I've been away for a while and it seems there have been some changes... I can't seem to find Ted Cullota's Speedwitch site... I would like to pick up some more decals as well as some of his kits. it seems that his websites are down. What happened?
Bill Daniels, San Francisco, CA. On Sep 11, 2012, at 2:23 PM, "rwitt_2000" <rwitt_2000@...> wrote:
Bill is correct.
According to the B&O diagrams the type of Duryea underframe changed during the production of the M-55B by Pullman-Standard. These 100 cars differed from the previous productions with the Duryea underframe updated to accept the AAR Z-26 center sill. They were termed "Type-1 single spring and AAR Z-26 center sill". The next orders for new 40-ft box cars with IH of 10'-0" the class M-55c and M-55H built in 1945 and 1947 respectively had the same type of Duryea underframe. The last 40-ft box cars with an IH of 10'-0" built for the B&O with Duryea underframes, the class M-56, had "Duryea underframes with double springs and AAR Z-26 41.2# center sill".
The class M-58 and M-59 automobile box cars were built just after WWII beginning in 1945 also had the updated Type-1 single spring Duryea underframe with the AAR Z-26 center sill.
The next group of B&O box cars built in 1951, the class M-60 and class M-61, which were 50-ft with an IH of 10'-6", had the later "Duryea underframes with double springs and AAR Z-26 41.2# center sill".
I am not sure there are obvious external differences that can be modeled between the "Type-1 single spring" and the later "double spring" versions as the the springs are located inside the center sill.
The O. C. Duryea company filed and received many new patents for all these changes and variations.
Some may notice that the built years and the class numbers are out of order. The B&OHS does not have any memos explaining why.
Beginning with the M-55 and ending with the M-61 the build order is as follows:
