Hi Fred, Canada did not begin to adopt the metric system until the early 1970s, with a target date of 1980 for full compliance, well outside the steam era boundaries. Mark Heidn start.

Hi Allen, Yep, that does help! Thank you! Mark Heiden titled "Southern detail on running longitudinal and close up of six

Hi Sam, Thanks very much! Mark Heiden Morton Morton with many cars type of Southern 40'

Hello everyone, Does anyone know what style of steel roofwalk was used on Southern 40' PS-1 boxcars in the series 23487-26486, 3,000 cars built in 1948? Thanks, Mark Heiden

Hello Ed, I almost forgot, just a couple of questions about the construction of the cars. Did the 1951 cars (USNX 2455-2463) have the six rectangles on the ends just below the roofline? And did they a

Hello Ed, Thanks very much for the information. It's been a tremendous help! Thanks, Mark Heiden on

Hello Ed, Most of the photos of WAG PS-1s that I have show cars with Youngstown doors, and the placards are mounted like the one on DAFX 26905. Unfortunately, none of them are clear enough to show rop

Hello Ed, Thanks for the reply. Were the placards on the doors mounted near the top of middle panel on the Youngstown doors, and in the third panel from the top in the Superior doors? Was the small do

Hello everyone, I'm looking for some information on the following US Navy 40' PS-1 boxcars: USNX 2455-2463, 9 cars built 1951 USNX 3028-3047, 20 cars built 1953 USNX 3420-3422, 4 cars built 1953 USNX

Hello everyone, I was browsing the Red Caboose website today, and under Future Product Releases they list ARA/X29 boxcars lettered for CGW and LNE with patch panels. Unfortunately, the links on the Fu

Hi Charlie, Though it is a pay site, I recommend the Rensselaer Model Railroad Society's website. It covers a tremendous range of topics, including trackside industries. Access to the site is by subsc

Hi Richard, Were some types of graffiti more common than others? The only ones that really caught my eye were Kilroy, Bozo Texino and the "bird". Thanks, Mark Heiden wrote: be quite only fact rail Clo

Hello everyone, I bought a set of Champ Decals "Scribblings", thinking they were chalk marks made by brakemen. Now that I see it is graffiti, I'm wondering what these decals are good for? How common w

Hi Rob, Copra (the dried meat of coconuts) has several industrial uses, including as a lathering ingredient in soaps and shampoos, a source of coconut oil for food and magarine, and as animal feed aft

wrote: boxcars: Hi Richard, Thanks for the reply. What does a Murphy solid steel roof look like? I don't have much to go on, as far as photos go. It looks very similar to the roof on USRA boxcars: fla

Hello everyone, Just a few questions regarding the details of Santa Fe Bx-13 boxcars: 1) What sort of roof were the cars delivered with? 2) What sort of roof walk was used? 3) What model of power hand

Hello everyone, I posted this message last week, but it seems to have been lost in the shuffle, so I'll try again. I've posted a picture of the A-end truck of WAG 4003, an ex-B&O M-41 boxcar, in the F

Hi Garth, I had forgotten about the Georgia Railroad USRA rebuilds. Oddly enough, I downloaded a scan of GA 19500, circa 1957; it was a sldie available for sale on Ebay last week or so. I uploaded it

Hi Phil, The Detroit & Mackinac received 300 boxcars built to the 1937 AAR design that were painted gray with black lettering. Built by General American in 1947, the cars were numbered 2800-3099. Ther

Hello everyone, Has anyone else had problems accessing the Steam Era Freight Cars website? I keep arriving at a screen stating "there is no website configured at that address". Thanks, Mark Heiden