On Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:39:36 -0000, EdwardM wrote

The rivets on those sides were gigantic - maybe 2 scale inches +.

I thought it was an interesting concept at the time, but we're talking zinc alloy
castings you have to bend. Gently. In a smooth curve. All of them the same. And you
only get one chance I would imagine they don't like to be bent back for a second try.

Did F&C do the wagon top hopper in some form? I have always liked the car - when I was
a kid I remember seeing them at the B&O / CG&E O scale layout at Christmas. I actually
think having this display as an annual visit helped make me a prototype modeler at a
young age. These cars were hand built in the late 1930s, when scale modeling was in its
infancy, to a level of detail that commercial products didn't aspire to for another 3
decades. I'd love to have the opportunity to just photograph all of the rolling stock.

Andy