:-D:-D:-D -- Tim O'Connor Sterling, Massachusetts

Now I remember where I saw that diamond plate on the hatches. The prototype was MDT, and the model was the Sunshine 20.1. All I had to do was go look at the model in the other room. Ron Merrick

I thank Bob for his work, and hope he will continue. His intro is sufficient to have me evaluate what the photo is about, and to decide if I will check it out. We all do get a lot of email and have to

Hi, George - This group to a large extent is an information sharing group and that is what I am doing. I receive many, many private messages thanking me for the photo links. If the information is

I am building a batch of Funaro B&O N-12 hoppers. I know very little about trucks. Can someone recommend a high quality truck that matches the trucks on the car in the attached photo? Thanks, D. Scott

Actually, Ron, it’s vises. Tony Thom

If you want to remove the roof. I've had good luck by putting the model in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then any part pops off easily with a #17 Exacto blade. Jim

Phil asked: "I missed out on the Sunshine minikit to model a NYC MDT hopper (similar to the USRA design but with offset sides). Does anyone know of a way to model this hopper? I will likely need at

Hi Ben, I think you mean "shortened into a twin", not a quad. Todd Sullivan

Hi Ron, I don't know what size trains you are running, or how much force is applied to your freight cars' draft gears, but I have used CA to bond coupler boxes on cars, and that has worked better than

Some HO model, perhaps a Sunshine, did have hatch covers formed of diamond plate, and a photo accompanied it to prove that this was correct. But I would note that this plate was probably 1/8" thick at

Phil asked: "I missed out on the Sunshine minikit to model a NYC MDT hopper (similar to the USRA design but with offset sides). Does anyone know of a way to model this hopper? I will likely need at

It gets better with the Intermountain. On one car, I pried open the coupler pocket, pulled out the Kadee #5 and installed a pair of #158 I had, that had already been painted boxcar red. Crude, but

Jim an interesting detail, which I had not noticed before when looking at the photo. Thanks for pointing it out. I don’t recall seeing steel diamond plate used on ice hatches. Doug

Hi guys, I missed out on the Sunshine minikit to model a NYC MDT hopper (similar to the USRA design but with offset sides). Does anyone know of a way to model this hopper? I will likely need at least

A two-word Google search returned a site with a list of 6,824 railroad photos…and that only included the “A”s. Would it be more useful for someone to post individual links to each on the STMFC?

Andy, if you would include "(PHOTO)" in your subject, I could delete these without reading them like I do with most of Bob Chaparro's. Jim

Schuyler is right on!!!!-- Fenton Wells 250 Frye Rd Pinehurst NC 28374 910-420-8106 srrfan1401@...

 HI Andy, Great weathering example! Claus Schlund

Baby boomers of my age have a special understanding of the letter 'M'. My selection is the Monon with their funky gondola. Half way there! Enjoy, -Andy Carlson Ojai CA