Dave,

               In one of Tony Thompson’s recent blog postings, I was struck by the appearance of a flat car load of lumber.  There was a significant coating of soot on the top of the load.

               If I assume that this car was a “roller” and roamed the rails for a three or four weeks, that would indicate that any car over a month old should have a pretty grimy roof.

The photo may be seen here:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oXGAZ80oqjg/VW46BFgipSI/AAAAAAAAJHQ/8040YOtxqPI/s1600/Celanese%2Bcolor.jpg

Regards,

-Jeff

From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...]
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 7:02 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: Re: [STMFC] Re: PRR X23, X25 and B&O M-26 photo

 

Bruce,

I agree, and perhaps a obvious observation to this group - but when you look at some of Delano's Proviso yard photos there are at least some freshly painted cars, or at least they appear to be recently painted (or perhaps washed by a heavy rain?) I have been wondering just how many (or few) cars to leave un-weathered, or lightly weathered for a WWII layout. Delano's photos had convinced me that at least 5, and maybe 10 percent should have minimal weathering.

But in this collection - I am not sure I have spotted a single clean car, and a bunch where the reporting marks are pretty hard to make out - even when they are big enough to be legible. I have wondered how much of the "Weathering" was actually just soot from the last few days run, easily washed off in a strong rain... Soft coal ash is often sticky (constituents not fully burned), so the airflow may not knock it off the sides.

I think in some of Delano's Proviso yard pictures there was evidence of snow on the roofs of some cars (recent arrivals from? - likely moving through a damp or wet environment) and I do not recall so many reporting marks being so hard to read - so I am wondering if recent, but temporary, soot accumulation was a significant component of WWII "weathering."

Dave Evans