This problem of material preservation is like internet security: it is a goal, but never a certainty. Data on steam era freight cars is preserved better than you might have expected from reading the f

Consider these: https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/bending-pliers/

Larry, I now have a concrete example of what the ICC documentation for rolling stock would look like. Tony Thompson mentioned the "53" section, and I dug around in my backlog of documents. Here is wha

Tony, The original question for this thread was whether photographs of rolling stock and details by class were included in the ICC valuation. I agree that values for freight cars (by enumeration and r

David Pfeiffer is retired. There is no one there right now that fills his shoes in terms of passion for railroads, although many of the archivists are friendly and helpful. David is still active--I ha

The question does not have a precise answer because the change would have had to occur over time. When did Southern executives decide to change the color? About 1953-4. When did the last of Southern f

Tim, What makes you think it is not a US prototype? I'm trying to develop my observational skills so any help would be appreciated. I confess I'm not great at detail spotting, but I've seen side dump

I agree with Dave Parker that groups.io is superior for most functions. What I have found Facebook useful for is developing sources outside rail-oriented people for historical photos and information.

Re: [RealSTMFC] C&O Burro Crane Photos When were burro cranes or their like first introduced? Dave Bott Friday, June 19, 2020, 11:04:26 AM, you wrote: Locomotive cranes were found on the C&O, though a

Re: [RealSTMFC] What methods do you use to add weight to an empty flatcar? I must say I love the debate. It is like theoretical vs empirical physics... I think I like the idea of cutting to width and

Re: [Non-DoD Source] Re: [RealSTMFC] Hauling Sand before Covered Hoppers Became Popular Maybe not relevant (no sand was listed) by my database from 1934 Southern Railway in North Carolina includes the

Re: [RealSTMFC] Southern Pulpwood cars Garth, I have considered sheet lead weights. I use sheet lead flashing intended for roofing and vents. It could be pounded or even rolled thinner and shaped to f

My understanding is that the SRHA bought the rights and molds for the Wright Track kits that were Southern Railway prototypes. I saw on the SRHA affiliated email list that they plan to have the resin

Re: [RealSTMFC] What activity is going on here? Claus, The photo is crystal clear in a time before autofocus and big flood lamps, so it is clearly a "frozen moment" likely posed photo, but maybe only

Re: [RealSTMFC] B&M Freight Equipment Ken, Now you have the July 1934 B&M pages for your collection (attached PDF). Dave Bott Tuesday, May 19, 2020, 6:24:11 PM, you wrote: I've been working on putting

Re: [RealSTMFC] My latest Covid build I agree, the weathering is great--doesn't takeaway from the detail but makes it look a lot less like a model. Dave Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 6:27:55 PM, you wrote:

Sounds like a prototype variant on the Modelers’ Law: scratchbuild or kitbash a steam era freight car and a commercial product will likely appear (with the corollary—it will only appear in commercial

Re: [RealSTMFC] Distinctive Flat Car Toothpicks Timber Load Google can be your friend, but it can take a while to find. "Rule 8 The placing of advertisements or banners of any kind upon any freight or

Re: [RealSTMFC] Distinctive Flat Car Toothpicks Timber Load Tony, Do you mean on moving trains or on all freight cars, even those parked? Do you know when that ban happened? Dave Thursday, May 14, 202

Re: [RealSTMFC] Distinctive Flat Car Toothpicks Timber Load Jeff, In the period around the turn of the 20th century, the lack of TV and other media forms led to a lot of that type of banner advertisin