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    Worked on detailing hopper 51 before work this morning.  It is ready to paint I do beleive.  I think that I can get the 52 finished tonight, and have it ready to paint tomorrow.  Think the balance of the week I can use to finish up the 06 finally and then use the weekend to design and build some boxcarish cars, perhaps a box and a reefer.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005
12:47
    So far this week hasn't panned out too well for railroading.  Did get Hopper 51 stenciled last night, but thats about the total extent of anything.  A couple hours work would see the 52 ready for paint.  Looks like new sawblades should be here tomorrow so I can work on more 50 series hoppers when I get some wood cut.  I have settled on a pair of boxcars for this weekends project.  These will be inside braced cars with truss rods as replacements for the 303 and 305 that box are looking a little ratty and not up to the standards of current construction.

    The rapid construction techniques I'm developing should work nicely for the new boxes.  As these are going to be operational models and not display ones, they won;t have opening doors or detailed underframes, details will be simple and robust as well.  Another thing I have been contemplating is cars to carry coke in.  Do I use standard hoppers, a converted hopper, a converted boxcar or a purpose built car?  I'm thinking mebbe a couple of stock cars that started out carrying mules for the mines, but have since been redesignated for coke service.  Or perhaps a bastrad chain of a converted box, converted mule cars, series 40 hoppers with coke racks, and then standard hoppers to fill the need.

    I think I need to work on my classification systems a little more.  I suspect I will end up with more than 10 of the truss sided hoppers thus I can;t continue to call them the 50 series.  Therefore I'm instituting the following system
 
 
 

16:27

    I'm thinking that this might be the winter that the WV&K goes knuckle coupler.  I have the casting developed and several cast up.  Think I will start with the Type IV hoppers and all new construction from this point will get the knuckles.  The older cars will be retrofitted as allowed.  I have knuckles for 16 cars currently, but one pair will have to be fitted to No7, and another to No6.

Thursday, Novemeber 17, 2005
17:20

    As they say about the best laid plans of mice and men.......My day off tomorrow is naught but a wistful memory, and with them the hope of a productive construction of a pair of boxcars over the weekend.  The plus side is that its 100% overtime!  I have decided to outfit all three of the Type IV hoppers with knuckles and cut levers, then finish off the 06 combine, itself already being fitted with knuckles.