A friend asked me today if the Southern's roof hatch boxcars (AAR class LC) were used for anything other than kaolin. When I worked there they were mostly used for kaolin shipments to Mexico, and I th

At some point Sears moved its business over to its trucking subsidiary, Terminal Freight. Remember the baby blue trailers? We handled quite a few trailers for them into Atlanta, although I don't recal

It appears that most of the large railroads published a "Directory of Industries" circa 1940, and they often included a lot of info about the cities served as well. An absolute gold mine of info. My u

Wish I could join y'all this weekend but we have a bunch of friends coming from out of town for an operations weekend. I get play asshole dispatcher (I know, redundant...) Scott Chatfield

Aren't these the same cars Mask Island offered a kit for? I have one partly built. Forget what roadblock I hit.... Scott Chatfield O Fenton Wells <srrfan1401@...> wrote: Thanks Ike, I appreciate

[In case anyone was wondering if Ike is nuts, here's your evidence....] Ike wrote: >BUT, there is a problem. All other piping on Es and Fs is just piping, the E-6s have 4x4" cooling fins. I can cut do

You beat me to it, James. I assume you used Eel River beer car sides? (That's what I used.) What did you use for the roof and ends? Scott Chatfield

James, How did you build the 529983? Scott Chatfield

Anybody know the story behind this shot? I didn't know the Silversides ever went off-line. That appears to be a switcher's tender it's coupled to. Hmmmm...... https://www.ebay.com/itm/DUPLICATE-SLIDE-

Thanks for the insights, Jim. Scott Chatfield

My buddy Boras Rosser got his a couple days ago and while he wishes there was more coverage of the secondary lines, especially here in Georgia, he's happy with it. I'm hoping Santa leaves one under th

As far as I know the long cooling pipes mounted alongside the radiator fans were aftercooler pipes between the air compressor and the main reservoir. Sounds like the finned pipes on the E6s and E7s ha

And both are Pyle-National products, as are all three MU plugs. How do I know this. The name is cast into all of them! The one white, one red oscillating signal light (as they were often refered to in

I thought WrightTrak did a Southern Railway modernized 40-footer, but I don't think I ever saw one in the flesh. What series did it represent? A Berwick perhaps? Is this one of the masters the Associa

>I think the extension was a box to put an extra knuckle. Perhaps, but it seems a little narrow and way too deep to hold a knuckle. It would be very awkward trying to lift one out. I think it holds AT

I've got the impression that Ortner hopper only had that scheme for a short period of time. It might have made a few trips in blue, but since it wasn't in interchange service they might not have felt

According to the Withers & Sink book "Southern Motive Power 1968-1982" only the 3815 and 3816 had RC gear. Only two are pictured in the book, 3815 and 3818, both in 1986. Both had black numberboards.

> An attempt to improve engine room ventilation. Answer is on P.338 of Diesels of the Southern Railway 1939-1982 (Withers with Calloway and Wilson). Just because it's in a Withers book doesn't make it

I gave it a little more thought and I wonder if these were former roof-hung water tanks filled with concrete to add weight. I don't have an old Locomotive Summary book (my oldest is from 1975, and she

The Oracle has come through again! Warren's close-up photo of 4260 shows some kind of fine screening on the side of the hatch. This wouldn't be necessary if the hatch was exhausting air. So it looks l