i now have the 'RailTT' boxcar which is apparently based on a canadian version of a USRA SS design car.

i have tried to upload a photo but it needs moderator approval and hasn't appeared,; if it does, it will be in an album called 'ben scanlon'.

the finish on the TT car is sort of a random looking horizontal 'wood grain', rather than evenly slatted timbers. similar to this shot of an accurail model of the CN car that went to the rutland:

http://www.steamerafreightcars.com/modeling/models/buchwald/r7999main.html

is this finish typical on wood sheathed boxcars? it does look a touch unusual ... to me at least. i suspect the TT car may be inspired by the accurail one in some respects.

the TT car comes with 'L' bracing rather than the 'hat section' bracing described as being standard for USRA cars or the 'Z' bracing used on later cars developed from the design. these are the only types of bracing i've seen mentioned for these cars, but would L bracing be appropriate? the accurail car appears to have L bracing.

also the railTT car has ten fairly beefy ribs on the roof with dimpled ends, and single very thin ribs between each larger one. was this typical of the canadian cars, or other USRA cars? the accurail car appears to have somewhat finer ribs from the shot above.

sorry for all the questions, but i'm trying to get an idea of what i can use, or adapt, the car for.

regards

ben