Tom.
Thinking about the recessed doors. It would make sense to go with a sliding door if the cars were spotted next to buildings or platforms with overhangs. It would get old quick having to stop. Open and tie back the doors and then spot the car.
The olive drab paint wouldn't be too far off of believable. Look to the PRR on their B60 baggage cars. The trucks were painted olive drab for the beginning of their careers. As far as I know, no other express or passenger/ head end had olive drab trucks. Possibly easier to see what type of car is in the yard from a distance. Being a headend car it would be equipped with steam line and possibly a signal cord.
All this is speculation on my part but logical. Hope you hear something soon.
Pete.
Rich,
Yea, I tried clicking the contact links using both Firefox and MS Edge and neither one yielded a "new web browser window or tab" pop-up. As you suggested, I guess I'll have to contact them via snail mail.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Tom,
Out of curiosity, I went to the ELRRHS website and got the same results that you got.
Here is the website statement about email contacts.
Please feel free to contact our volunteers and staff with your questions, comments, or any other business relevant to the ELRRHS. All initial email communication is done through the ELRRHS website.
A new email using your email program will not be launched when any of the contact links are clicked on. Instead a new web browser window or tab will be launch containing a web email form for the specified contact.
We had to remove all email address links our articles due to the incessant practice of email address harvesting by spammers. You may conduct an email conversation with the volunteer once the initial contact has been made and they have responded to your initial email.
You may have better luck writing to the ELRRHS at the following address which is shown on the website.
ELRRHS
P.O. Box 431
Avoca, NY 14809
Hope this helps.
Rich
Alton Junction
Well, I've emailed two different people at the ELRRHS with my query (One 2/18/22; the other 3/8/22) and no one has responded yet. I do not get the new web browser window mentioned on the EERRHS contact page. If I click on a name, Outlook opens up and I get their email address. So, it looks like my emails are not being delivered.
I'll be sure to let you know should I hear back from them, Pete. I love this particular forum because there is SO much interesting prototype information that I am completely ignorant of and fascinated by.
You peaked my curiosity. I hope you hear back with the proper information. I know nothing about the Erie except for it being built to a six foot gauge and was actually late in the conversion to standard gauge. The actually tried dual gauge trucks for a short time. That and the scandals that surounded the management. It wouldn't surprise me that maintenance records of class upgrades are unreliable or lost to time. I've heard many a story about boiler inspections being done on paper and solid bearing repack data being just a restencil.
Pete & Ed - Thanks. FYI: I emailed the ELRHS last night and asked them questions about the ex-milk/express boxcars, as well as the ASM offerings. I hope to hear from them soon and will report back when they do.
I agree that the "olive-drab" paint is not correct for the color. Of course, head-end cars were notoriously filthy and perhaps the model builder chose a color based on a dirty car?
I've used the Scalecoat Erie Green which I find to be "greener" than Pullman green but not quite as green as REA or coach green.
Erie_ten-hundred by Edmund, on Flickr
I have paged through several of my Erie books as well as issues of the historical society's The Diamond magazine looking for difinitive answers to the door issue.
Like so many transitions, rebuilds and modifications this change seemed to take place over a ten-year period or more. An article I have regarding the construction of the first Erie bay window caboose in 1941 mentions the "Dunmore" trucks coming from milk refrigerator cars that are "presently" being rebuilt into express cars.
This is the earliest reference I've found to the "conversion" however in looking at photos of passenger and milk trains there were still cars with the hinged doors found in 1953. I found quite a few photos showing the recessed sliding door in frequent service all through the early 1950s.
The Erie bought 55 of these cars initially and from what I gather had a total of 100 so it would stand to reason that not all of them were converted at once but on an as needed (or NOT needed as milk cars) basis.
I know the distinctive trucks wound up under many of the Erie cabooses as the express cars were being phased out.
Good Luck, Ed
Is there an Erie RR historical society? There usually is a good modelers group in them. I've been a long time member of the PRRT&HS. They have an online publication for everyone called the TKM. Loads of fantastic information. The NYC and the B&O do the same.
This is kinda an addendum to my query about the ASM (American Scale Models) Erie milk boxcars on the General Discussion forum. My understanding is that these were first produced from 1935-37:
They were later outfitted with inside sliding doors when they were placed into ex-milk/express service:
What I'd like to confirm is what year these doors were installed on these boxcars?
The limited amount of info I've been able to find on them so far seems to indicate the late 50s. I like the unique look of the recessed sliding doors. However, it wouldn't fit my era if the doors were installed at that time.
Also, what color would these have been painted? The ASM boxcars are an army green, which looks rather odd to me:
Would the color be closer to a pullman or REA green found on other express reefers?
Thanks for the help...