Tim, I don't think that number 18 is a ratio, I think it is "dwell time". Cars were rarely loaded for only one day? - Jim B.

Hi, It is fairly common to see brake hoses (on models) that have been painted. What I think is correct for our era is that the hose itself (the rubber part) should be DULL black (rubber) - with consid

Tipping my hat to Jeff and Dave ... thanks guys. - Jim B.

Hi, So has anyone ever attempted to do the analysis for just box cars? Or just flat cars? Etc. Is that information in the GN data? Are the original files still available (some where)? I'm guessing tha

Doug, If you had been able to attend Tony's clinic Saturday you would have understood his focus on the percentages of the national fleet. That isn't a criticism - it's an acknowledgement of how diffic

Bill, I agree that "finding stuff in old posts is difficult" ... yahoo groups has seriously crippled the search facility in the past 5 years or so. Perhaps it makes sense to collect the same info (pos

Tony, Thanks for your answers. - Jim B.

Bruce, You are correct - I did miss this post. My "excuse" is that I was at an Op session that day and so my fingers were poised inordinately above the delete key when I finally got home and was tryin

Tony (and all), Yesterday you said "you can do the same thing for your layout ... I'm going to present what my thinking process was for my SP 1953 layout" (sic - but essentially what you said ... ???)

Hi, This provides an interesting possibility for a layout facility - where you don't have enough room on the layout where the spur/siding is ... but there is room on the other side of the main. So jus

Bill and all, I also think there were cars that had 'just the keystone' (i.e. without the circle or the shadow) but I don't have a clue as to when those were being done. Thanks for the date range for

Hi, Tony's clinic is available online from MRH, back issues April 2013 and March 2015. The text of those articles is essentially the same as what Tony presented at BAPM here in the SF Bay Area yesterd

Hi all - and especially Tony, I attended Tony's clinic on 'Signature Freight Cars' at the Bay Area Prototype Modeler's meet in Richmond, Ca. I have a couple of questions I'd like to toss out to the gr

Hi, I'm not a Pennsy modeler. Would someone please provide the years for the introduction of the various forms of the keystone logo - I think there are only(?) 3 ... keystone, circle keystone, and sha

Tony, If you mean "the reefer goes to the grocery warehouse" and "the tank cars go to the oil dealer" and .... etc. Then I agree with you. But the same car, including the same number ... day after day

Armand, First select the cars that will service your -on layout- industries. Usually that will be about twice as many cars as you have car spots (for empties in/loads out or vice versa). Second select

Hi, My favorite "rattle can" flat finish is acrylic craft flat finish paint - thinned out to about 50-50 and applied as a wash with a brush. I use both the semi-gloss and flat (and own but have never

Ted (and all), I suggest the following response to what I see as a "hue and cry from your loyal followers". Why not make the collection of articles available on your web site - as is/as they were writ

Hi, The caption on the picture says that the train has just exited a tunnel ... perhaps the stuff we are seeing and calling moisture is simply smoke/soot that has collected but not blown off to a more

Craig/all, So it would seem fairly likely that small or even normal capacity bottling plants would have stored their CO-2 in a tank somewhere inside ... ??? Or even that those 200 gal. supply tanks we