A model of a burned out gondola like that would be cool. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

No one would believe you if you modeled one of those vacuums. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

In further answer, Tichy sets 10042, 10049, 10360, and 10361 have SHPX reporting marks. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Without having that article in front of me, it is hard to answer. Champ HT-71 is (was) for white SHPX lettering. Microscale 87-236 has some black SHPX lettering but it might be too recent. I suggest y

As one of the off-shoots of the Standard Oil break-up, Chevron (formerly Standard Oil of California) would use a lot of UTLX tank cars. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

As Ben Hom mentioned, Branchline made a Despatch roof in its undecorated boxcar kits that is similar to, if not indistinguishable from, the Murphy welded roof. Others have suggested a roof from a Milw

They're on eBay. Search for HO scale 3D print D&RGW gondola. He has several variations for sale. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Don't overlook the Rio Grande Models RD-8, Letourneau dozer, and their trencher, among other wonderful construction equipment models. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Yes, Eastern Car Works did Taylor trucks. No, you can't have my pair: they are on MY Reading USRA design gondola. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Roger Hinman's Merchants Despatch book has a couple of related photos of the same exhibit on p. 90. According to the captions it was the NYC&HR RR's display at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial. I know

Thanks so much, Steve. Maybe more than I asked for but just what I wanted to know. I appreciate it. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

There were some tank cars with shrouds (for insulation?) that curved across the top of the car and then went down vertically to the cars' running boards. Examples are on p. 18 of Jim Kinkaid's Tank Ca

I have seen a photo of a man riding in a reefer, with half his body sticking out of an open roof hatch. Presumably the bunker grate was in place for stage icing. That might be entertaining to model. R

Box cars? Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

I just bought the PRRT&HS books on flat cars and gondolas by Eldon Gatwood and Al Buchan. They are excellent books, and very reasonably priced. I heartily recommend them. And I really want to say that

Dennis, thanks so much for your detailed and enlightening response. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Was there, on double-sheathed cars with wood sheathed ends, a general practice regarding whether the side sheathing overlapped the end sheathing, or vice-versa? Or was there a design convention that m

That's been the conventional wisdom for the last 40 or 50 years. Not dead yet! Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Seattle to Whittier, AK. Maybe some went via Prince Rupert, but I am not sure. Richard Townsend Lincoln City, OR

Here are a couple of possibilities from the southern Illinois area the B&O served. The info is from the Illinois State Geological Survey. Tripoli is a highly porous rock that consists of tiny particle