Tim & others, Your reply causes me to wonder if the Walthers kit had brake rigging or at least components on their model. Alas, I can't check as I sold my last one years ago (later than 1952, which is

Hi Phil, While I don't have diagrams for GATX 10K and8K insulated tank cars to compare, it seems entirely reasonable that there should be some dimensional differences between them, tank diameter and l

The load looks to be mostly tin cans - round and flat. I'm not sure I want to tackle that in HO! Todd Sullivan

Ken, All the SP&S flatcars (and NP's, too) I ever saw in person or photos were painted black. Todd Sullivan

Ken, The photo I have of one of the SP&S flat cars has plain ol' RR Roman lettering, so I think you can get creative and use the dim data for one of the other RR's cars from the Champ set, and find an

Or, I sure hope I don't fall off this icy roof! (balance, balance, balance) Todd Sullivan

Hi Eric, Thanks for your note and the links to your blogs with examples of your techniques. I will experiment with your techniques on that PRR X31, once I finish painting it (the roof and one side wer

Eldon, I thought your weathering of the X31 in coal tar chip service was right on. Somewhere, I found a photo of adingle door car tht had weathered right down to bare rusted metal, with that bluish pu

Yay! Go Bill !! Todd Sullivan

Hi Clark, Yep, that's resin's siren call to many of us. Hard to resist. Fortunately for me, most OOP resin kit prices are beyond my limit for modeling expenditures, and they don't compete well with ot

Thank you, Tim, for adding more insight to this conversation. Todd Sullivan

Hi Tim, Hmmm. I appreciate your warning, but I have not had any problems with this. Perhaps I've been lucky. I do use quite small amounts of contact cement, usually when gluing roofs to body sides and

Bud, If you apply Barge to the two surfaces to be joined, let it dry, then press the two parts together, the joint will be very strong, but you have to get placement of the parts aligned correctly the

Yes, becaue that is the nature and characteristics of petro-based contact cements. However, I have found that Barge Cement is less prone to 'string'. I usually use a toothpick to apply the cement by g

I have used Barge Cement (blue tube) for several years, and really like its characteristics. It is a useful member of my 'glue team'. I found mine by ordering at an ACE hardware store. Todd Sullivan

Hi Ken, When I am drilling holes in anything, I brace my drilling hand and/or the pin vise with my free hand. I'm right handed, so I brace with my left by putting some fingers on a solid item (workben

Bob, The Red Caboose 42ft flat cars with their 'fishbelly sides' are either the USRA cars or pretty close. The only two RRs I know who had them are the NYC and the MILW. The NYC cars are fairly common

Sam, Great piece of information. Thank you! Tod Sullivan

Another wrinkle in this whole freight car handling thing is that a) A RR's customers could demand certain car types and even cars from foreign RRs for loading, based on availability from lists of empt

And Bob, I was the guy who did that presentation. Just to add what Ken said, - Home road cars could be used for any load. - Since foreign cars cost the RR money in the form of per diem (daily) charges