Like many of you I too have received one of the excellent Rapido X31a box cars. The only modification needed is to change the reweigh date to a period within 48 months prior to the end of 1950-54

But, remember, they were The Standard Railroad of the World, so that must have been the right way to do it. Jim van Gaasbeek Irvine, CA

cmon' guys, you've all been had, LOOK at the load?, LOOK familiar? photo shop? bite thy tongue, someone is pulling a chain ☺ mel perry

Thanks, Todd. I spent years before getting that car right. Your car looks great! Love the rfoof and side weathering. Looks the way I remember them (awful). I grit-blasted the decals, before

I'm with Brian. The MCB/ARA standard for all "outside framed" cars was square-edge tongue-and-groove, 1-1/4" to 1-3/4" thick. Gaps between the board edges? Sure. Gaps that a determined cat could

I found some Model Master clear flat acrylic (4636) through Amazon but it looks like the price has increased.

My pleasure. From what I was told, they unloaded by opening a door and shoveling out what didn’t fall out. Real high tech! Elden Gatwood

Those cracks are as authentic as the load. The photo was touched-up. Brian Leppert Carson City, NV

And the extra weight from wheels depositing gunk on the underframes added plenty of weight. Gary Laakso Northwest of Mike Brock

It means EASY, Slow, Almost going to make a JOINT, given just before a stop. Dave SilverStreak Bayless Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE device

Railroad hand signals are not consistent across all railroads or regions. GCOR, one of the common nationwide rule books only lists three: arm moved vertically (go away from me), arm moved in a circle

Or, I sure hope I don't fall off this icy roof! (balance, balance, balance) Todd Sullivan

Wood shrinks as it dries out. This is why wood-sheathed cars were weighed more frequently than all steel cars. Gon also were beat up in service. Eric Hansmann Murfreesboro, TN

While searching hobby shop web sites looking for Model Master Flat Clear, I read a note on one site that Rustoleum intends to divest itself of all hobby paints, and MM is just the latest casualty,

Hi Eric, Thanks for your note and the links to your blogs with examples of your techniques. I will experiment with your techniques on that PRR X31, once I finish painting it (the roof and one side

They grow ‘em big in Kansas! Interesting about the car side boards. Perhaps non-seasoned lumber still with a high moisture content was used. Cheers, Bill Keene Irvine, CA

Is it uncommon to be able to see daylight between adjacent boards of wood sided gondolas as shown in the photo below? I've only seen it once before. Was unfinished lumber used for these gondola sides

I caught a fish this big!

Todd, I tint my post-decal flat coat with the car color to reduce the lettering whiteness. I add a couple drop of the car color in the paint cup with Model Master clear flat acryl. Stir well and

Claus, When I worked for a railroad back in the 70's, riding on the top of cars was not done, of course. However, some of the older fellows used a signal similar to the one shown; but it has to be