Anyone able to speak on which lettering for the Piedmont and Northern DS boxcars would be most appropriate to early 1953?  Jerry Glow had this on his old site, but I can't recover it.  There is the word Piedmont over the & which is over the Northern.  And there is the curved Piedmont and Northern lettering.  Bill Welch's fine model discussed recently is a third style but I think later than early 1953.  I'm organizing my decals and have the first two.

Thanks,
George Courtney

That second photo would seem to rule out a mailbox or newspaper box for the nearby house. There is a sign with post (probably the warning sign for the crossing) much closer to the house.
Bob Chaparro
Hemet, CA

For Andy ... and anyone else staring anxiously at their empty email, praying for a new message from our RealSTMFC group ...

If one you find yourself in San Diego region on Nov 1 or Nov 16, we'd be honored if you consider attending one of the Centennial Events celebrating the history of the San Diego & Arizona - aka "The Impossible Railroad".

https://www.psrm.org/centennial/

;-)

Jake Schaible

The white fence on both side of the track is interesting, especially since there is only a corner on the far side.
i think it is a mail box maybe for a RR section man?
Ron Christensen
Jack we missed you at Chicago RPM this week

On consideration, the box under discussion looks more like a newspaper box than a mail box.


Ed

Edward Sutorik

In the fist post of this thread, Bob Chaparro asked:

Could this be a waybill box for the (possible) spur or siding that is to the left of the picture?

It's possible, but a few things make me doubtful that this is a bill box.
- There's no lock, and no provision for a lock that I can see. 
- The placement seems to be in a more public location than necessary, and not one particularly convenient for train crews.
So to me it's more likely it's a US Mail box.
Like Ed, I wonder whether the resident of the house near that tracks has just appropriated the post for his mailbox.  There's no other roadside mailbox at that house.
Or it could be a mailbox for railroad use as Dennis suggested. Tire tracks turning off the road toward the switchstand suggest there may be SOME facility to drive to along the tracks down there, perhaps an interlocking tower or section house. But if that's what the box is for, why is it on the opposite side of the tracks?  Ponderables that we'll never answer with certitude.

Other than the mysterious box, the overall scene is beautiful, and there are a lot of other interesting details in these photos. The multiplicity of power lines, phone lines, and telegraph and perhaps signal lines stands out. There are miles of wire in these shots.
The far track has screw spikes, the nearer track has cut spikes, and some ties seem to be missing spikes or plates. 
There's only a single crossbuck, and lacks the "2 TRACKS" notice that would be mandated later. I wish we could see more of the switch and whatever is down the R-O-W there....  

Jack Mullen

Andy
I asked the same question to a list member last week. Just happens to be a quiet spell on several of these lists and yes, the Lisle RPM is ongoing as I write this.

Jeff Sankus
Whitehouse Station, NJ
https://uvrmodel.blogspot.com/

On Fri, Oct 25, 2019 at 12:25 PM, spsalso wrote:

Considering the tire marks right in front of the box, it MIGHT be a mail box for someone living immediately to the right.

It might also be a mailbox for the local depot, if there is one right out of the picture.

Dennis Storzek

Considering the tire marks right in front of the box, it MIGHT be a mail box for someone living immediately to the right.  They may have decided the extant post was superior to the one they'd have to install for themselves.

Whatever it was, I would say the tire marks indicate frequent motor vehicle visits.


Ed

Edward Sutorik

The load shifter/load adjuster is seen in action at 11:47 in the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO4xn-NJjmU

Bob Chaparro

Hemet, CA

The Santa Fe film "Payday", dealing with reducing lading damage from about 1953, shows a load shifter in operation. The film can be found on YouTube by searching Santa Fe railroad.

Isn't this set suitable?

https://www.blackcatdecals.com/product/wab48507-wabash-single-sheath-auto-car/

Admittedly, out of stock...

There were a bunch of them, covered in the book.

Brian,

Very interesting photos. Between us, five SP transfer cabooses, and all different. That's way cool.

While these beasties were more common in the East, I have only seen two more in the Left Coast -- Alameda Belt Line had one that looked like an outhouse on a raft (a steam-era car, AFAIK), and more recently the Yolo Shortline had an ex-MKT car of fairly modern lines.

Yours Aye,


Garth Groff

Garth, here's some more I photographed in Taylor Yard.

Brian Leppert
Carson City, NV