From Ted Culotta's collection: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nickel-Plate-NKP-71143-48-mill-gondola-8x10-photo-/371417206607?hash=item567a30cf4f Don't recall seeing this design before. Any insights? Scott C

Jim Mischke asked: and Ben Hom answered: Ben is correct. Stewart provided plain or roller bearing ASF A-3 trucks depending on roadname. For a long time these were the only 70-ton A-3s available. The T

Jim Mischke asked: When I researched the kailon business 25 years ago I found an circa-1960 textbook that contained exactly one paragraph on kaolin slurry. Translation: for a 1964 layout slurry was no

Thanks for the answers and the photo regarding the Mobilgas tank car scheme. To follow up, the model is well on its way to becoming an ACFX welded phosphoric acid tank. Seems its previous owner was a

Over the years I've picked up several old "trainset quality" tank cars that have features or appearance noticably different from the Athearn single-dome tank car that you see _way_ too many of on most

Schuyler Larrabee wrote: From the curved loading tracks I didn't think it was an NYC yard, but it surprises me to see several NYC Pacemaker boxcars on the Lackawanna. And yes, my western-trained eyes

Building an HO model of D&RGW 67771, a 1946 Pressed Steel Car 40' XM, starting with a C&BT Shops 12- panel kit I've had in the heap since the kit was introduced. The Rio Grande liked Duryea cushioned

Recently we talked about the NYC's early cement hopper converted from a USRA twin hopper. http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/nyc-880040.jpg I looked at the pic and thought that looks like the o

Eastern Car Works makes a kit they call an "Enterprise 2-bay covered hopper". Two versions, an NYC and CN. 6-panel sides with heavy dagonals in the first and sixth panels, and eight square roof hatche

My question remains, when was the 11-panel 41'6" gondola as modeled by Accurail, and earlier by Tyco, introduced? Structurally this was a modern design, similar to the 1932 ARA boxcar, so I doubt the

I'm not sure I've ever seen a Pullman ad or document saying exactly when each of the "PS-#" car types were introduced _by that name_. I've always thought of the PS-# family as being all welded carbodi

Tim O' wrote: No, this one is a normal height gondola. As a former Southern railroader, trust me, I know what to do with a low-side gon! But I've never seen this metal MDC low-side gon you have. The c

Looking through some of my Color Guides, etc, trying to tind prototypes for various models, I was surprised to find that into the 1950s the C&NW was buying what I thought was an obsolete design, the t

If memory serves, a horizontal white line on the main door of a boxcar meant it had auto loading racks inside. And there are other markings refering to load restraining devices. What I can't remember

http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/nyc-238717.jpg What surprised me most here are the T-section Bettendorfs under such a car, which I assume was built with archbars. Replacing the trucks was a

Thanks guys. It hadn't occured to me to look at heavy duty flats. The USAX/DOD 38016-series is definitely the prototype for the car. Pemco molded the bolster outward where it would be on a normal 4-ax

I guess it shouldn't surprise me to see a 1923 built date on that rebuilt NYC USRA cement hopper that Ben Hom posted a link to. Just how late were "USRA" twin hoppers built? Speaking of which, when we

Pemco made a 53-foot flatcar with riveted fishbelly sides and 16 stake pockets. The thin portion of the sides above the trucks extends a bit further inboard than most designs. Does this car have a pro

Was the first use of the large NYC logo/herald on the green & black scheme in 1959, or were some red-brown boxcars painted that way first? I know the "Century" style reporting marks were adopted in 19

Life has many mysteries, like how, many years ago, AHM could tool up a rather accurate plug-door PS-1 (certainly by the standards of the day it was nice), then turn around and tool up a strange 40' do