Jeff and all, When I use "The Tool" I hold the truck with the bearing boxes of the axle I'm reaming between my fingers and squeeze them - hard - as I turn the tool. If I put the same wheelset back int

Hi all, This group seems to be the best that I'm a member of that can answer this question - although it isn't directly related to steam era freight cars it is related to using models of same. Moderat

Michael, Thanks for the pics. I ended up making mine out of the AZ Rock "Sand House/Beach Sand". It looks very much like yours. I like my cars fairly heavy so I just built the entire load out of the A

Tim, Thanks for your description of your techniques. I use similar methods sometimes - but I also often just accept the added cost and weight and the fact that the car is permanently loaded - which is

Hi, I'm definitely not a Rio Grande modeler. But since one of the layouts I go to often is placed "some where in the West" I need some of these cars. I'm guessing that the gon in the picture was eithe

Hi, Great picture! The Aberdeen coal mine was/is one of the ones in the vicinity of Price, Utah. So coal coming off of the D&RGW in Utah was making its way to Washington (and the rest of the West) in

Hi, So this picture and the one of the exterior of the same car got me to thinking (often a dangerous thing!) ... So you have your long ladder on the ground that gets you right up to the dome. Then yo

Hi, Someone mentioned "steam cleaning". I worked in a salmon cannery in the early 60's and one of my duties was on the clean up crew after the canning line was done for the day. We had long hoses with

Hi, It was the combination of the extremely small image (pixel wise) plus the number of boards along the top of that car that threw me off (was outside of my prior experience). And my experience in an

Jim Gates and all, I agree with all of your analysis - but that stock car still has me wondering. It is obvious, even to me, that it started life as a stock car. But I've never seen a stock car that h

Hi guys, Is this an example of an early ATSF chip hopper that has been converted from an O.B. box car? Cool car no matter what. This image is quite small and I can't make out the reporting marks even

Hi, Thanks for all the great suggestions. I think I can "go forward" with this project ... except I'd like to know the answers to the following 'extra credit' questions ... Does anyone have any idea w

Elden, Thanks ... I'll check it out. - Jim B.

Hi all, What product do you use for making an HO scale sand load in a gondola? I don't want to use any kind of food product (such as flour). I'm willing to color it with paint and washes. The only com

Hi, I've always heard them called "Tack Boards". There are many examples of terms used "on the ground" (i.e. by the crews) that were not used in official documents. At times it seems silly and even pe

Allen Reuter, Thanks for the pointer to the Bureau Of Mines Yearbook for 1950. Great stuff! - Jim B.

Hi, Thanks to ALL for your answers. I learned more than I thought I would. I have one followup question ... I get it that the coal suppliers (mines/etc.) priced by the BTU. But I don't think they were

Hi, How far would coal be shipped in hoppers? Especially as it relates to the West Coast. I'm talking about regular everyday coal for steam - such as to a railroad or to a cement plant (or any other l

Ed, My dentist uses UV cure products in my mouth ... it looks a lot like regular 2-part epoxy when he applies it (slightly off color and approximately the same thickness/thinness). Then the assistant

Hi all, Thanks for all of the excellent information about the various bonding products that are out there these days. I consider the use of adhesives to be one of the 'special skills' that we all need