Tim O'Connor wrote:

Were they rare? That's very likely. But oddballs were an everyday
fact of life as anyone knows who has spent a lot of time watching
trains. Should we model them? Opinions vary. I argue that the
complete lack of oddball cars is not prototypical if you're modeling
a mainline railroad.

You're absolutely right, Tim, but most modelers have such poor
resistance to impulse purchases that the usual problem is very much
the reverse. Only the very (and very serious) few among us need your
advisory on this point. In fact, if Jack Burgess doesn't qualify, and
he may not, there may be no one (active) on this list whom I'd nominate.

Tony Thompson

I had some box cars which I considered "oddballs" such as the Sunshine Erie
box car with the Buckeye ends and the C&O box car with the Deco ends. Maybe
others wouldn't consider them "oddballs" but, remember, I'm modeling a
non-through line railroad with a heavy emphasis on SP and ATSF interchange
cars. You can argue all you want that they could have showed up on the YV
but I considered them too far from home and too unusual.

BTW, I was at the NMRA Convention this past week and visited the Train Show
Friday. One of the manufacturers (I think it was Intermountain) had a new
styrene single-sheathed box car on display. I was talking to Ted Culotta
earlier and I think he said that it was correctly done including the tabs,
etc. But I don't typically buy styrene kits so I wasn't remembering
everything he said.

Jack Burgess
www.yosemitevalleyrr.com

--- In STMFC@..., "Jack Burgess" <jack@...> wrote:

I had some box cars which I considered "oddballs" such as the Sunshine >Erie box car with the Buckeye ends and the C&O box car with the Deco >ends. Maybe others wouldn't consider them "oddballs"

I have one of the C&O cars made from a renumbered Des Plaines decorated Red Caboose car with Keith Retterer ends and doors.
One time we were banging cars around on the layout and we pulled the C&O car out from behind a building. Seeing the end of the car for the first time the guy who was the switchman pointed and with wide eyes said "What the hell is that? A missile launcher?"
Clark Propst

Jack: That was probably the Intermountain war emergency car. Ted, Bruce
Smith, and I compared it to photos in Ted's book at Cocoa beach last year,
and agreed they look good. They had 3 versions at Cocoa. Alas, it is too new
for you.

Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY

It's too modern for you Jack -- it's a War Emergency box car.

I just read on the ChesapeakeAndOhioRailway Yahoo Group that a deco-end car, on the ground as a shed, is visible at the Russell KY yard. It's between two other sheds/cars with PS-1, and two-section corrugated ("cavitated" or "innie") ends... all painted silver with bits of earlier paint showing through.
Scott Pitzer

Here are links to copies of those pictures:

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af78/Pennsyhoosier/end1.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af78/Pennsyhoosier/side1.jpg

Best,
Lawrence Rast