Al, I am trying to confirm my understanding of the technique. May I restate what I think I have read? Building up from the car side would be the .010 x .030 base with the .020 x .020 to the free air s

I have uncovered a source for commodity statistics for steam era freight car loadings on the Santa Fe in California and written a short blog post here: http://northbaylines.blogspot.com/2014/06/freigh

I doubt shipments to the local Borden's Dairy were by rail pre-1964, but I do recall that we got reconstituted OJ as well as milk delivered in their ubiquitous Elsie adorned refrigerated box trucks in

Can any of you NYC guys help me with some modeling info for the NYC 710648? I have it built in lot 702-G series 710000-710999 in 1941 and the builder's photo of the class unit from the CanadaSouthern

Featured in a previous post with SP gons in ATSF sand service, I've documented the history and evolution of the Richmond CA Sand House through three incarnations during the steam era. It is a summatio

Eric, Thanks for the TP link. Lots of good photos there, although none of rail cars. At least the bow ramps had a steel plate. . . John Barry ATSF North Bay Lines Golden Gates & Fast Freights 707-490-

Thanks Seth, Interesting how different roads did things differently, lots vs class, Dashes in classes, or not. So much to learn about so many things. That sounds like a reasonably straight forward kit

Not prototypical! Dimensional data is all wrong. EXW is at least 36 if not 42 ;-) John Barry ATSF North Bay Lines Golden Gates & Fast Freights 707-490-9696 3450 Palmer Drive, Suite 4224 Cameron Park,

I attended my first prototype modeler event yesterday in Richmond. Much good information on SP, State Belt and ExactRail. Fantastic models, prototypes for many of which operated over Cajon. More of mo

Eric, An epic effort. It does fill that chasm in production history. It also stimulates a few questions. Was there any information on how the export ore cars to Chile were shipped during the 40's? Dit

The article was on standard XMs rather than door and a half XAs, but Ted Culotta's Essential Freight Cars #3 in the June 2003 RMC covered Milwaukee's SS Box Cars. Summarizing (I'm a Santa Fe guy and o

Santa Fe instructions for LCL called for use of MTY reefers on many routes. They are available at http://www.atsfrr.org/resources/KJordan/LCL1946.pdf This allowed backhauls with loads of otherwise emp

Gene, Thank you for providing a reference to document what I have observed over the last 50 years. Photos of WWII equipment so marked abound with stuff moving to Europe and never listed in the domesti

With thanks to Jim Dick, I have consolidated his history JPGs into a PDF file and posted it to the same folder for the convenience of the members who would like this great info in a single document. W

If one rocket scientist may excuse an out of era excursion by another, in 1978 I participated in a multi-service shipment by rail of Soviet T-54 tanks from Earl Naval Weapons Station, NJ to Aberdeen a

Building my 1944-45 freight car I need a number of ARA standard SS box cars. Most of the SS plastic kits seem to be either USRA or alternative ARA with the Howe truss pattern. Westerfield does make a

Don, Thank you. Not the answer I wanted to hear but it is what it was. That is a very nice summary in your link with just about all I need to know about B&M for a WWII era modeler. John Barry ATSF Nor

Thanks Ben, Seems even the ARA standard was any thing but. Even the ATSF version, which superficially looks like it was taller & wider. I will have to get good at resin boxes to build the Westerfield

I just re-read the March thread and have a question re running boards. The BLI models have painted metal RBs. Were these installed with the new roofs starting before WWII? My modeling date is 1944. Fr

Thanks Terry! Good info for a SF guy. Thank you also for all the effort in your website. It is my go-to place for that large eastern road based in NY. John Barry ATSF North Bay Lines Golden Gates & Fa