I'd like to expand on Elden's excellent description of iron ore pelleting from many years of visiting the Lake Superior & Ishpeming RR. The very fresh pellets look like blueberries in both size (about

Don't forget that the NYC often used black car cement on the ends and roof which can account for yet another color (rusty brown?) when weathered compared to the color of the sides. I think all of the

That IC boxcar with the BEDT 0-6-0T is an Athearn car! 5/5 Dreadnaught, square corner ends. I can't make out the number. Robert Oom

I have a black and white photo with two wooden, steel underframe L&N stockcars in the background. The numbers are 18745 and 19051. The cars are similar except the 19051 has an outward facing channel s

I saw and played with the new Kadee trucks at TrainFest in Milwaukee and they are very nice but they were a modern roller bearing. (Too modern for this group) They do eliminate the "see-through" effec

To expand on what Cyril has written I checked two Annual Reports to the ICC for the DSS&A in 1956 and 1957 that I have. There is still a page for hire of freight cars in the reports but the costs are

Sorry, my remarks about the truck design were more in jest so as not to get in trouble with the "era police" on the site. I didn't ask any specific questions about the truck design. They were molded w

I did a quick search of the site but found very little on radial roofs. Were the Central Valley radial roofs (from the CV stockcar) specific to the NP or could it be used on other roads' cars? Did oth

Thanks, Richard Does anyone have any ideas or tips for modeling a more typical radial roof than the NP style? Does any manufacturer offer a separate injection molded or resin roof rib that could used

I recently obtained a photo of the small yard in St. Ignace, Michigan and in the foreground are two express reefers likely loaded or to be loaded with fish. No reporting marks or road names are visibl

The cars are DEFINITELY not the Soo Line cars since they both have the more arched roof like the General American cars. I don't have a scanner but I'll see what I can do to find one to use. Robert Oom

I always wondered if there was a problem with film in recording these cars since the lettering on boxcars in the background of the same photo can be distinguished even though it's not at all legible.

I recently purchased a Proto 2000 Mather stock car kit lettered for B&O and I see in the ORER that the particular car for which the kit is numbered had end doors. I've been unable to find a photo of a

I recently saw on TV on "How it's Made" and they showed basically the same procedure for porcelain dental crowns. Only an electronic file goes to the lab not a model from an impression. What a change

What date is considered the first use of the diagonal panel roof? Robert Oom

Here in Michigan the wine tank cars were fairly common at two wineries in Paw Paw, MI in the 1970's. I assume the cars contained California wine to be blended with local production. Since boxcars were

The ads for Trueline trains CP "minibox" show an etched metal roofwalk but wouldn't those cars have had a wooden roofwalk during most of their life? Robert Oom Kalamazoo, MI

I know that tackboards went from an early high position to a later low position on the ends but I've noticed that there is some variation in the high location. I noticed that Athearn modeled the tackb

Thanks, guys I guess then the opposite is also true that without a photo no one can prove that the tackboard mounting location on a particular model is wrong! Robert Oom Kalamazoo, MI

The Safety Appliance drawings in the 19th and 20th edition of the Car Builders Cyclopedia show that for house cars end ladders were 14" minimum between the stiles and side ladders were 16" minimum bet