I remember my Grandfather talking about the initials his buddies would write on the cars as a sort of hello, WWII era. They may have signed off on inspections, journals etc., as well. John Cizmar

Boy, I really hate to open this can of worms, but here goes. What color do the destination cards appear to be in photos? I know, you said they are white. We also know the chalk marks are white, but

Wasn't WGH in Atlanta on the same weekend?: I hear they had record-breaking crowds there in spite of it being Super Bowl weekend. Maybe vendors had to decide which show to go to. Charlie Vlk

In a message dated 2/22/2007 5:18:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, rfederle@... writes: Are you sure that wasn't Herbie under the palm tree? Bozo Texino had a large brimmed hat and

Armand, you're right that chalk marks were seldom erased (and in some cases lasted for weeks or months before they were erased/obscured by weather and dirt). However, prototype photos often show

Paul I just meant they do not use chalk or graphite. Yes there must be a binder to hold the pigment together. I have used artist pencils to add color to running boards, highlight tank car bands and

erased and me that Chalking track numbers did lead to confusion; that's the reason for the printed routing cards. The impression I get from talking to old timers is that these were many times unique

Hey Yuze Gize, Just a couple of updated regarding the Kahn's Car Project from Cocoa Beach 2007. 1) The cars with 6-inch sills were car that were 12'-2" tall to the exterior eves. The cars with

I have 3 of the BL HO Milwaukee reefers, factory assembled with a 1940 repaint date. 3 different numbers, URTX 87292; 87287; and 85348. List for $27.95, I am offering these at $19.00 each. plus

I used to use white, type-writer correction tape. It may come in other colors. Lay it on the car and write anything you want with a sharp enough pencil or other object. I haven't done this for a long

I posted a photo showing part of the only known remains of a C&IM Mather car. The picture was taken in a barn but it clearly shows the unique Mather design features and the color. The end of

There was no confusion if you did not use them as we did not in the Santa Fe yard in Emporia. Thank you Larry Jackman Boca Raton FL ljack70117@... I was born with nothing and I have most of

Thank you, Tim and Ben. I will probably try the pencil route before trying to get the dried black ink out of my finest Rapidograph pens! Tim, what do you mean by "pigment-based"? If I remember

Richard Hendrickson notes: "Also, don't forget destination cards, which were stapled onto the destination card boards (or, on wood sheathed cars, just about anywhere the car clerks chose to put them,

The CB&Q supplied both white and yellow chalk. Probably whatever was cheaper when the storehouse had to re-stock. The sticks were round, about an inch in diameter, and must have been either 4" or 5"

Let us complicate matters even more.Chalk marks were rarely erased and often were placed on a car by a connecting or other foreign road ;which leads me to ask,was there a common system or language ?It

For many years I've applied chalk markings on freight car models in what I believe is the quickest, easiest, and most realistic fashion by using a very sharp white Prismacolor artist's pencil, readily

no info. no info. Bettendorf underframe, wood supertructure. Double sheathed. ditto. ditto. I'll have to do some digging to come up with those last 3 cars. Regards, -Jeff -- Jeff Aley

I use ordinary artist's pencils for chalk marks. You can get white, or I prefer "French Grey" which looks like faded chalk. Just sharpen them. The pencils are pigment-based so they will stick and not

Larry, That guy would get along great with a hold track Clerk that worked for the St Paul at Bensenville. They would send various odd cars to the IHB with just a piece of paper that said what road