That comment certainly raised temperatures, for sure, but I think it was some careless comments of a more personal nature, which the then-moderator refused to notice, that caused many of us to bail. F

Ray Hutchison wrote: The Oriental brass model of SP Class A-50-10 automobile cars had working end doors. I have one. Tony Thompson tony@...

Seth Lakin wrote: If someone isn’t already done it, I can copy the instructions I have. Tony Thompson tony@...

Interesting repetition of the word “patience” in a number of emails. Long, long ago, I was advised by an older modeler that the key to enjoying model railroading was embracing “deferred gratification.

Arts people will tell you the there really are no “neutral” grays out there, but always having a tinge of blue, green, purple, red, etc. Mixing black and white sometimes gives you a curiously “flat” c

I assumed it was a joke. But sarcasm is certainly possible. Tony Thompson

Ken Montero wrote: I know, I have one of the PFE versions and have built it. It is certainly close the the PFE design if not exact. Since GATC was building PFE cars in the 1920s, it’s very possible th

Tim O'Connor wrote: Yes, UP objected that RI was a competitor of theirs in the Midwest. Both SP and UP objected to the fact that there was no convenient PFE shop facility near RI territory, and that t

Steve Hile wrote; Don’t forget that Rock Island approached PFE about 1950, asking if they could get the same deal the WP had (buy the reefers, let PFE run them, receive payments for use). I wrote abou

Bob Chaparro wrote: It’s assigned to passenger ice needs at Oakland Pier; the photo was taken at West Oakland. Photo and info is in my Box Car book, Vol. 4 of the series _Southern Pacific Freight Cars

Clarence Zink wrote: I think this is backwards. You can only get clear ice by very slow freezing, so all the dissolved air can escape. That’s called “consumer ice.” People want clear ice to put in coc

Tim O'Connor wrote: No, none of the ledger columns for this class show roofing. I interpret that to mean that new roofs were applied along with steel side sheathing. Tony Thompson

Tim O'Connor wrote: Luckily the SP Car Ledgers still exist. Tony

The SP Car Ledger shows that SP 31802 received steel sides in 1950. By that time, it had also received AB brakes, a geared handbrake, and U-section trucks. Tony Thompson tony@...

Tim O'Connor wrote: Thanks, Tim, good answer. SP replaced trucks on older cars with quite a variety, possibly whatever was on hand. Tony Thompson tony@...

The old “D&H Caboose Red” is certainly not a bright red. Instead, it is a rich chestnut kind of boxcar red, and happens to closely match the color SP used for freight cars before and after the transit

kevinhlafferty wrote: My advice has been, and is, throw away all parts sprues. The body moldings are fine, the rest is trash. Tony Thompson tony@...

Really interesting model, Fenton, and nicely finished. I agree with those who think it could be nice mini-kit. Tony Thompson tony@...

Allen Montgomery wrote: Allen, the model looks excellent. It is almost a dead ringer for the H-70-2 class on Southern Pacific. Any chance some of the bodies will be for sale or trade? Tony Thompson to

Jay Styron wrote: Good point, Jay! But also don’t forget what one former employee told me about such stencils: "Sure, we’d follow it if it was convenient." Tony Thompson tony@...