Mike

If I may, I would like to make on other comment about Sunshine and it is in his defense..Martin is pretty much a one man show, along with the help of his wife. They travel to many shows a year, that is where the majority of his business comes from. In between his time on the road he has to run his business and take care of personal things as well. To those who would take a chance to slam him I ask you to remember this. He works very hard to supply us with outstanding quality kits. We owe him a bit of gratitude for that, don't you think. Also, I doubt that there is anyone on this list that has been ripped off by Martin. We all know that if we do mail order business with him to expect it to take a while to get the product. Instant gratification is NOT to be expected when dealing with Sunshine...The bottom line is this, his products are outstanding, the wait for them stinks. You know it is going to happen and you choose to do business with him anyhow...I know I do. Get over it...


Best regards,

Denis F. Blake
NS Conductor
Columbus, OH
TTHOTS

Please visit my photo site at

http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/allalbums.asp?s=cano&u=1665499

Gene,

generally you are quite right on my fellow country people, but (as you write
yourself)most things also can be said about North America.

The limited number of European road names does Not stop the manufacturers
from using bogus paint schemes either. What I find most interesting are the
similarities between the major magazines in Germany and the US (MIBA and
MR). OTOH, If any of you should make it to germany, I can really recommend a
magazine called "HP1". It is pure high-quality rivetcounting -not only on
steam era freight cars, but also on the tracks those cars ride on


Bernd

never bought a M�rklin in my life

Wow and beware! These enconioms being heaped on Richard, richly deserved as they are, will most assuredly warp out of all recognition his sweet personality (:-)).

Denny

I recall that the old Train Miniature hopper car was (for the time anyway) a
reasonably accurate rendition of the PS-3. Of course the attention to precise
detail and fine casting quality we expect now was not there. But if you
really want one of those cars see if you can find one at a flea market. I guess
Walthers got the dies with the rest of the TM line but it doesn't seem as
though have chosen to produce them, but I haven't looked in a catologue lately.

Chris

I'm not certain who Jon Miller refers to but<

I simply asked about the stock cars castings by Aaron Gjermundson as I
and others have had orders in for a couple of months.
One reply was;
"I just talked to Aaron via email. I've been waiting for mine since
mid-March. He's been busy with school. He just got a new batch of resin. He
hopes to get to them soon. He's making some now for the NP Convention (July
16th). Will work on catching up with his orders after that."

My reply was "sounds good". Nothing more and nothing less. I'm
guessing we will have our cars around the end of July!

Jon Miller
AT&SF
For me time has stopped in 1941
Digitrax DCC owner, Chief/Zephyr systems
NMRA Life member #2623
Member SFRH&MS

Tim Bo'connor ;) and Ted Culotta gave me a bunch of info about some
1937 Modified AAR CNW cars, but I was asking about Postwar AAR cars
with 4/4 IDE's. Sooo, how does the Dreadnaught end data relate to
the IDE cars? Do we not know more about the latter, and so go with
the assumption that those to were painted with various slogans? In
the end, what I am really trying to figure out is if the CDS
lettering that I include in my CNW kit is appropriate (Route of the
400 Streamliners and The Overland Route.) Kind of late in the game
to be determining this, but heck, I have only sold 2, and only one of
those has been built up!

Earl Tuson

Paul Lyons writes:

"He must have gone to the Martin Lofton school of sales-Take care of the show
and convention business first and screw the mail order customers, they will
keep, I have there money!"
Easy, guys. Martin isn't a member of the group and I'm not certain who Jon Miller refers to but while it is perfectly OK to evaluate a manufactured product on the STMFC, personal attacks on anyone...members or not...is not allowed. I don't want to understate this. Just a reminder. Back to frt cars.

Mike Brock
STMFC Owner

Ted Culotta writes:

Does the 'Hulson' stenciled on the end mean it had a Hulson cushioned
underframe? I had heard of them, but didn't know of any prototypes. Hulson
bought the rights from Duryea, correct?

Right. By the early '50s Hulson was offering a number of different
versions of cushion draft gear, but at least some of them were designs that
had been patented by Duryea.

Richard H. Hendrickson
Ashland, Oregon 97520

Gene Green writes:

"Another list member compared Märklin to Lionel, as I recall. That's
my view, too. I have no further interest in any Märklin offerings.
Anybody wanna buy two Trix Big Boys?"

I'm gonna violate my own rule again....this reply has little to do with frt cars but...what the hell. After examining the Trix Big Boy I can truthfully say that it only has three faults that standout to me. The drivers are fairly undersize...about 64" compared to the prototype's 68", the forward steam pipes are too small in diameter and I'm pretty sure that they pivot the rear engine...I'm afraid this will probably be a fact of life with all plastic artics...and don't connect the rear cylinders with the input steam pipes. The models I've seen have excellent mechs, operating quite smoothly at low speeds.

Now...that's the end of that. Back to frt cars..

Mike Brock


Gene Green



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Richard Hendrickson lobs one...

All news to me. However, from a west coast perspective, y'seen one hopper,
y'seen 'em all, and who cares, anyway. (Making tracks for the bomb
shelter.)

Now, Richard, I believe you are somewhat disingenuous here. After
all, the Ga-18, Ga-21, Ga-24, Ga-43, Ga-50, Ga-54, Ga-81, Ga-83,
Ga-100... just to mention a few... were all classes of Santa Fe
hopper cars built before 1960. Methinks you have more than just
a passing interest in -certain- hopper cars. (The ACF-Hart side
dump cars for example?)

Now, Tim, the early Santa Fe cross hoppers were built in VERY small numbers
and were seldom seen on the Coast Lines, so my interest in them is
decidedly marginal. As for the Rodger-Hart selective ballast cars, they
were a whole other story. They were designed as ballast cars and the Santa
Fe used them almost exclusively in that service. So they weren't hoppers
in the usual sense at all - that is, AFAIK they never carried (yawn) coal.

Richard H. Hendrickson
Ashland, Oregon 97520

Roger Miener writes:
"Still, when you are out to dinner with Richard and Sandra at the Monet
Restaurant and Garden in Ashland, Oregon, do let Richard choose the
wine. You will be glad you did. Just like he knows freightcars, the
man knows wine."


Ahhh yes. The man, apparently, also does a pretty fair job of conducting a wine tasting clinic...which he did during the San Jose NMRA National Convention in 2000...with, I think, the help of Sandra. I have referenced this before and while this has nothing whatever to do with frt cars [I'm giving myself an executive pardon ], for new members I will note that I, myself, did not attend his clinic. My wife Georgia, however, did. Upon completing my own exciting presentation on photographic backdrops, I encountered Georgia in the hallway and I noted a definite grin and a bit of a glow which seemed to be coming from her general direction. I said something about my clinic and she expressed great amusement about it. I soon noticed that she found everything anyone said to me...or anyone else nearby... as quite funny as well. Walking by a newly convened meeting of the Santa Fe Historical Society, I glanced in and noted the usual serious, focussed and determined facial expressions on the member's faces...all except for one. Sitting back in the back was Richard...adorned with the same kind of grin as Georgia. I decided right then and there to not miss the next wine tasting clinic Richard might conduct.

Mike Brock

BEN,
You did me an excellent review on the needed items to build my FEC
hoppers. I would like to say "Thank You Very Much" and have a safe and
happy holiday.
Larry Bowen

Ted Culotta asks:

"Does the 'Hulson' stenciled on the end mean it had a Hulson cushioned
underframe?"

The only reference to Hulson I see in the UP diagram is with regard to draft gear...among several others.

Mike Brock

I am well acquainted with a member of Märklin's sales staff. He has
convinced me that Märklin is NOT interested in getting it right.

In the German model railroad market, I have learned after living in
German for many years, the manufacturers tell the customers what is
right and wrong. German customers don't question the accuracy of
models. They accept them as correct.

The same could probably be said for the majority of American model
railroaders. We few who are so interested in accuracy don't have the
economic clout to be heard by the likes of Märklin and other larger
manufacturers.

Another list member compared Märklin to Lionel, as I recall. That's
my view, too. I have no further interest in any Märklin offerings.
Anybody wanna buy two Trix Big Boys?

Gene Green

He's making some now for the NP Convention (July 16th). Will work on

catching up with his orders after that.<
Sounds good.


Jon Miller
AT&SF
For me time has stopped in 1941
Digitrax DCC owner, Chief/Zephyr systems
NMRA Life member #2623
Member SFRH&MS

Needless to say, I agree with most of what Mike Brock has said ...

I will second what Dave says. For more yrs than I want to count

I've been aware of Richard's unremitting efforts to drag model
railroading into the realm of actually modeling real railroad
items...such as military and other modelers have done for years.

But ... when it comes to the price of wine ...

that the cost of coffee...or wine as it may be...has gone up another

buck or so.

Well, and as anyone who has seen how many bottles of wine Richard has
in his cellar can attest, it will be a bloody long while before
Richard realizes what has happened to the price of a good bottle of
wine. Richard thinks ahead - especially when it comes to wine - and
his cellar is full.

Truth to tell, the price of a good bottle of wine has been trending
down lately. A glut of grapes, they say.

Still, when you are out to dinner with Richard and Sandra at the Monet
Restaurant and Garden in Ashland, Oregon, do let Richard choose the
wine. You will be glad you did. Just like he knows freightcars, the
man knows wine.

Roger Miener
at Tacoma WA

Martin had no new ATSF cars for the Ft Worth convention. My
understanding was he was so busy filling back orders that he wasn't able to get the new
ones ready. Maybe he has turned a new leaf and decided not to screw the mail
order customers for awhile. Just my opinion. Tom Chenoweth, Topeka KS

I just talked to Aaron via email. I've been waiting for mine since
mid-March. He's been busy with school. He just got a new batch of resin. He
hopes to get to them soon. He's making some now for the NP Convention (July
16th). Will work on catching up with his orders after that.

--
Jim Hayes
Portland Oregon

Quoting Al & Patricia Westerfield <westerfield@multipro.com>:

I've been going crazy trying to find what to do about exporting product
for
the show and bringing the remains back. Does anyone know what U.S.
customs
form or procedure is necessary? The customs web site is no help at all.
As
this may be of value to others on the list, perhaps a general response
is
appropriate. If not, please contact me off list. I have all the info
for
Canadian customs. - Al Westerfield

Al, There used to be a standard U.S. Customs form on which Americans
could list anything that they were taking into Canada which thye might
wish to bring back. I suggest you take a good printed inventory with you,
stop as U.S. Customs at the point you will be crossing the border and they
they can probably assist you in 15 to 20 minutes or less, though I'm sure
the form has changed. Alternately, you can call U.S. Customs in St. Albans,
VT at 802-524-6527, which is District HQ, or 802-868-6527, which is the
Inspection Station at Highgate Springs-Swanton (the border crossing).

Hope this will do it, Don Valentine