I don’t know how correct it is, but Red Caboose produced a Mather wood meat reefer with Hygrade on it about 20 years ago. I have one HFPX 2793. I believe Hygrade was formed in 1951. I look forward

Are you kidding! I have to fill two shallow 2 in. wide troughs on either side of the splice plate for a total linear length of 96 in. Nelson Moyer

Here’s a recent blog post covering the end posts and other alterations. http://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/2021/04/16/coal-hopper-details/ Eric Hansmann Murfreesboro, TN

Hi List Members, Thanks everyone for the very useful replies. I went with Fenton Wells' suggestion and made a trip out to Walmart - bought some BONDO GLAZING & SPOT PUTTY. It cost all of $3.54

You could throw a bunch of scrap styrene into a jar of solvent cement and create a styrene putty. It takes a while to harden, but once hard, sands just like the sheet styrene. I’ve used it in all

Hi Eric and List Members, As soon as you said this, I immediately looked at all the differences between the Bowser GLa and this C&O hopper. Yet after taking a minute to consider your words, I can

This photo’s appeared before and generally had been presumed to be a promotional shot. Schuyler

I used Tamiya putty on the butt joint crack, and it sanded smooth without any evidence of opening up after four years of expansion and contraction. Ambient temp in the basement ranges from 60° in

An interesting story I heard from a railroader was regarding the “brake smoke” that was generated when descending a long grade. I assumed this was some mix of ballast dust and brake shoe dust. The

Ideal for modeling! Side and B end in the same photo! Schuyler

I'm not sure JB Weld is what Nelson wants to use on a vertical joint on the backdrop, in my experience it tends to run or slump. I would go with one of the two part polyester auto body fillers; Bondo

Two more 1905CD hoppers. Differences include the trucks, and arrangement and number of grab irons on the right side. David Thompson

This is among the earliest examples of the 1905 Common Design hopper, built in probably June 1906. David Thompson

This is Virginian class H-4 in its original configuration of three pairs of clamshell doors with a side skirt. These cars were later rebuilt as conventional twin hoppers. David Thompson

It is now simply known as "Joy", a part of the Komatsu America line of mining equipment. Joy absorbed P&H Mining Equipment via the P&H bankruptcy sometime in the 2013 - 2015 era, and became "Joy

Hi guys, On Terry Link's canadasouthern site is a consist with two HFPX reefers numbered 1614 and 1618. Does anyone have more information about this series? I would like to model a Hygrade's reefer

I've had good luck using JB Weld steel filled epoxy. I imagine it's pretty similar to bondo (which I haven't messed with since I was a teenager working on cars). Jeff White Alma

I stopped using Squadron Green long ago as in my opinion worked ok only if a new opened tube. I use MEK Goop made up with scrap styrene plastic and MEK as already described. If used a very fine

Automobile spot putty from an auto supply store. I have been using it for years. I use it on plastic, metal and wood.

And isn’t this just to the left? Schuyler