My recollection is that straw is often used in conjunction with
ice in storage. Perhaps to prevent those 300lb blocks from turning
themselves into 3,000lb blocks? Surely the straw could simply
be brushed or washed off the ice?

In the town where I live there are several large ponds (lakes) and
in past times the ice was harvested each winter and put into storage
for use throughout the year. The rail line (now a trail) ran on a
causeway dividing one of the ponds in two.

Tim O'Connor

Thanks, I've read good things about Tahoe trucks, so I've mailed Brian.
I've realised that I need to be a bit more specific when I post queries, I'm fairly good at researching proto info, but coming from UK, when it comes to the smaller model manufacturers I'm in the dark!
Tim David

Joel,

Tahoe Model Works does not yet have a web sit, but if you, or anyone else, would like information, please contact me OFF-LIST at

brianleppert@att.net

and I can email all the TMW catalog flyers.

Brian Leppert
Tahoe Model Works
Carson City, NV

Hi,

I picked up an extra large sized FOTFC shirt at "Son-of-Naperville" last month.
The person who I thought wanted it declined. If anyone wants it for $25.00, plus
$5.00 priority mail shipping, contact me off-list at <midcentury@sbcglobal.net>
Thanks,
-Andy Carlson
Ojai CA

Hi Ben,

Does Tahoe Model Works have a web site?

Joel Holmes

Tim David asked:
"Also, any recommendations for the best trucks to use?"

According to a PRR Truck Classification List dated June 5, 1922, Class GR gons were equipped with Class 2D-F1 Arch Bar trucks or 2D-F2 Crown trucks.
http://prr.railfan.net/trucks/D70003-B.pdf

I recommend Tahoe Model Works TMW-103/203 for the Class 2D-F1 Arch Bar Trucks; and the Walthers Andrews truck (933-1004) as the best stand-in for the 2D-F2 50-ton Crown trucks.


Ben Hom

Bill Welch wrote:

However the same 300 blocks of ice used in the bunkers . . .

I think Ben Heinley was talking about natural ice, usually cut in much smaller blocks than 300-lb. manufactured ice blocks. And of course (as Bill knows) the 300-lb. blocks were NOT used in bunkers but were split at least into quarters and usually smaller, for bunker icing.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@signaturepress.com
Publishers of books on railroad history

Can anyone answer this one?

However the same 300 blocks of ice used in the bunkers would have also been ground and sprayed into cars for those crops, mainly vegetables, that were "top iced" so this ice too should have been as free as possible of bacteria I would think. The few photos I have of ice being moved around on the FGE/WFE/BRE System shows it being done in refrigerator cars, both those in active freight service and those downgraded to "Ice Service."

Bill Welch

Steve Bishop wrote:

I am considering using a Tichy PFE Class R-40-4 reefer as a stand in for the New Haven Ice car I-74. According to the New Haven Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment, I-74 was former PFE 90551, an R-40-8.
Can anyone tell me what the visible differences would be between these two classes?

Steve, they were very similar cars. Certainly most modelers could not tell the difference. Most of the differences, in fact, were internal. The R-40-8 cars were a little taller, but only be about 2.5 inches. (For more information, including photos, see the PFE book; see any post-WW II ORER for dimensions).

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@signaturepress.com
Publishers of books on railroad history

Ben Heinley wrote:

The DRGW used to haul ice in the winter from Rollinsville to Denver in stock cars. The ice was bedded in straw for the trip. The pictures that my father-in-law took were published in one of the one of the historical society magazines dealing with the DRGW and or the Moffit line a few years ago. The big question is were the cars steam cleaned before handling the ice? Could have been a little extra "local" flavor in your mixed drink otherwise!

And if straw was used, you can be sure the ice was not intended to be used in reefers. Straw would clog the bunker drains. You might be thinking that surely reefers weren't iced in winter, and that's true, but the natural ice could be stored for summer use. Just not with straw.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@signaturepress.com
Publishers of books on railroad history

Dear Colleagues:

I am considering using a Tichy PFE Class R-40-4 reefer as a stand in for the New Haven Ice car I-74. According to the New Haven Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment, I-74 was former PFE 90551, an R-40-8.

Can anyone tell me what the visible differences would be between these two classes?

Thanks very much.

Steve Bishop

I know I asked this question some time back . . . . but was there a guideline for loading materials like pig iron on the floors of a freight cars?  I've heard stories from retirees talking about seeing "broken" cars filled with pig-iron where folks got lazy and loaded it more at the center of car at the doorway.  It is only common sense to load them concentrated over the bolsters and not to full cap'y.  I heard the rule was 80 percent max with a balanced load, but I don't have anything in writing.



Al Kresse

Thank you Scott for the good laugh . . . I needed that this morning.  Al Kresse

Ben, stock cars were supposed to be cleaned and disinfected each time after
being used to transport livestock. Steam cleaning was the accepted means,
after one finished with the pitchfork and shovel. Then sand or cinders
several inches deep spread on the floor for traction. In winter straw was
used for bedding, required for hogs.



Doug Harding

www.iowacentralrr.org

Ben, there are two type of ice, potable and all other.
Potable ice has to meet the same standards of "fit for human consumption" as drinking water, and this was the ice kept for railroad dining cars, etc. All other ice would be suitable for the bunker of a reefer as it would never contact the product.
However if the ice was sequestered properly in the straw, it might well remain "fit for human consumption", even if in a stock car. As others on this list have pointed out, stock cars were cleaned quite often and so would be less filthy than we imagine them to be.
James Dick - St. Paul

The DRGW used to haul ice in the winter from Rollinsville to Denver in stock cars. The ice was bedded in straw for the trip. The pictures that my father-in-law took were published in one of the one of the historical society magazines dealing with the DRGW and or the Moffit line a few years ago. The big question is were the cars steam cleaned before handling the ice? Could have been a little extra "local" flavor in your mixed drink otherwise!

I'm sure other roads did the same where hard freeze mountain areas were close to cities with warmer weather. California? East coast states?


Ben Heinley

Rob, stock cars never reached weight capacity when filled with livestock. A
40' stock car could hold 23, 1200lb steers, that is only 27600lbs or 13,8
tons, well below the capacity of the car. The only way you could over load a
stock car was if you filled it with pig iron instead of pigs. And yes pig
iron could be a possible load in a stock car. They were used to haul
anything that could withstand exposure to the weather and would fit through
the door.



Doug Harding

www.iowacentralrr.org

Star brand paints (from PBL) has D&RGW boxcar red.
Lee Thwaits

John,

You've got the dates right in your email ;^) I suppose this means that
you're asking that timeless question... how quickly did prototype steam
era freight car paint schemes get changed? Actually, the answer is
pretty easy... "It depends" There ya go! Problem solved <G>.

OK, seriously. Prototype cars were repainted approximately every 5-10
years depending on the economics and perspective of the home road and of
course, relying on the car to make it home at some point. For your 1957
era, if you have just a single one of these, I'd go for the mid
1955-1957 "Billboard 13 Great States" scheme from Chris' B&O boxcar
lettering PDF. Obviously, the reweigh date should be between mid 1955
and your modeling date. As noted previously, that scheme is not listed
for the FVM or the Exactrail car. Alternatively, you could go with the
Mid 1946 - Mid 1955 "Post War 13 Great States" and weather the car a bit
more. That would be exactrail SKU 90051

Note that the blue and green schemes listed are both express boxcar
schemes for use in passenger service.

Regards
Bruce Smith
Auburn, AL

"John Degnan" <Scaler164@comcast.net> 11/14/11 7:16 PM >>>

Glad Ken posted this question as I have been meaning to ask this same
thing. I model the year 1957, so I'd like to know which of the schemes
being offered by Fox Valley could have still been seen on the prototypes
up to that year? :

http://www.foxvalleymodels.com/pdfs/jpgs/feb11bobox.jpg

ExactRail is about to release their own model of this car, and they are
offering it in 6 different B&O schemes. So my question applies to the
ExactRail model as well (although their site does show some mediocre
info about the timeline of the schemes they offer) :


http://www.exactrail.com/model-trains?dir=asc&order=name&product_type=2082
Main Product Page

http://www.exactrail.com/b-o-m-53-wagontop-box-car-b-o-2233
Listed as a 1937 and later scheme
(offered in 12 road numbers)

http://www.exactrail.com/b-o-m-53-wagontop-box-car-b-o-2236
Listed as a 1947 and later scheme
(offered in 5 road numbers)

http://www.exactrail.com/b-o-m-53-wagontop-box-car-b-o
Listed as a mid 1945 and later scheme
(offered in 12 road numbers)

http://www.exactrail.com/b-o-m-53-wagontop-box-car-b-o-2234
Listed as a late 1937 and later scheme
(offered in 6 road numbers)

http://www.exactrail.com/b-o-m-53-wagontop-box-car-b-o-2235
Listed as a 1942 - 1959 scheme
(offered in 6 road numbers)


John Degnan
Scaler164@comcast.net

--- In STMFC@yahoogroups.com, "kenrobbins39" <kenrobbins39@...> wrote:
>
> I recently picked up an HO scale B&O wagontop boxcar imported by Fox
Valley, that has the large B&O lettering. It's a beautiful model and I
really prefer it over the older, smaller lettering, but because I model
the year 1954, I have a concern about the "NEW 6-63" date on the side.
>
> Can anyone on this list tell me when these M-53's were first
repainted with the large B&O lettering?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Ken Robbins





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