As a FYI to the group, Bethlehem Car Works offers a MDT 40' Reefer
with the 8-hinges for sale. Here is the web link:

http://www.bethlehemcarworks.com/Products/Rutland_Car_Shops/Rolling_Stock/RCS-MDT.html

It is supposed to be a car based on the MDT Co's blue prints and
from the 1919 Car Builder's Encyclopedia. And it is supposed to
represent the NYC series 155000 to 156999 and MC series 16000 to
16249 built between 1913 and 1917.

The good news about the kit is that it is a one-piece body but I am
not sure if it is a resin kit or not. I model 1926 and the kit in
the picture is car #145831 which fits in with the 145000 to 145999
car series (978 cars in 1926). And comparing the car series
dimensions with the other MDT car series, it is an exact match for
the 155000 to 155999 series (971 cars in 1926) but a close match to
the 144000 to 144513 series (509 cars in 1926) and the 156000 to
156299 series (291 cars in 1926). Whether any of these car series
have the 8 hinges or not needs to be confirmed by photographs. Or
even if the kit is an accurate NYC/MC/MDT car.

I have both the Billboard Reefer book (thanks to Mr Hendrickson and
Mr Kaminski for making an outstanding book) and the Reefer Car Color
Guide (thanks to Mr Green). In the Billboard Reefer book, on pages
171 to 173, are examples of this car that was operated by Dairy
Shippers Dispatch, which was a small car leasing company out of
Chicago. This car kit appears to match these cars down to the end
strapping but the DSDX cars are 36' and 37'.

If the kit matches the prototype than I think I will need to order
one.

- Steve Hedlund
Everett, WA

To: STMFC@yahoogroups.comFrom: rhendrickson@opendoor.comDate: Sat, 6
Dec 2008 15:56:00 -0800Subject: Re: [STMFC] Re: The Atlas model of
Cudahy meat reefers

On Dec 6, 2008, at 5:39 AM, Donald B. Valentine wrote:> Cudahy was
also represented in the Boston area at least up> through WW II
AFAIK. With that in mind I've had interest in the Atlas> 36 ft. meat
reefer. It is my understanding, and I'm looking for> correction on
this, that the Atlas car was modeled after a Cudahy> prototype,
particularly with the odd use of only four hinges for the> two
halves of each door. Is this or is it not correct? Also, are> photos
available for such cars in other than the "billboard" paint> offered
by Atlas and, if so, are decals available. If what I'm> questioning
is correct it is a shame that Atlas has offered that> model painted
for just about every packing company that ever existed> but,
apparently, few that any of us can use and be prototypically>
correct as it is also my understanding that Cudahy was about the
only> packer that used these oddball prototyes. I'd just like to
have a> couple in a! later Cudahy paint that is prototyically
correct....>I'm always surprised (though perhaps I shouldn't be, by
now) when a lot of speculation and mis-information is posted on a
subject which is well documented. The responses to Don's query are a
notable example. 36" meat reefers with four hinges on each door were
not at all exclusive to Cudahy; large numbers of them were built in
the 1920s (as well as 40' cars with the same door hinge arrangement)
by the Pressed Steel Car Co.'s Hegewich, IL plant. North American
Despatch owned many such cars and applied a variety of billboard P/L
schemes to them, and smaller numbers were owned by other leasing
companies (e.g., MDT). There are many photos of these cars in the
Billboard Refrigerator Car book by myself and Ed Kaminski that was
recently published by Signature Press. For the Cudahy cars, see pp.
39-40 and 180; for the NADX cars, see pp. 50-59. Other examples are
scattered elsewhere in the book. That's not to say that so! me of
the Atlas models aren't bogus - a bunch of them are - but some are
correct (except for the model's unfortunate shortcomings) and the
book shows many other examples that Atlas hasn't yet produced, but
could. This is yet another instance where what you want to know may
not be on the internet but is readily available elsewhere. The book
has been widely advertised and reviewed, and if you don't want to
buy it, then any library should be able to get a copy via
interlibrary loan. The day when every piece of information known to
man can be googled may be coming, but it ain't here yet.Richard
Hendrickson

__________________________________________________________
You live life online. So we put Windows on the web.
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/127032869/direct/01/