In a message dated 3/9/2011 11:12:46 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
destorzek@... writes:






--- In _STMFC@... (mailto:STMFC@...) , "moonmuln"
<jack.f.mullen@...> wrote:

I'm pretty fuzzy on the dates for most of the panel side installations,

and it would be helpful if those who know when specific groups were done
would add that to our pool of knowledge.

Now that I'm at work, I pulled material copied from the Third Quarter 1980
issue of Central Headlight, which has an extensive article by C.M. Smith
about the NYC system USRA twin hoppers. On page 9 it states that in 1933,
six prototype cars were converted. This was an early use of the panel sides,
but preceded by 23 twins and a larger number of triples rebuilt by the C&O
in 1932. This is, IIRC, my source for naming Union Metal Products as the
manufacturer; the 1940 Cyc. shows the product line passed to the Standard
Railway Equipment Co.

Page 27 has a good close photo of one of the 1933 prototypes, which
clearly shows it to make use of the original side stakes, or replacements
in-kind. This is the prototype for the Tichy kit.

The article goes on to state that 1,787 additional cars were rebuilt with
panel sides between 1936 and 1940. There is a photo on page 26 that
confirms that these cars were done with the side panels that incorporated integral
stakes, which is the prototype for the Accurail car. On page 24 there is a
close-up of one of the integral stakes; the margins of the panel around
the pressed "blister" show a lot more distortion (wrinkles)than I would have
suspected.

On page 13 is an interesting photo of one of 1,419 P&LE cars rebuilt at
East Rochester in 1936. This car has integral stakes, but the center six
panels are of the 5-1/2" variety illustrated in the "bulb angle" configuration
drawing in the 1940 Cyc. As I mentioned in a post the other day, the end
panels have the more common 4" blisters, and the lighting in the photo makes
it very clear that all the tops of the blisters have the same angle, so the
bend of the end panels doesn't line up with that of the six center panels.

Nowhere in this material does it state what type of steel these panels
were made of.

All this just points out there are a lot of variation between cars rebuilt
with panel sides. Union Metal Products (later SRECo)had a design concept,
which they could , and did, modify to fit different cars and different
customer wants.

Dennis