or two.

As for styrene rail, many CN "Fowler"/Dominion 36' steel-frame boxcars and early 40' steel-frame boxcars used a length of rail (56- to 80-pound) as a vertical centre brace on the ends of these cars. Stafford Swain had used pieces of styrene approximating rail shape to model this, but a rust-coloured rail styrene strip would be very useful for this. And for other uses that I dare not mention under pain of a trip to Moderate Jail...

Steve Lucas.