Hi,

  I just created a new album in Photos and (I think) uploaded a pic I'd like

the group to discuss.  It is a shot of SP Ogden Yard in the 50s that I have

on my computer and I'm pretty sure I got pointed to it from this group at

some time in the past.

  I find several interesting details in this photo:

  1) It is almost all box cars!  And almost all cars are some shade of "tuscan".

  2) All of the cars seem to be in the medium to heavy weathering range.  None

      of them look "new" or even nearly new.

  3) The 'alignment' of the wood roof walks is amazingly "diverse" ... almost all

      of them show significant 'mis-placement' of several boards.

  4) The metal roof walks are, for the most part, "true" (straight, no bends or dents).

  5) The 'local variations' in the weathering patterns on the roofs are "significantly

      more than you see on most layouts".  the same is true for the side panels - but

      I'd call that "more subtle" than the roofs. 

  6) We can't see the reporting marks due to both camera position and the late

      afternoon sun ... but I would venture to guess that a lot of the reporting 

      marks on these cars are "hard to read".  (If you had a yard full of cars like

      this on your layout you'd get a lot of complaints about "I can't find the car

      I'm looking for - they are all covered in grime and they all look alike."  *G*

                                                                                                                      - Jim B.