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Some kit Decals added to Decal Line and NYC Stock Car roofs and more Bx-26 kits

Some of our kit decals have been added to the decal product line. This doesn’t mean the kits or parts that they are sold with are discontinued, but simply that they are being offered as standalone decal sets, as well. The first ones to be added to the decal roster are:

The New York Central stock car roofs are back in stock.

Also, more Santa Fe Bx-26 kits have been added to inventory, although they are going fast…

Restock on XA-9 and some other stuff

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We are starting to get some of the CB&Q XA-9 auto cars back in stock. We have added some to inventory. We also have a few Sunshine kits – two PRR G27 gons with auto rack interiors (can be modeled as “straight” G27s) and a WP rebuilt box car. There are a few PM/C&O single sheathed auto cars, too.

Inventory levels on the XA-9 and PM/C&O cars will continue to build as well as some other oldies, but goodies.

Amherst Railroad Hobby Show and a teaser….

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Speedwitch will be at the 2016 Amherst Railroad Hobby Show. You can find us in the Mallary Building location 149F. Stop by and say hello

I am also excited to reveal that I have a new kit on the horizon. It’s been a long time since there has been a new Speedwitch kit. The Ann Arbor single sheathed box and auto cars are about to go into production. The master bodies are shown here. The kits will have cast resin one-piece bodies, underframe, and details, etched metal, styrene, and wire parts, our usual exacting decals plus exhaustive instructions with both prototype and modeling information. Thanks for waiting for these!

Updated inventory on kits

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The inventory of kits has been updated post-Cocoa Beach. There is one of the SP/T&NO A-50-4 kits available and several PM auto cars, as well as updates to the Southern gon, Soo ‘Sawtooth’ cars,  and Erie rebuilds. Between now and the end of the month, inventory should be available for some of the things that have yet to be re-released since Speedwitch rose from the ashes. New stuff is one the way, as well. Stay tuned.

We also still have the reprint of the relaunch decal sets. It letters over 20 cars and at $40.00, it’s an incredible bargain (there are several subjects on the set that you can use later this year on the coming Accurail 36′ double sheathed box cars.)

The Railroad Freight Service

There was recent post on Tony Thompson’s excellent blog, Modeling the SP, titled Waybill posts collected, that references a compilation of waybill posts on the blog into a single document, courtesy of Mike White. It’s a valuable resource, as is Tony’s blog, too. It got me thinking about a book that I have had for a number of years that could be looked at as something of a handbook to would-be freight railroaders, prototype or model. To quote the preface, “This book has been written primarily to be of assistance to officials and others in the railroad service, and to those in charge of the traffic and transportation activities of industries. It describes in detail the railroad freight services, freight traffic rules and practices, and the organization of the several departments by which the services are performed.” Sounds like what many of us are striving to do. The book is titled, The Railroad Freight Service. The images here show the table of contents and a couple of examples of forms included in the book. The hard part is locating a copy….

UTLX Fleet Diversity

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This image is actually a zoom-in-and-crop of a photo of an entirely different subject, but I found this four car UTLX lineup to be a compelling illustration of the diversity of the fleets of the large leasing companies during the Steam and Transition Eras. These four cars are all different prototypes, yet none were exceptions in the UTLX fleet. From left to right:

  • UTLX ?5969 (first digit unknown) is a UTLX X-3, one of the most common types in the fleet
  • UTLX 54771 is a GATC World War One era car with double rows of radially-oriented rivets
  • UTLX 56140 is a Standard Tank Car Co post-WW1 product
  • UTLX 58102 is a UTLX proprietary X type design

Enjoy!