I agree with Bruce Smith; chain was very uncommon for load tie down during the steam era, the AAR loading diagrams most often specify cable, or just solid wire twisted into cable. The reason is, I thi

I discovered that plant two years ago when I spent a week in Holland, MI with the grand kids, and the track was still in at that time, and looked active. That line runs between the street and a big pu

Don, Those are Ajax trucks, an early cast steel pedestal type truck. If you squint hard at the photo, you can barely see AJAX cast in large letters in the sideframe. Ajax trucks, which were manufactur

If one wants blackened, non-magnetic button head screws, McMaster Carr has them: https://www.mcmaster.com/97763a314 The link should get you on the right page and then search for the desired length fro

Photo from the 1922 CBC: Lack of initials above the car number seems to suggest a DL&W car. Here's an Erie car: Dennis Storzek

All the way at the left edge of the second photo https://dl.library.ucla.edu/islandora/object/edu.ucla.library.specialCollections.losAngelesDailyNews%3A1053 is another car that shows both diagonals an

Turns it green, for one. It's a preservative treatment so it has many of the same uses as creosote but the chemistry is different. For more info, do a search on "chromated copper arsenate." Dennis Sto

I noticed that too, Don, the missing siding seems to be at the car post locations. Since the siding is a single layer of T&G, I don't see any way to blame it on panels. Here is what I think happened.

Like a builder's photo... extra care in preparation. Dennis Storzek

40388 is a good number, built by Pullman Car & Mfg. Co. 8, 9-28 Lot 5432 Series 40200 - 40598 even. The lettering scheme is as delivered with the corporate initials above the SOO LINE name. Dennis Sto

I think a better way to phrase the question would be: "What determined whether the solid door was on the right or left?" Examples of both exist, but I've never paid enough attention to determine wheth

Not Vulcan, rather some sort of Andrews patent truck. Vulcan trucks had the end of the sideframe encircle the journal box, which fit in the resulting slot, and retained by a horizontal bolt through a

They look like additional tractor engines on skids; the fuel tank is mounted over the engine and the clutch housing is facing us. Dennis Storzek

That would be Al Armitage, the "dean of styrene". With that booklet he singlehandedly changed the course of scratchbuilding (and pattern making) in our hobby. As to the Revell engine house/bakery/prin

But paint did. The National Environmental Protection Act of 1970 was not kind to paint manufacturers, forcing them to stop using a lot of traditional materials, all to the detriment of paint performan

Jeez, guys, just order it from McMaster Carr. Nice clean flat sheets in a variety of sizes and thicknesses. https://www.mcmaster.com/lead-sheets They also have lead shot and lead wool... search those

Bravo, Tony. I had a '58 ORER out on my desk at lunch to compose a similar reply, but got called away. However, I'll relay one thought impressed on me by one of my operating mentors, a man who spent h

I don't think so. While I see some strange stripes on the wheel plates, I think they are oil drips, one reason why nobody bothered to paint wheels fancy colors, at least not after the first time :-) M

Coming in on this late. I just finally panned all the way to the far end of the string of cars, and adjacent to the track is a fire hose house, and interestingly, the hydrant identification number is

Why does everyone always go off on the dates the interns at these university libraries enter? They know absolutely nothing about railroads, or cars, or ships... they are just told to enter all the inf