John Huey wrote:
"Athearns stand by single dome and tripple [sic] dome cars are decent
and inexspensive [sic] alternatives as always."

Inexpensive, yes. Decent - that's debatable. The single dome tank
car can be salvaged as a Southern Pacific 12,500 gallon prototype tank
car with a new dome. See Richard Hendrickson's article "Modeling
Fifties Era Tank Cars, Part 1" in the August 1996 issue of Railmodel
Journal for details on this kitbash.

There is no known prototype for the Athearn three-dome tank car.


Ben Hom

--- In STMFC@..., "Ray Meyer" <rgmeyer2@...> wrote:

Does anyone know the weights of each component? Unless the weight

is such

that it would unbalance the car (unlikely), it still seems to me that
putting all the components together in one spot makes more sense. It
wouldn't be hard at all to design a system where each element could be
individually changed out, even in configuration for things like hopper
cars. Never heard of it, but wouldn't the pipes be subject to

damage from

stones, dragging equipment, things on the ties, etc? [All just fun
speculation.]

Ray,

Well hop in your time machine and go back to tell it to the guys at
Westinghouse Air Brake. Lessee, June of 1930 shouldn't be too far
along in the development curve. Or, drop by New York Air Brake and
tell them to make something innovative, rather than just copying the
WABCO stuff :-)

Seriously, all the things that make sense to us are pure speculation.
The only thing that is known to be fact is that neither firm built a
combined unit. No, I don't have a reference for the weights of the
components handy, but consider this; not only did the low hanging
position of the triple valve on KC equipment make it more vulnerable
to impact damage than the piping would ever be; the location made it
hard to change without getting dirt in the system, unless done over a
pit, a facility which few RIP tracks had. The ease with which the
valve portions of an AB control valve could be changed, and the fact
that they could be located right at the edge of the car may have been
the selling point that trumped all others suggested during the design
phase.

Dennis

Al Westerfield wrote

Aside from us and F&C I saw no new introductions of freight cars,
although I didn't look all that hard.

Al

Several excellent new freight car models for 1960's to present era
modelers. Remember, time marches on! The 1950's are to our children
what 1890-1900 was to us... :-)

Tim O'Connor

There were quite a number of prototype modelers at the show. We sold better than we had in the last 3 or 4 years. F&C reported the same.

In general the number of vendors was down quite a bit, cost probably being the main factor.

Aside from us and F&C I saw no new introductions of freight cars, although I didn't look all that hard.

The clinics I gave (non-freight car) were attended by knowlegable modelers who asked perceptive questions. From the titles of the other clinics it appeared that the level of interest in the prototype was on a par with those given at RPMs. The model contest, although sparce, had excellent models. Best in show was a very nice major coal dock facility.

- Al Westerfield

--- In STMFC@..., Bruce Nordstrand <brucen@...> wrote:

Hi all
hoppers I am OK with, the rest is confusing - especially
tank cars. For example, what exactly is a type 21 riveted
tank car and when would it have been used? Can anyone
point me to any resources...

Howdy and welcome Bruce,

As far as nice riveted tanks go for your period, the Intermountain
car pictured in this link is a nice choice:
http://www.imrcmodels.com/ho/hotankcars.htm

Another interesting car, although welded, was in use after 1949 is:
http://www.red-caboose.com/cgi-bin/e_catalog/catalog.cgi?
&page=new_product_pages/ho_tank.html&shop=redcaboose&language=eng&cur
r=0&session=46b09d364ea83185&cart_id=20787589x20136

Athearns stand by single dome and tripple dome cars are decent and
inexspensive alternatives as always.

Hope this helps,

John Huey
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arizona_southern_rr
A group for freelance RR modelers to talk to like minded folks...

NMRA? What's the NMRA?

Richard Hendrickson

Don't do that. You make me think I spelled it wrong!
Clark Warren Propst

Does anyone know the weights of each component? Unless the weight is such
that it would unbalance the car (unlikely), it still seems to me that
putting all the components together in one spot makes more sense. It
wouldn't be hard at all to design a system where each element could be
individually changed out, even in configuration for things like hopper
cars. Never heard of it, but wouldn't the pipes be subject to damage from
stones, dragging equipment, things on the ties, etc? [All just fun
speculation.]

--
Atty Raymond G. Meyer
110 E. Main St
Port Washington, WI 53074
262-284-5566
rgmeyer2@...

"cripete" <pjboylanboylan@...> wrote:

These two discussions reminded me that both car
knockers and brakeman had access to MARKAL or
TEMPSTIX brands of thermal signal crayons...
Namely, that they could have been used to mark up
switching directions on car surfaces...
Good-Luck, Peter Boylan

In my opinion and experience, unless unavailable, chalk was used for
switching directions (car cleaning, and the like...), as it would wash
off over time, unlike Tempilstix or crayons.

Rome Romano

Hi folks,

"Weathering Freight Cars, Volume 1" is now ready for immediate deliver. Anyone who pre-
ordered a copy will receive it in a few days. As is the policy with all in-stock DVD's, all orders
received before 3:00 p.m. will ship out the same day.

"Weathering Freight Cars, Volume 2" will begin shipping on August 21st.

The August "Scotty Mason Show" podcast is available online through the I-Tunes Store or
through my website. This month's guests include Dave Revelia and Brett Gallant.

Scott Mason
www.scottymason.com

Hi all

New to the list and wondering if I have come to the right place. I am also hoping you can help out this less then knowledgeable person.

I returned to model railroading in 2004 after a very long break. A friend of mine turned me to coal railroading in the Appalacahian mountains and I have been hooked every since. I am just now getting around to actually constructing a railroad and am in the need for information on the correct style of freight cars for my chosen era. The railroad I am basing my RR on is the Interstate, freelanced but with close ties. I am setting the timeframe to between 1945 and 1954, hoping to cover the transition to early diesels. I will be interchanging with the L&N specifically and a couple of other coal roads.

On my searches for rolling stock I have been confused with the various styles of freight cars. I plan to have boxcars, 2 bay ribbed side hoppers, tank cars, flat cars, gondola's, L&N coke cars (if I ever find plans for them) and covered hoppers plus a few disconnects for my sawmill. Motive power is in the form of 4 Bachmann 2-8-0's, 1 Proto 2000 0-8-0 switcher, 1x GP7 yet to be decorated in L&N colors and a few Matua kit locos. The hoppers I am OK with, the rest is confusing - especially tank cars. For example, what exactly is a type 21 riveted tank car and when would it have been used?

Can anyone point me to any resources that would allow me to correctly choose the styles of cars I should be looking at. At this point in time I am not too worried about being 100% prototypically correct, I am more concerned in building up from fleet to be at least believable.

So there we have it. Thanks for listening and reading this far. I am an Australian modelling a US railroad in an era almost 20 years before he was born. I hope you can help.

Cheers
Bruce Nordstrand
Sydney, Australia

Peter Boylan wrote:

These two discussions reminded me that both car knockers and brakeman had access to MARKAL or TEMPSTIX brands of thermal signal crayons . . .

Would this be Tempilstix?

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

Bob Chaparro wrote:

I know that most freight cars were reweighed from time to time and the date of the procedure was stenciled on the cars.
Was the same true for tanks cars?

This has been discussed a couple of times on the list, Bob, and you can find it all in the archives. Briefly, the answer is no: you don't need the tare weight of the car when the cargo is measured in gallons.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

These two discussions reminded me that both car
knockers and brakeman had access to MARKAL or
TEMPSTIX brands of thermal signal crayons (possibly
other brands on different carriers, but those were
only kind I ever came across). In train service they
had only single range crayons that melted when
excessive heat (as from a hot box) was present in
the car journals.
In heat treating plants and other industrial venues,
markers with various melt temps were needed and
used... but that is beside this point.
Namely, that they could have been used to mark up
switching directions on car surfaces. However, I
have never seen them used except to indicate that
the bum wheels were here (as at this car end and
truck set), on a bad order.
However, they would have been crayons that were at
hand, and would have been easily used on a warm car side.
Good-Luck, Peter Boylan

I know that most freight cars were reweighed from time to time and the
date of the procedure was stenciled on the cars.

Was the same true for tanks cars?

Bob Chaparro
Hemet, CA

--- In STMFC@..., "rockroll50401" <cepropst@...> wrote:

I'm surprised there isn't at least one report from last weekends NMRA
show. No closet vesties?
Clark W Propst

I don't think there are any trainsvestites in this group.
Jared Harper
Athens, GA

--- In STMFC@..., "Eric Hansmann" <eric@...> wrote:

Can it be safely assumed that an older four-wheeled caboose would be

equipped with the smaller

K brake cylinder?

Eric Hansmann
Morgantown, W. Va.

I would think so. Keep in mind that the braking force can also be
adjusted by proper placement of the clevis pin holes in the brake
levers, so if there was some compelling reason to use the big
cylinders, they could be made to work. But, based on my research on
Soo Line cabooses, there is ample evidence of full size eight wheel
cabeese with cylinders that match the Grandt Line "narrow gauge" set.
Anyway, it's a nice set, with all sorts of useful bits and pieces for
the wood car modeler.

Dennis

Ed Dabler writes about the NMRA:

"I think that's an organization for Bozo's who wear vesties."

Note that I just wrote:

"I would remind the members that long ago discussions about the NMRA were
deemed out of scope on the STMFC UNLESS such discussions are closely
associated with a frt car."

Amazing. Clang!! The sound of a jail door closing. Hmmm. I guess I'll have to order up some more bread. I won't tell you where we get the bread from but we do try to keep our jail costs down.

Mike Brock
STMFC Owner

If I remember correctly, the NMRA and the National Train Show are two different entities...even though there is an obvious association since the train show is scheduled for the weekend following the NMRA National Convention.

I would remind the members that long ago discussions about the NMRA were deemed out of scope on the STMFC UNLESS such discussions are closely associated with a frt car.

Information about items within the scope of the STMFC that were discussed or shown during the NMRA National Convention or the National Train Show are permitted for discussion on the STMFC including references to discussions or photos taken during the train show. Thanks.

Sigh.

Mike Brock
STMFC Owner

Dennis Storzek wrote:

In addition, K equipment was available with different size brake cylinders, depending on the
weight of the car it was going to be applied to. Use the Grandt Line NG K brake set for your
caboose; it models the 8" X 12" cylinder typically found on NG equipment, and comes with extra
heads so it can be used to model KD equipment. Every other K brake set available models the 10"
X 12" cylinder commonly used on standard gauge freightcars.

To tie this back into the topic of this list, some standard gauge cabooses were light enough to
use 8" cylinders, so the Grandt Line set is perfect for them, also. The wood cabooses on the
Soo Line all had 8" KC equipment, and when the cars were later equipped with AB brakes, they
kept the original 8" cylinders with a flat plate steel head installed in place of the
reservoir.

=======================================



Can it be safely assumed that an older four-wheeled caboose would be equipped with the smaller
K brake cylinder?

Eric Hansmann
Morgantown, W. Va.

--- Charlie Vlk wrote:

I was there but really didn't pay attention to the HO side of

things....

did notice that Bachmann is reissuing their RTR freight cars with

more accurate-looking paint schemes...

they are going to have a Peter Witt streetcar with real operating

trolley pole with DCC...not a trainset item

(suitable for a steam era flatcar load at least!!). They also

showed C&O, NKP and PM Berkshires with

road-specific details and tenders to pull freight cars (and a Polar

Express trainset)....

In N Fox Valley Models showed out-of-era modern boxcars. All the

HO items that did catch my eye don't fall within the STMFC.

=================================


More can be found here:
http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r132/tonycook1966/NMRA%20Show%
20Detroit%20Jul%2007/

You may need to copy and paste the last part of the address into the
browser. Or try this smaller link:

http://tinyurl.com/ywb4z4

Bachmann also showed HO scale RF-16 Sharknose diesels.

Eric Hansmann
Morgantown, W. Va.