On Aug 15, 2009, at 7:02 PM, Armand Premo wrote:

I would like to question the statement about the ladder being on only
the B end.Is that allowed?Isn't this a violation of ARA /ICC safety
regs?Armand Premo

Armand,
In my original reply I never stated that only the B end had a ladder.
What I said was that the ends were painted brown and the "B" end ladder
was black. However, that statement wasn't complete and accurate. I
looked closer at my notes taken from the bill of materials, and my
notes state that both end ladders were black. In the 3/4 builder's
photo of Erie 65039 that I have, the B end is partially visible, but
the color of the ladder and end cannot be determined from the photo. I
did not make a copy of the A end that had Dreadnaught end doors, but
the Fallen-Flags web site has a photo of the end doors for Erie 65000.
In this photo it's very hard to tell the colors of either the end or
the ladder. I apologize for any misunderstanding.

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/frt/erie65000adb.jpg

I recommend that anyone wanting to further pursue this and to ensure
they have correct painting information, contact Gregg Ames at the St.
Louis Mercantile Library (gpames@...) and request a photocopy of
the painting specs from the bill of materials for ACF lot 2153. That
way you're looking at printed information created by the builder.
Regards,
Ed Hawkins