Clark, The photo of the RI flat is amazing. At first I thought it was the prototype. Excellent photography & modelling. Brian Rochon Silver Spring, MD

My grandpa said his father, a Terminal fireman, would take the TRRA shuttle from St Louis Union Station to the yards on the East side. He must have had a long commute because they lived in Carondelet.

Not sure if these help any Steve, but what strikes me is how clean the rolling stock is. I'm a NG guy but love the dual gauge operations. One feature that many don't model when weathering is the

Finished the DL&W car and two more on Saturday. The WofA, box car and a RI flat. Here's the finished flat too. I've put both box cars on eBay as I have enough for my layout. I'll operate with these

Matthew I don’t own the original images sorry. They were part of a group of slides that were shown at the TRRA convention. I just cropped the roof areas for this group to review. -- Charlie

Mr Duckworth, Would you happen to have the full image for 5th image in your list? I’m a Pennsylvania Railroad modeler and I love the boxcars in the foreground and I would love to see the T1 in the

Dear Charlie, these are truly wonderful photos - lots of thanks for sharing them! Johannes Modeling the early post-war years up to about 1954 Gesendet: Samstag, 21. August 2021 um 15:09 Uhr Von:

Doug, The model is based on one design of GA reefer, which was first installed in 1937. The CRLX 5501-6250 series, which is one scheme that the Rapido reefer represents, is in actuality a completely

I do not look at contemporary freight cars to weather my steam freight car models. Oily journals vs roller bearings create different weathering. Steam locos vs. modern diesels make a difference.

Jim, I think you misinterpreted the brake pipes penetrating the center sill. They aren’t connected to the brake levers. For fishbelly center sills, it’s common to terminate the pipes from the air

Lester, If I'm not mistaken you've made errors in the under body details. Look at the piping/rods running to the left most pivot bar (correct name?). I don't think there would be a rod/pipe

8 inch minimum, 15 inch maximum from both edges of the roof (Safety Appliances section of the 1931 CBC.). -- Dave Parker Swall Meadows, CA

Just an observation on the positioning bend of the hand rails on the lateral running boards in the pictures. Most appear to be at least one full board in from the edge of the car roof. Was there an

I don’t think railroads washed freight cars. I believe that is a hobby myth. Private owners like FGE, PFE, SFRD, HJH, and others may have washed their cars. Eric Hansmann Murfreesboro, TN

These photos of car roofs remind us of the prevalence of soot from coal burning in the steam and transition eras. Rain apparently didn't wash much off. Reduced maintenance in the depression era and

It is definitey not identical; it uses a different underframe, the door sits higher off the side sill and it has a five rung ladder. (I’m sure there may be other differences). I have seen a 1938

What makes you say the Rapido model is incorrectly lettered? The model is an excellent rendition of a General American meat reefer. And you say that Cudahy leased GA reefers, which is true. Just about

The prototype refrigerator car belongs to the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company, a private refrigerator car line established by Anheuser-Busch in 1878. In 1919 the firm was acquired by Manufacturers

Well said, Nelson. My perspective and practice entirely. Tony Thompson tony@...

Yes, the underframes get pretty grungy and have a dirty muddy appearance. However, most of the roads in granger country painted the underframes and sometimes used black car cement. For those that