I had the opportunity this morning of examining
Jim Singer's new 5th Ave Car Shops custom
iteration of this new short-ribbed car kit
recently produced new by George Schmidt's
Ribside Cars� representing the 1944 production of
1000 cars #2188-22187. The most striking
difference compared to the original 1939 cars
were its new short ribs, caused by "recessing"
the doors, ladders, and side grabs so that the
slightly widened car (4") still stayed within the
clearance diagram. These ribs short ribs were
also interspersed with very thin and shallow
intermediary ribs, reportedly required by the use
of different steel during WWII.

The only common model of this car previously
available was (and still is) the MDC (now Athearn
Roundhouse) version, first produced in all cast
metal in the fifties, and now molded
styrene.Although a good model for its day, the
thick detail parts, the imaginary roof, the wrong
doors (originally- the right doors were
supplied!) and the molded ladders and grabs have
made it currently distinctly obsolete (I made one
last attempt to make this sow's ear into a silk
purse last year, gave up, and sold them all at at
the Roseville show).