John,

 

Two points about the IMRC 12 panel 10’ IH cars.

 

1. None of the GN 12 panel 10’ IH cars had the long horizontal grab iron; see Staffan’s photo, and
2. The ends included with the kit are incorrect.  The GN 12 panel 10’ IH cars are what Ed Hawkins has defined as an IDE-2 end.  In this design, the underside of the top major rib does not descend like the underside of the rest of the major ribs.

 

To date, no one has provided a commercial model of such an IDE-2 end, even though when compared to the IDE-1 they are almost as numerous as the IDE-1.

 

Two or three summers ago Bill Welch provided a tease here of a clinic he was putting together, either for St. Louis or Lyle.  In the photo accompanying his posting he included a picture of several ends he was preparing as part of his clinic.  One of these was an IDE-2!  I inquired as to how he had fabricated it.  Bill gracefully responded, stating he had fabricated these ends by taking a pair of ends from an Accurail refrigerator cars, then slicing and dicing to create the proper 4/3 ends with the flattened underside of the top rib.

 

I’ve got the fabrication for a set of these underway . . . . . learning how to clean up the original Accurail castings to where they’ll make good masters; I’ve got a ways to go.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve