Monday, April 14, 2014

My recent _Trainline_ column, and decal news

In the most recent issue of the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society magazine Trainline, my regular column, about modeling the SP, was entirely devoted to ways to correct the HO scale model by InterMountain of a 12-panel box car to match the SP prototypes of classes B-50-25 and -26. Probably the biggest visual change recommended is the substitution of correct doors. Both the early “wide-seam” door of the 1946-built B-50-25 cars, and the subsequent “standard” welded door of the later -25 cars and all of Class B-50-26 (both pictured in the column) can be obtained from Southwest Scale Productions. For more information, you can visit: http://www.southwestscale.com/Freight-Car-Details_c3.htm .
     The column described a conversion kit for the InterMountain model which has been offered by Andy Carlson; it includes a car body and details to accomplish all the needed changes to make a correct SP box car. My column also offers recommendations for trucks, running boards, and decals. Andy’s kit costs $27, though availability may vary from time to time, depending on his parts sources, so I recommend being prepared to be patient. You can email him at this address: midcentury@sbcglobal.net .
     That issue of Trainline, No. 119 for Spring 2014, is now available for sale on the Society’s website at this link: http://www.sphtsstore.org/servlet/the-Trainline-back-issues/s/113/Categories . Price is $9.95 for anyone wishing to obtain one.
     An important item of decal news in that column is that the fine Speedwitch decal set for classes B-25 and -26 (and which can be used for a number of other SP box car classes too) has been reprinted. It is Item D110, and you can order it at this link: http://speedwitchmedia.com/product/d110-southern-pacific-and-texas-new-orleans-b-50-25-aar-box-car/ . Speedwitch has also reprinted their set D114, for SP and T&NO 1937 AAR box cars, covering classes B-50-18 through B-50-21, and B-50-23.
     The prototype information in that column is abbreviated for space reasons, but all the specifics on car specialties is contained in my Volume 4, Box Cars, in the series Southern Pacific Freight Cars. That volume has been out of stock at Signature Press for some time, but has been revised and enlarged (it’s now 16 pages longer), and is expected shortly from the printer. As soon as it is in stock at our warehouse, it can be ordered securely from the Signature Press website at: http://www.signaturepress.com/thompson/SPF4.html .
Tony Thompson

3 comments:

  1. Tony,

    Will those of us who already own the 1st. Ed. of Vol. 4 have an opportunity to acquire the additional 16 pages as an addendum?

    George Corral

    ReplyDelete
  2. The pages are scattered in different chapters, but yes, a PDF could be created of the new pages. However, a number of other new photos have been added to the book by rearranging or resizing existing photos and pages, and text is rewritten on several older pages to reflect the content of the new pages, so the entirety of the changes would not be captured in those 16 pages. Plus several errors and typos are corrected in different parts of the book, and these also are not on the new pages. So a PDF of just new pages would not really reflect the revised book, and we don't plan to offer that PDF at this time.
    Tony Thompson

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  3. I sent Andy an email and it bounced. I found I had to correct the email address to midcentury@sbcglobal.net

    Ken

    ReplyDelete