From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Alice Devenny
Sent: Wednesday, October 9, 2019 11:36 AM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Erie coal gon

List:

I did the upgrade of the Mantua gon years ago, based on an article in RMC. The results are OK, but the car still sits too high, despite filing down the bolster and carving curved grooves in the floor to provide clearance between the flanges and the floor. If I were to do it again, I think I would cut curved slots in the floor to gain additional flange clearance and further lower the carbody to where it should be. 

Note that whatever carbody height you are able to achieve, it will still take some carving on the ends and floor to create a space for coupler boxes and some fussing to mount couplers at the correct height.

Tom Devenny
East Norriton, PA
 
    

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io [mailto:main@RealSTMFC.groups.io] On Behalf Of Alice Devenny
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2019 11:36 AM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Erie coal gon

List:

I did the upgrade of the Mantua gon years ago, based on an article in RMC. The results are OK, but the car still sits too high, despite filing down the bolster and carving curved grooves in the floor to provide clearance between the flanges and the floor. If I were to do it again, I think I would cut curved slots in the floor to gain additional flange clearance and further lower the carbody to where it should be. 

Note that whatever carbody height you are able to achieve, it will still take some carving on the ends and floor to create a space for coupler boxes and some fussing to mount couplers at the correct height.

Tom Devenny
East Norriton, PA
 
    

Can anyone of you review the prototype fidelity of subj. cars, especially the Linde
and GN car? I would like to avoid buying foobies!
Ben de Vries, the Netherlands

Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPad

Ben,

I can't comment on the fidelity of the body styles since I don't have any of the Bowser cars, and their web pictures are rather unhelpful.

As for the Linde "boxcar", the prototype wasn't actually a boxcar at all. It was an XT class tank car, SERX (Shippers Car Line) series 500-1043, which in 1958 was filled by just 160 cars. Like most Shippers cars, these were built by AC&F (which owned Shippers). An XT tank car usually had two tanks and loading equipment surrounded by a boxcar shell. Linde's car usually had a small access door in each end above the couplers, with other plates on the lower car body, and some had additional plates or small vents just below the roofline. The running boards were broken by several vents set into the center line of the roof.

Linde also operated XT cars built by, and leased from, General American under the LAPX reporting marks. In 1958 there were over 400 cars in four number series. GA also leased similar cars to Air Reduction Co. under the AROX mark, and to National Cylinder Gas Co. under the GAOX mark.

The Linde cars can be very confusing, as they tended get rebuilt from time to time to suit the needs of new shippers, or for new gas products. This resulted in a blizzard of renumberings.

The best coverage of these cars is found in RAILWAY PROTOTYPE CYCLOPEDIA 14, "40' Cryogenic Box/Tank Cars -- Special Tank Cars Masquerading as A.A.R Boxcars" by Patrick C. Wilder.

Additional articles I have in my files are:

A kitbash article, "Linde Tank Car" by Bill Darnaby from the May 1993 MAINLINE MODELER.

A follow-up letter to the editor with photos showing the odd side plates ion the December MAINLINE MODELER.

Another kitbash article, "40-foot Linde Box/Tank Cars" by John J. Ryckowski in the July 1993 RAILMODEL JOURNAL.

And a general history/photo article, "The Linde 40-foot Box/Tank Cars" by John Ryckowski in the same RMJ issue.

As the Bowser car is out of the box, none of the XT details are present. Adding them to an existing painted car would probably result in a mess you wouldn't be proud to show off. It would be better to start with a stripped car body. Which one? Well that's a problem. Depending on the lots, Linde cars came with both 10 and 12-panel sides, and a variety of ends. Their heights also varied. You need to work from photos with the appropriate car body.

As for paint, the green scheme appears to date from the late 1950s. For most of us steam-era modelers, the FCR red scheme with the diamond herald is correct. Champ used to offer the decals for this scheme. Bill Darnaby did a credible job creating the diamond herald from individual letters.

Yours Aye,


Garth Groff

On 10/10/2019 4:13 AM, Ben de Vries wrote:

Can anyone of you review the prototype fidelity of subj. cars, especially the Linde
and GN car? I would like to avoid buying foobies!
Ben de Vries, the Netherlands

Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPad

Surprising it was never done in resin... over 500 cars in service, and 44.0 feet inside length!


On 10/8/2019 8:10 PM, Hugh Guillaume via Groups.Io wrote:

Erie coal gon made from Mantua on my model railroad.
Sent from my Verizon ASUS Tablet

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