For some time now, I have been very interested in the new self-centering "scale" sized short shanked HO couplers to the extent that I have now installed them on somewhat close to 100 freight cars, and

Re: wood craft model of a NADX Pacific Egg Producers wood egg reefer #6003. The many responses have been very informative, and have led to additional digging. 1): Shame on me. I confidently described

Clark Probst , who is only a near-miss-Minnesotan, writes- Now, as to Ole and Lena: THAT, I do understand- Denny -- Denny S. Anspach, MD Sacramento

Richard identifies the N.A.D.X 6000 series- Yes. As I have commented to Richard off list (and before receiving this Digest), I suspect that in this very early kit, the original sides, probably represe

In my collection of "old things", I have a very neatly proportioned, neatly detailed, and neatly built yellow/oxide wood-model, wood-prototype house car from the 1950's, North American Despatch NADX 6

Very interesting comment on the common use of grain cars for the backhaul carriage of retail coal. I recall well that about every little Iowa town's fuel dealer had a coal yard, also very commonly in

Steve Busch wrote- and Andy Sperandeo then writes Again, thanks so much for the efforts on my behalf. I do have Shaver's book (at my left hand, as we speak), a very good reference; but Steve's photos

My collection of tweezers expands over the years when older ones become increasingly decrepit and misaligned, and I am constantly lon the look for better ones at the next model show. My collection con

As a firm believer that the quality of one's work, and the pleasure and ease doing so depends a great deal on having the right tool for the job, I have accumulated a disparate bunch of modeling tools

Thanks for all the informative replies. I should have been more clear that indeed I was looking for plain bearing (although everyone wisely presumed as much), and that I was looking for trucks that we

Can anyone recommend some current credible HO AAR-type caboose trucks with elliptical springs? I do have some old Silver Streak trucks with very credible working leaf springs- each one of which only p

Try http://www.unimat.homestead.com/. There are still a lot of SL-1000 lathes around and still reliably doing their jobs. As we speak, I have one just beyond the reach of my left hand (a valued Christ

Wow, congratulations! This is a big step forward, and I for one am already very anxious to try out my first pair. Denny

Ed Mines writes- Generally no, and in this regard it seems to be much better than GOO, as explained below . Virtually all contact cements that I have been acquainted with develop "stringing" whenever

Garth Groff writes- True enough. Mea Culpa. I was there at the time. Through a WP Surgeon neighbor of mine c. 1967-70, I received a call from a WP manager asking if we would be interested in some wood

Good friend Richard takes respectful exception to a notion that a museum artifact, i.e. a freight car, might in some instance be sacrificed in some manner in the interests of a broader good (I suspect

Dennis Storzek opines- Dennis, I am almost completely sure that you really meant to write "...how worthless [SOME] railway museums..." :-) . Having been centrally involved in many full size locomotive

I paint all of my trucks- by hand with solvent paints, and have been doing so for at least three decades. I perform no special preparations (blasting or etching), but I do thoroughly clean the trucks

Larry writes- Mike replies- Well, as the cringing operator at the time, and a person who has been 'really' uncomfortable operating other people's trains on other people's railroads, the reverse move o

Larry Jackman writes- This is Steve Hatch and his company is Railway-Engineering http://www.railwayeng.com/. His turnouts and other special track work are things of mechanical beauty. All my #12 turno