There is a lot to update…

First, a new kit: the CB&Q/C&S/FW&D XM-25/-26. Board-by-board patterns, a fully detailed underframe, accurate decals… a beautiful model.

Next, a new book for pre-order ($36.00 until November 11, $42.00 thereafter): Focus on Freight Cars, Volume Eight: Refrigerator Cars 3

Restocks on many parts, a number available of the first time in years:

• P101 – Soo Line 75800-series Automobile Car doors
• P110.1 – Southern Postwar AAR Box Car Parts Set – Superior Door
• P110.2 – Southern Postwar AAR Box Car Parts Set – Improved Youngstown Door
• P115 – Pittsburgh & West Virginia Postwar AAR Box Car
• P116 – Gulf, Mobile & Ohio 35200-series Automobile Car
• P117.1 – Wabash AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Superior 7-panel door
• P117.2  – Wabash Postwar AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Superior 7-panel door
• P117.3 – Ann Arbor Postwar AAR Box Car, bolster-to-bolster side sill, Youngstown door
• P118 – Pressure Head Cylinder and Integral Lever Bracket

Finally, a new decal set: Santa Fe AAR 70-ton 65’6″ Gondolas (Ga-47/-48/-55/-70)

P.S. the Ann Arbor cars were almost entirely sold out at Lisle. I’ll have a handful at the NJ Garden State RPM this Saturday and then we hope to restock by year’s end.

P.P.S. the ’32 ARA revised editions are coming… there were some changes to the layout that took longer than I guessed and I also incorporated some images acquired at Lisle. Please be patient, it’ll be worth it! ETA of about two weeks and shipped out immediately thereafter.

We have a few product updates and a couple new decals, as well. Also, Focus on Freight Cars, Vol. Six has arrived and Vol. Seven is at the printer.

We have new quantities of the Pressed Steel Car 8,000 gallon tank car kits:

• K122.1 – North American (NATX)
• K122.2 – A. E. Staley (AESX)

We also have some parts sets back in the fold that were available long ago. You can use a Branchline kit from Atlas (here, but need to contact Atlas to specify door opening size):

• P108 – Erie Postwar AAR box car, Youngstown door, Universal Rotary brake adjuster
• P113.1 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Youngstown door
• P113.2 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Superior 7-panel door
• P113.3 – Louisville & Nashville Postwar AAR box car, Improved Youngstown door
• P114 – Santa Fe Bx-44 Postwar AAR box car, Improved Youngstown door

Decals:

• D171 – Chesapeake & Ohio 9500-series Automobile Cars
• D172 – Missouri Pacific Murphy roof Covered Hoppers
• D172K – Missouri Pacific Murphy Roof Covered Hoppers with IM undec kit

More stuff is in the works…

There is a lot of new stuff to update… here goes!

Pre-publication orders are being accepted for Focus on Freight Cars, Volume Seven: Rebuilt Box & Automobile Cars. $36.00 through October 2 and $42.00 thereafter. Delivery in the second half of October. More details here

Pre-publication orders are also being accepted for the thoroughly revised edition of the 1932 ARA Box Car book. $60.00 through October 8 and $70.00 thereafter. Delivery in the second half of October. More details here

Restocks of resin stuff (more is coming)

• K111 – Pere Marquette/C&O single sheathed automobile car
• P100 – SAL AF-3 Automobile car doors
• P103 – 1932 ARA Youngstown doors with early Camel Roller Lift fixtures
• P104 – P&LE rebuilt box car doors

New decals available:

• D162 – International-Great Northern (MP) 50-ton AAR War Emergency flat car (includes pulpwood version)
• D163 – Union Pacific F-50-11 AAR 50-ton flat cars
• D164 – Texas & New Orleans G-50-19/-21/-24 War Emergency-design composite gondolas
• D166 – Western Pacific PFE Reconditioned/Rebuilt refrigerator car
• D168 – Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23 refrigerator car as-built (‘1946’ scheme)
• D169 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-18 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1946’ scheme)
• D170 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-21 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1942’ scheme)

ONE NOTE: New offerings will have new and different reweigh, repack, and brake test stencils created for each set, meaning there will be different combinations in each set, providing modelers with new data in each set for their specific modeling era. For example, the data in these PFE sets is different for each set, making it easy to add reweigh, repack and brake test stencils for your era that are always different.

P.S. Focus on Freight Cars, Volume 6 is complete and we are awaiting books from the printer. They’ll ship as soon as they are here, likely end of next week.

I have posted three new sets that are now available for purchase:

• D162 – International-Great Northern (MP) 50-ton AAR War Emergency flat car (includes pulpwood version)
• D163 – Union Pacific F-50-11 AAR 50-ton flat cars
• D164 – Texas & New Orleans G-50-19/-21/-24 War Emergency-design composite gondolas

For the moment, I am holding off on the two PFE sets mentioned in the previous post, for two reasons. First, there was a printing error on one set. Second, I have also added two additional PFE sets that will be released at the same time. So, these are what is coming, but not yet available:

• D166 – Western Pacific PFE Reconditioned/Rebuilt refrigerator car
• D168 – Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23 refrigerator car as-built (‘1946’ scheme)
• D169 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-18 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1946’ scheme)
• D170 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30/40-21 Rebuilt refrigerator car (‘1942’ scheme)

ONE NOTE: New offerings will have new and different reweigh, repack, and brake test stencils created for each set, meaning there will be different combinations in each set, providing modelers with new data in each set for their specific modeling era. For example, the data in these PFE sets is different for each set, making it easy to add reweigh, repack and brake test stencils for your era that are always different.

The following sets are coming:

• D162 – International-Great Northern (MP) 50-ton AAR War Emergency flat car (includes pulpwood version)
• D163 – Union Pacific F-50-11 AAR 50-ton flat cars
• D164 – Texas & New Orleans G-50-19/-21/-24 War Emergency-design composite gondolas
• D166 – Western Pacific PFE Reconditioned/Rebuilt refrigerator car
• D168 – Pacific Fruit Express R-40-23 refrigerator car as-built (‘1946’ scheme)

The next installment in the Focus on Freight Cars series is available for pre-order, with the same discounted price we have been offering on previous volumes (through Sept. 10). This volume highlights the cars of the Santa Fe Refrigerator Despatch and Merchants Refrigerator Despatch, including Dry-Ice Refrigerator Line.

For more information, including ordering details, click here.

We are getting into something of a groove now with the FOFC series. Vol. 4 hard copies arrive this week and will be shipped immediately. That is a nice segue to the news that pre-orders are now being accepted for Focus on Freight Cars, Volume Five: Steel Automobile Cars. Pre-orders placed through August 10 will be at a discounted price of $36.00 (regular price is $42.00). The purchase includes a free digital copy of the book, as well. For more details and ordering information, please click here.

There appears to be some confusion about the Focus on Freight Cars series such that I thought it a good idea to pen a brief synopsis of the books so that people have a better understanding of the scope and extent. The series is the brainchild of Al Hoffman, who found the negatives through his friendship with Michael Urac, the owner of the collection of negatives. Al conceived the idea of the books and approached Richard Hendrickson about writing the accompanying text and captions for volumes one and two.

As most of you know, both Richard Hendrickson and Michael Urac have passed, leaving the torch to be carried by me, albeit in my lesser capacity than Richard, given his encyclopedic knowledge of freight equipment.

An extremely common misconception about the books is that they are the result of careful sorting and culling of subject matter. In reality, the books include only photos in the collection and none that are not part of the collection. This is one of the appealing qualities of these works; the images have not been published in any other format, with a few exceptions where they were shared for use in prototype data sheets for freight car kits and similar uses. To reiterate and reinforce, only what is in the collection is included in these books. The books are not intended to be interpreted as an all-encompassing study of freight equipment. They are merely what was captured by the photographer. Since the photos were to be used to create models, they include many exceptional detail images that are of great value to modelers and researchers alike.

Segueing from the previous paragraph, it bears reiterating that the work collectively is not intended to be the definitive look at freight equipment of the era. A common query is why such and such a car from a specific railroad is not included. The reason is simple: if there is not a photograph of a car in the collection, it is not included. The reasoning is that basic. There are no slights or omissions intended.

Looking to the future, there are still many volumes to be presented, including another on single sheathed cars, steel automobile cars, rebuilt steel box and automobile cars, several additional volumes on refrigerator cars, a volume on head-end equipment, plus a “catch-all” volume covering what is left over that in and of itself is not enough to present in a single volume, including tank cars, stock cars, flat cars, and gondolas.

Ted Culotta

Pre-orders are now being accepted for Focus on Freight Cars, Volume Four: Steel Box Cars. The purchase includes a free digital copy of the book, as well. For more details and ordering information, please click here.

Now available is decal set D161 – Pacific Fruit Express R-30-9 with ‘1948’ black & white SP medallion/UP shield. This letters a car in a scheme that I had never seen photographic evidence of to prove its existence… until now. Prototype photo and ordering information may be accessed by clicking.