3D printing a structure

I’ve met several people modeling the 1920s. Dr. Dave Campbell has focused on part of the Toledo & Ohio Central in western Ohio. He shared this update on a recent structure project.

My real-world modeling skills have always been somewhat limited and have not improved in my advancing years. At the same time, my virtual modeling has become a strength.

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Missouri Pacific boxcar fleet

Steven Hedlund shared an interesting review of the Missouri Pacific boxcar fleet. His profile includes subsidiary Lines and historical notes on how the company grew. The MP was a major bridge route between western states and rail connections at St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans.

Missouri Pacific boxcars pop up in many pre-1930 images. Steve reviews several car designs and lettering changes through the first decades of the 20th Century. His Missouri Pacific PDF can be reviewed in the Freight Car Fleets resource section of the blog.


In other Missouri Pacific news, a new book is coming soon from the MP Railroad Historical Society. Charlie Duckworth has curated selected photographs from the Society archives for a 160 page book. Additional details can be reviewed on the Society Store.


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Chicago & Alton freight cars

Ray Breyer has authored a mid-Twenties railroad freight car fleet profile on the Chicago & Alton. The line was a busy connector between the Chicago, Kansas City, and St. Louis railroad hubs. Many are aware of the C&A passenger varnish, but the freight car fleet was also important.

As the C&A was once owned by the Harriman syndicate, several of the car designs are related to other Harriman roads (SP, IC, UP). Ray’s Chicago & Alton PDF can be reviewed in the Freight Car Fleets resource section.


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Iron Range cars

Bob Hanmer sent several photos and details on a few neat projects that he recently completed. Here’s his story.

I spent last summer working on older, pre-1920 cars for service on my HO scale model railroad. The DM&IR continued to use some of these old boxcars and ore cars into 1958, the year I model. Since Dan Holbrook’s Signature Press book, “The Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Equipment: 1883-2004,” came out at the end of 2019, I was able to find information and photographs of the equipment and complete the projects.

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Shawmut coal gondolas

Perry Squier has added several coal gondolas to his HO scale Shawmut layout. Perry sent the following photos and notes.

A distinctive freight car missing from my layout were the 6001-6500 series drop bottom gondolas bought by the Pittsburg Shawmut & Northern in 1907. These 50-ton capacity, 40-foot gondolas had steel centersills and wood sides. They also had a 4-foot, 8.5-inch interior height with six drop doors. These were big cars on the Shawmut.

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