Doug Harding wrote: Exactly. Tony Thompson tony@...

Ben Hom wrote: Ah yes, I well recall keeping a stash of all kinds of Blue Box car kits as kitbash fodder. Most ended up being given away. Even marking them at 50 cents didn't sell them at most meets.

Ben Hom wrote: So Ben, cruising the Internet for more good ol' Athearn Blue Box cars? Tony Thompson tony@...

Sorry to hear about Jim. Some years ago, when his tremor got bad, he gave me 3 Sunshine PFE cars, partly or fully built, in “exchange” (his word) for my sending him some minor PFE info. Very generous

Andy Carlson wrote: Shot at but missed, as it happened. Tony Thompson tony@...

Why? Just have the appliances delivered on the team track or house track. Tony Thompson tony@...

Steve aHile wrote: Love the collection of chalk marks! Some modelers seem to think tank cars didn't get them. Tony Thompson tony@...

Thanks, Dan, I hadn't picked up on the "East Moline." But the original waybill shows the final destination that was in fact used. I suppose it was the "fallback," and if a better price had been found,

Jim Dick wrote: When we talk about costs, we seem to forget that nearly all haulage, per diem, switching etc. charges were SMALL compared to the revenue from freight bills. A little longer route would

Richard Townsend wrote: I would agree with all of this. In my 1953 ORER, there is only one reporting mark listed for Shell Chemical (SCMX), so it's hard to see a likelihood of any others. And I can't

Todd Sullivan wrote: Definitely Train Miniature. That whole line was supposed to represent various 1920s cars, but they made MANY compromises so they could use one underframe and interchange the molds

Ray Carson wrote: Dark Olive Green. Not sure what is currently available. Tony Thompson tony@...

Todd Sullivan wrote: Or C&H in Crockett, California, or numerous California beet plants . . . Tony Thompson tony@...

Bruce Griffin wrote: Exactly what I would recommend, Bruce, but I haven't actually done it. It certainly ought to work. Tony Thompson tony@...

Fran Giacoma wrote: Based on what one sees in photos from that era, "overdue" cars are pretty rare. I would recommend against that. Tony Thompson tony@...

Tim O'Connor wrote: SP piggybacked onto a C&O order for riveted 50-foot double-door box cars with PS-1 ends and underframes. Each road got 200 cars. The cars were built to C&O specs (Class B-34) and S

Jim Dick wrote: I think it's vital to remember that major refrigerator car owners like PFE, ART, and FGE had their primary obligation to shippers of fresh produce. To the extent that any backhaul migh

Dave Nelson wrote: What era are you thinking of, Dave? In the era of this list, all the reefers WP owned were leased to PFE and entirely operated by PFE, meaning that the distribution of reefers to sh

Bill Jolitz wrote: Until the early 1950s, the "insulated boxcar of the day" was the ordinary reefer. Everything from pharmaceuticals to dry goods to canned goods moved routinely in reefers if weather

Marty McGuirk wrote: And of course "fouled up" is the euphemism. Anyone with any time in or around the military is very familiar with that other "F" word. An observer of the British army once said tha