Claus, regarding the wood-appearing far end of the subject gon, I agree that it is wood, but suspect that it MAY be a temporary bulkhead interior to the car rather than the inside of the far end? Dan

Nice looking cars, Tim. What color paint did you use?

Nice looking model! Wondering how many other builders ran the retainer pipe straight down astride the end ladder. Sure would make it easier to model.

Aw, c'mon Frank, don't tease us like this. Why would anyone possibly be interested in a reissue of Sunshine kits?????!!!!

Charles, so glad to see your "byline" back in circulation. We have missed your always interesting analyses! Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexandria, VA

Thanks, Tom. Jack Burgess also kindly reminded me that Cal Scale (Bowser?) makes a very nice express reefer brake set, with very clear graphics, but it doesn't bear much resemblance to the AB system t

Friends, Am working along on one of Mr. Rydarowicz's beautiful MILW low-profile express box car kits, and need help with the air brake configuration. In his RP Cyc 13 research, Pat Wider notes that th

Hmmm, not sure why the IC would short-haul itself by handing off to MILW at Dubuque. The IC had good service to the Twin Cities by handing off to the M&StL at Albert Lea (also with plenty of SB meat r

Just received a copy of Ted Culotta's Prototype Railroad Modeling, Volume 3, and am still marveling at the work of Messrs. Chapman and Welch. The dedication required to research the prototypes (many c

Clark, the January 1958 ORER shows SOO 44500-45098 (even numbers) and SOO 45100-45498 (even numbers) with same dimensions: 40' 6" IL, 9' 2" IW, 10' 6" IH, 3898 cu ft, 50-ton capy. Quantities listed in

Clark, if you have C&BT kit number 010600, note that the door opening is 7', which matches neither the ATSF nor the RI cars (nor any other 12-panel riveted XM's with raised panel roofs on Ed's list).

An incredible opus, Eric. And incredibly generous of you to share online what must have been years of work. Thank you! Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexandria, VA

More than a year since he cashed my last check. I fear health problems (?) Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexandria, VA

Bill, good memory! Dennis's article would be in RMC April 1982, a classic that I still frequently consult while chopping away at 17 blue-box and yellow-box Athearn 40-footers. (Am too cheap to give up

Great stuff, Andy, thanks for posting! Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexandria, VA

Very helpful, Nelson, thanks for posting! Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexandria, VA

Richard and Ben, No apologies necessary. Your willingness to share your knowledge and ideas is much appreciated, and if in doing so you make one mistake, it is certainly compensated for by the 10,001

Better yet! Thanks, Andy. Al Kamm had a lot of very creative articles in MR--sort of the Andy Sperandeo of the late 1950's, :-) although I think entirely rolling stock-oriented. Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexa

Ross, the November 1958 Model Railroader article by Al Kamm, Jr. described how he built a roofed version of the R.I. WE gon from scratch in "O" scale. So much for my memory, sorry! Dan Sweeney, Jr. Al

Pretty sure it was the covered gon. For aluminum loading out of Bettendorf? Sorry that I "misremembered" it on the previous post. Hatched too long ago. :-) Dan Sweeney, Jr. Alexandria, VA