--- In STMFC@..., RUTLANDRS@... wrote:

To my knowledge, Clint Hyde is doing/redoing the list for the NMRA. Clint
says that it will be bigger than Kalmbach's. Probably because he'll be
doing more than just their pubs. That address is www.rrmagindex.org.
Chuck Hladik

Here is a link to the page that explains that project:

http://www.olimpia.com:8084/magazine-index.html

It sounds like they are creating a wiki that everyone is supposed to contribute to. A worthy cause... we'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, the data that Kalmbach is using for their reincarnated index seems to be the same data that was discussed going to the NMRA... it seems that they deal never came to fruition. To my jaundiced eye it appears that when the corporate bean counters saw how much complaining was going on, they reconsidered how much it was really worth... and how much they were willing to put into it to be able to continue to offer it. More importantly, it appears that someone finally figured out a way to make it a profit center, by making it the portal to ordering back issues and/or copies, for a fee, of course. Don't get me wrong, this is perfectly fine with me... Kalmbach paid good money for the original search engine, compiled data, and front end. As many people have pointed out since the initial announcement that the index was being taken down, there is no body of compiled data that cannot be transferred to a new format with the help of a bit of custom software, it just depends on seeing the financial justification to invest in having the software created. It seems that Kalmbach has belatedly seen this justification, in no small part, I'm sure, due to the volume of complaints from their subscribes.

I wish them well... it was a valuable service that made many people's magazine collections more valuable, and if they find a way to link it to a service by which the needed articles can be easily obtained, so much the better.

Dennis Storzek

Can someone advise me on the contact info for Dick Kuelbs, who I
believe lives in Texas?

Thank you!

Bill Welch
2225 Nursery Road; #20-104
Clearwater, FL 33764-7622
727.470.9930
fgexbill@...

Ben Hom wrote: ". . . the magazine index hosted by Kalmbach DID include a wide spectrum
of non-Kalmbach publications."

And so will the new one, all the magazines included in the previous index. And, as explained in the announcement, other publishers will be offered the option to update their publications in the new index.

So long,

Andy

Andy Sperandeo
Executive Editor
Model Railroader magazine
asperandeo@...
262-796-8776, ext. 461
FAX 262-796-1142

Chuck Hladik wrote:
"To my knowledge, Clint Hyde is doing/redoing the list for the NMRA. Clint
says that it will be bigger than Kalmbach's. Probably because he'll be
doing more than just their pubs. That address is www.rrmagindex.org."

...except that the magazine index hosted by Kalmbach DID include a wide spectrum
of non-Kalmbach publications.  What are you basing this assertion on, Chuck?


Ben Hom

I've recently read that I've been given credit for saying "The more you know, the less you can model."

Here's the rest of the story...
A couple years ago a friend asked me to join in a 'round robin' ops group. I was later invited to have coffee with some of them at a local McDs on Saturday morning. Shorty after that an article on M&StL 'green' box cars was published by Craftsman. The next Saturday morning one of the guys said "I read your article. Now I suppose I have to throw all my M&StL box cars away?" I answered "Yep!" Another guy named Bob said "The more you know, the less you can model."

Clark Propst
Mason City Iowa

--- In STMFC@..., Bill Welch <fgexbill@...> wrote:

I am trying to locate photos of Western Fruit's overhead bunker cars
built circa 1950, their WOBX 501-550. Does anyone have a photo of one
of these or know a source?

Bill,

The Refrigerator Car Color Guide (Gene Green) has a photo of WOBX 530 (according to the caption the photo was taken in October 1968).

Regards,

Charles Hostetler
Goshen, IN

Pierre.
 I have a jig that you can borrow. I need your address.
  Dennis Williams
www.resinbuilders4u.com

Hi Jon,

Kalmbach Publishing is doing this independently of the NMRA, hence no reference to that organization. People in Kalmbach's Information Systems department devised an efficient way to transfer the data to a modern database, at the same time adding the enhancements described in the announcement.

So long,

Andy

Andy Sperandeo
Executive Editor
Model Railroader magazine
asperandeo@...
262-796-8776, ext. 461
FAX 262-796-1142

I have both the Sunshine Miini-kit for the GM&O 1940 ACF boxcars and the Speedwitch GM&O Autocar kit, that will be worked on shortly.
The Auto car kit shows a slightly different style of brake rigging, than the norm.
The question is, would the same slightly different rigging be applied to the 1940 ACF car?
While we're at it, the Speedwitch kit is missing the jig for the unique ladders and I'm wondering if someone would be willing to mail me their's until I can get this car done?
Thanks,
Pierre Oliver

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

AT;

Thanks for the information! I am looking forward to seeing that book! I

have three G22 and one G21 (!) kits needing building - also need to obtain
G21 plans from PRRH&TS, since I have never been able to locate a photo of the
car.

Me neither! Our records show it was not pursued, but the one actual car
survived until just prior to May 1953.

As for the NYC cars, the 6-container car model has a wood floor, as did the

prototype. However, I am not sure that the prototype 5-container cars had a
mesh floor - they did have steel floors, however. I just do not know what
the floor pattern looked like - do the steel sheets go all the way across, or
do they end at a plate over the centersill?? This car was done by Bob Parri.
I want to make it correct before installing couplers and painting it.

The PRR car may be a clue. The mesh covers the entire floor, but for bolster
area, center sill, and over the brake equipment. I am sure one would not
want cement all over the functional parts of the brake system...

Elden Gatwood


----- Original Message -----
From: "Gatwood, Elden J SAD " <Elden.J.Gatwood@...>
To: <STMFC@...>
Cc: "proto48er" <atkott@...>
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 8:32 AM
Subject: RE: [STMFC] Re: Gondolas with cement containers (UNCLASSIFIED)


Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

Some of the NYC gons were indeed converted to wire mesh flooring, and some
of
the USRA clones were included. Not all cars in that service had them, as
was also true of the PRR cars in the same service. We will have an interior
photo of a PRR car with mesh flooring in the upcoming PRR gondola book.

Elden Gatwood

-----Original Message-----
From: STMFC@... [mailto:STMFC@...] On Behalf Of
Larry
Sexton
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 11:24 PM
To: STMFC@...
Cc: 'proto48er'
Subject: RE: [STMFC] Re: Gondolas with cement containers



A.T.

Some of the 46' NYC gondolas we have been discussing were converted to carry
lime and cement rectangular containers and I believe there was a reference
to
wire mesh as part of the gondola floors. Its late now in Florida, but in the
morning I'll locate and send out the references to those cars.
Unfortunately, I have no photos showing the inside of any of these other
gondolas.

Larry Sexton

From: STMFC@... <mailto:STMFC%40yahoogroups.com>
[mailto:STMFC@... <mailto:STMFC%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf
Of
proto48er
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 8:25 PM
To: STMFC@... <mailto:STMFC%40yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [STMFC] Re: Gondolas with cement containers

Ron & Larry -

I surely would like to see a photo of one of those NYC 1946 conversion
(5-container) gondolas floors! The floors were steel instead of wood. Steel
plate or steel mesh??

The only decent 5-container gon photo I have seen with good side detail
shows
a sea of rivets on the side, indicating that it was converted from one of
the
earlier 12-rectangular brick container cars! Not all of the 1946 conversions
were ex-brick container cars, however. These brick container cars had shoes
riveted inside the sides to hold the containers in place, but they had wood
floors originally. The conversion to air activated container service
involved
cutting the shoes horizontally and installing a pair of horizontal
strengthening angles inside the car level with the top of the holes in the
sides.

A.T. Kott

--- In STMFC@... <mailto:STMFC%40yahoogroups.com>
<mailto:STMFC%40yahoogroups.com> , ronald parisi <ronald.parisi@...> wrote:

Dear Larry:

My NYC equipment diagrams show that the NYC container gons were
converted from 2 lots of existing 46' (inside dimension gons).
The first lot (#337) of gons were built in 1919 . The second lot
(#557) I can find no build date for, but notes indicate that 99 cars
were converted in march of 1946 for handling air activated containers.
I too will try and scan and send the diagrams.

Would whom ever had the photos of the LCL container Gon interior
consider sharing or selling copies of them?

Ron Parisi


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO



Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: FOUO

I am trying to locate photos of Western Fruit's overhead bunker cars
built circa 1950, their WOBX 501-550. Does anyone have a photo of one
of these or know a source?

Bill Welch
2225 Nursery Road; #20-104
Clearwater, FL 33764-7622
727.470.9930
fgexbill@...

Ben,
You've probably seen Dennis' reply. I am going by what Clint told me
at a meeting 2 weeks ago.
Chuck Hladik

The dimensions stencilled on NYS&W 503, including cubic footage, match those in the 1/53 ORER for LV boxcars 5000-5699 -- which are listed in the 1/43 ORER as auto cars with a 10' door opening. Anyone know more about this series?

(Fun detective exercise! Thanks to Mr Sankus for suggesting it.)

Al Brown, Melbourne, Fla.

Tupaczewski, "NYS&W In Color", p 120, shows NYS&W 503 and 525, and says the series was purchased from the LV in 1964. 525 has NYS&W reporting marks over old Cornell Red paint with the black diamond showing through; 503 is in green with the Susie-Q herald, and shows a built date of 4/26. So it would seem these became Susquehanna cars four years after the end of the universe, but as LV cars they're STMFCs ... hence the heading change above. I still dunno which LV series, though.

(Unfortunately, the angles of both pictures are too low to tell what the roof is.)

Al Brown, Melbourne, Fla.

To my knowledge, Clint Hyde is doing/redoing the list for the NMRA. Clint
says that it will be bigger than Kalmbach's. Probably because he'll be
doing more than just their pubs. That address is www.rrmagindex.org.
Chuck Hladik

As Tony Thompson and Tim O'Connor have pointed out, photographs show that PGE cars did get to Southern California in the late 1950s. These would likely have been rare to very rare sightings, however. From at least October 1939 until sometime between July 1959 and April 1961, the "Official Railway Equipment Register" carried the following statement on the PGE page: "Freight Cars owned are used only in Switching Service with direct connections." (I have a gap in my PGE pages from the ORERs between Apr 1930 and Oct. 1939 and the statement started appearing some time in that period).

Prior to October 1952, the only "direct connection" shown for the PGE was with the CPR at Vancouver, BC (via PGE-operated barge service). With the extension of the PGE to Prince George, a direct connection with CNR was established at that city. All other connections (British Columbia Electric, Great Northern, Vancouver & Lulu Island) were via the CPR at Vancouver. When the PGE was extended South to North Vancouver in 1956, a second connection to CNR was established at that point and the CPR connection was moved to North Vancouver from Vancouver itself (CPR had trackage rights over the CNR across the Second Narrows Bridge, IIRC). There was a sign at the West end of the interchange track that read "CPR and CNR engines must not proceed beyond this point".

When the PGE ceased operating its own barge service between Squamish and Vancouver in February 1957, connections were established at Squamish with the Milwaukee Road (by barge via Foss Launch & Tug Co.) and the Union Pacific (by barge via Island Tug & Barge Ltd.). At this time, the ORERs still carried the note about "Switching Service with direct connections" and the MILW and UP connections were not direct - they relied on another (marine) common carrier. A direct connection with Northern Alberta was established when the PGE reached Dawson Creek, BC in 1958. By the time the "Switching Service with direct connections" restriction was removed from the ORER entries, we are very close to the end of the era covered by this list.

Hope this sheds some light on the PGE interchange question.

Greg Kennelly
Burnaby, BC

On 11/29/2010 8:33 PM, lnnrr wrote:

The Kalmbach website announces the return of the index.
http://trc.trains.com/modeltrainindex
Coming January 2011
Chuck Peck

OK, I'm confused (easy to do). I thought the NMRA took this over
and was going to do the rework and posting, not Kalmbach. What
happened??? There doesn't seem to be any mention of the NMRA at all on
the Kalmbach announcement.

--
Jon Miller
For me time stopped in 1941
Digitrax--Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User
NMRA Life member #2623
Member SFRH&MS

The Kalmbach website announces the return of the index.
http://trc.trains.com/modeltrainindex
Coming January 2011
Chuck Peck

Is Dan Biernacki a member of this list, or might someone here be able to help me get in contact with him? I would like to seek permission to publish three of the builders photographs of Erie 40ft boxcars 93700 and 95000 from his collection (images posted online at Elwood's Fallen Flags) in an article I am writing with Matt Herson on Northern Pacific leased boxcars, for the NP Ry Historical Association's journal, Mainstreeter.

Off list please contact me by email at leakinmywaders[at]yahoo[dot]com. Thanks for any assistance.

Chris Frissell
Polson, MT

I just wanted to send a message to alert everyone that Focus on Freight
Cars, Volume Two is finally a reality. I will begin shipping these books
next week. This volume covers double sheathed box and automobile cars and
the information was again expertly written by our own Richard Hendrickson.
There is an offer to purchase the book at a discount by December 15th.

As the state of Speedwitch has also been grist for the mill and fodder for
the bars at prototype meets, I have written a brief update on Speedwitch.
Both information about the book (as well as how to order it) and the update
on Speedwitch can be accessed at www.speedwitch.com.

I hope to see many of you at Cocoa Beach in a little over a month. Until
then, happy holidays.

Cheers,
Ted Culotta