--- In STMFC@..., "lnbill" <fgexbill@> wrote:

FGE's 39500-39799 were built at their Alexandria, VA shops, but I am uncertain where their 39300-39499 were built.

Bill Welch

Bill,

As soon as I saw your name, I opened up your outstanding TKM/SAL special edition on "The Companies" reefers. I see that the WFEX only had 47 steel reefers through 1948. Yet the 1943 ORER has an entry for a new class (68000-68284), but with a quantity of "...".

The RPI web site has a picture of one of these cars from the '49 car cyclopedia (68144).

If this batch of cars was not built until '49 (6 years after the '43 ORER entry?? Does that make sense??), and they are 5 inches taller than the first 47 cars, then once again the WWII modelers have been shut out? Or time for a heavy kit bash?

I realize the kit has not been produced yet, so this question is premature, but does anyone know what the spotting differences might be between the first batch of steel WFEX cars and the later batches? I need to decide if this car would at least be a possible stand-in.

Many Thanks,

Dave Evans
An SPF stuck in WWII... (an era that more and more seems to be a modeling no-man's land)

Oh, PS - BLI's new catalog (on-line), shows a run of NYC spec 468 box cars coming (similar era/size to PRR X29), but in late 40's and 50's paint schemes (AARRGGHHH - what is it about POST-WAR paint schemes!!! I am beginning to wonder if there is some secret society that says manufacturers can not offer WWII paint schemes...)

This car would appear to fill a major model gap since I think there were a LOT of these (I am not NYC literate - see SPF note above - kind of heresy...;-)