David, I agree - and disagree with your statement about "a decade later". The part I disagree with is the idea that in '56 there would only be a few of the older cars "hanging on". It is certainly tru

Bill, My best guess is that the car has recently sat somewhere that a roof was dumping filth (run off) on the center of the car but not the ends. I am not 100% certain but it looks to me like the dirt

... BTW - it isn't important (to me) that a lift bar actually lifts ... as long as it LOOKS like it will lift I'm happy. - Jim B.

Schuyler, "Casual" ... Really? How about "ROUGH"? *VBG* My approach is to "live with the realities" ... in other words - you either have to have equipment that lives in a display case or you have to a

Proto is as proto does Most people - when they talk about "Proto" actually use "semi-scale" ... ... if you run your equipment on a 'less than perfect' layout (track) -or- the track is 'commercial trac

These kits were purchased, directly from Martin, at several WinteRails and have never even been unpacked - simply opened for a quick inspection (at most).

Hi, I have no less than 10 UNbuilt Sunshine kits. "NIB" that I am realistically never going to get around to building. I am willing to trade them ... 2 for 1 ... for built ready to use Sunshine freigh

Scott, Thanks for the answer. I have never seen that before and so I suspected it was a practice/method that was discontinued due to better methods being developed. You have to admit it is truly weird

As long as we are looking at this particular image ... What's going on with the track on the right (where the dwarfs are) ??? Sure -looks- strange to me. - Jim B.

Hi, A couple of the pics of the poultry cars showed the roofs. I knew to expect the special hatches on top of the cars. What I did not expect was to see brake wheels that were mounted "wrong way round

Tom, I'm not sure I understand. Was this car being used to transport cylinders ... or whatever was -in- the cylinders? I suspect this car was not in service for very many years - that it would have be

Lester, Thanks for that tip (using a machined square metal block for alignment). Now all I have to solve is how to get the size of the bulkhead precisely what it needs to be. Perhaps cutting it just a

Lester, Great work you are doing there. I have tried similar methods when working in styrene and have found that the measurements (and the cutting after) are usually very critical. Let me explain. Let

Bruce and all, Thanks for identifying the location - I had attempted to find it and was looking too far down river. - Jim B.

Hi, Is there any one on this group who "knows Philly in the 30's/40's"? I counted about 40 tracks - just in this photo - and each of them holding at least 35 cars ... and that's just the part we can s

Hi, To add to what Bruce is saying - cement service is rarely 'long distance'. Any routing longer than 100 to 200 miles would pass several closer plants/users. Cement is relatively heavy stuff. Most c

Hi, I think the problems people are having are related as much to "process" as they are to "products". I will provide my methods for doing decals - this process has never failed me. Caveat up front -

BTW - consider the difference between my example stock car ... and doing a stock pen with animals and ramps and "organic material" - in terms of how "noticeable" it is. Pretty much the same amount of

Eric, There are many times when the work we do is not noticed/rarely noticed and even more times when it might be noticed ... but we receive very little feedback. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do

Steve and all, I've actually used a steam hose to clean - a salmon cannery in my case. This method did not significantly heat the surfaces being cleaned for any longer than the steam was directed at a