Ben Hom wrote...

FWIW #2:
"We're discussing what might work as a suitable stand-in for these
cars - I think Ben's advice to scratch build the sides and splice
in a roof and also the 3/3/3 Tyco ends is going beyond the scope of
that discussion."

If you won't like the answer, don't ask the question. It's pretty
damned unsporting for you to call me out after I've done your
research for you. BTW, that Tyco 3/3/3 end is surprisingly close
to what we see in the prototype photo!

I'm sorry for the confusion -- I thought I made the scope of what I
was looking for clear in the request ("closest stand-in that a
modeler could use -- either straight from the kit or with a little
modification") and I thought that Ian had worded his original
question similarly ("the closest HO kit to represent one of these
cars.")

I don't think either of us were looking to scratch build sides and
splice in a roof and ends when we asked the questions.

Mark Mathu
Whitefish Bay, Wis.
http://www.greenbayroute.com/