Consider purchasing a “draw plate” from a jewelry supply. You can make your own square stock. 

Gene Deimling

Brad:

All:
Thanks for the information.
Mike

There is quite a bit of info in Hinman’s book on MDT. 

Armand,

ERDX was one of the reporting marks owned by Merchants Despatch Transportation Corp.  My January 1952 ORER lists ERDX 9900-9999 as the only series.  They were 42' long RB's (bunkerless reefers = insulated boxcars) with 5' sliding (plug) doors.

Todd Sullivan

. . .this link will take you to photos on an unpainted Sunshine kit of the same car: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VobZE8Ywfi0a74ME97BaSVwzIlnk7Br1

Note the flange along the bottom of the sill

Bill Welch

Southern open top cars were Black.

Bill Welch

The wire is steel

I think it says the wire is Nichrome!  [Genuine Sandvik Nichrome 80 !!]

-- 
Jon Miller
For me time stopped in 1941
Digitrax  Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User
SPROG User
NMRA Life member #2623
Member SFRH&MS

Gentlemen,

I just acquired an O scale Southern six door drop bottom steel gondola from PSC.   Might anyone have any info on these cars ie build date correct paint color [red or black] etc.    The box states they were built by Enterprise Railway Equipment....

With thanks in advance,
Brad Andonian

If you need shorter pieces, the leads on LED's are square. Like the type once sold at Radio Shack.

Aaron Gjermundson 

I don't remember what options there were when I ordered my 100-foot reel of .4mm x .4mm that is .019" x .019" from Kidney Puncher. The wire is steel and comes off the reel pretty straight and it is easy to get it completely straight. I often show up at RPM's with my reel and cutters and give lengths away to friends.

Bill Welch

Which reminds me, I recall someone found a source for square brake wheel shaft material. Search of the archives has lots of results, but none specifically relevant. Anyone know of a practical source? This is one detail I'd like to start adding were applicable.
Thx,
RJ Dial
Burlingame, CA

This advertisement from Intermountain's Trainfest flyer got me to thinking just
how far freight car modeling has come in the 30 or so (plus or minus) years since
the "resin revolution" ran headfirst into the "prototype modeling" revolution.
Can you even imagine a flyer like this even from a brass importer or craftsman
kit maker back in the dark ages before the 1980's, much less from a mass production
plastic freight car vendor?

These are the best of times. So far. :-)

Tim O'Connor



--
*Tim O'Connor*
*Sterling, Massachusetts*

Texas & Northern

--
*Tim O'Connor*
*Sterling, Massachusetts*

Only reason I knew there were two is because on Facebook Rapido was alerting potential customers that reservations for the Yellow TH&B cars far outnumbered reservations for all others and alerting people that were only two of the yellow & black cars.

Bill Welch

Two of the USRA cars were painted yellow in 1954.  The numbers were 4576 and 4795.  Both were used in captive service on the TH&B, not in interchange service.  This info is found on the Westerfield data sheet entitled GTW/TH&B USRA Variations that is in the Westerfield kit box.  I have the kit but have not built it yet. 

Also worth noting, the USRA cars were repainted in 1950 and given the pennant logo and eight-sided ampersand.  Originally the cars did not have the pennant logo and had the regular ampersand.