Where to begin?!

The paint and stenciling are correct for the PM car as build. 125 of these cars went to FGE in 1940 and were placed in their 16100-299 series. As built they had straight u/f's and hatch platforms. I am unsure about the roof except I know it was NOT the Hutchins roof on the Accurail car. Under FGE ownership they did receive the Hutchins roof and once rebuilt with these the cars looked exactly like the cars built by FGE and WFE to FGE's 1921 Design, as did the 49 similar cars FGE acquired from the C&O.

Ben's comments about the PRR model are accurate. However, one of the most obscure groups of cars owned by FGE were one hundred steel rebuilds w/R7 u/f's. With their flat plate steel ends they do resemble and X29 with reefer doors. I would love to see drawing of the intended PRR steel reefer--if they exist--to see if they might have inspired these rebuilds. These rebuilds had the typical FGE Hutchins roof. I have only three photos to document what cars looked like. One is New Haven I-79, a MOW car while another shows only the "B" end while in B&O Ice Service. A third shows an example being iced so it provides a good view of the roof. The lengths one has to go to document a car sometimes!

In Accurail's release there are also a FGE car and a WFE car, accurately lettered & numbered but the real cars did not have fishbelly u/f's. Both companies did own reefers w/fishbelly u/f's however. I am using a Westerfield Type I AC&F kit to model the WFE example and a thirdhand FGE series they received from the O&W. These had relatively short doors. B&O and FEC also furnished fishbelly types to FGE. These may have retained their original Murphy roofs and platforms surrounding the ice hatches. I have two undec. Branchline AC&F kits I intend to use to model these cars as their roof is easier to modify and the ends will not required any modification, plus that have separately applied details. Photo documentation is VERY sketchy on all of these.

Bill Welch