On Tuesday, November 1, 2005, at 01:46 PM, Beckert, Shawn wrote:

I managed to miss seeing the new Railshops carbon black
hopper at Naperville this weekend:

http://www.pbase.com/dh30973/image/51606790

Does anyone have more info on this kit? From the photo
I'd say it's a steam era car, but can't really be sure.

Shawn,
It is truly a steam era car that typically lasted throughout the 1950s
and later. These cars were built by AC&F (per a patent) and also by
GATC from circa 1933 to 1949. Larger capacity cars of a similar design
were built during the 1950s. The models being produced are based, at
least in part, on drawings I furnished Railshops from the AC&F drawing
collection at the Museum of Transportation. A single general
arrangement drawing applied to nearly 30 lot numbers and more than 200
prototype cars for CABX, CCX, CLTX, JMHX, SCNX (later to CCX), SHPX,
and UCBX through about 1940. Also provided were general arrangement
drawings for additional cars built during the 1940s, which incorporated
various changes such as the use of Ajax power hand brakes and Apex
steel-grid running boards.
Regards,
Ed Hawkins