Starting in mid-1962, a large B&O
and reporting marks were applied left of the door and the modern capitol dome emblem were applied right of the door. This was the “Capitol Dome Bill- board” scheme. B&O converted 25 M-53 boxcars to express cars in 1939. They were fitted with steam and air-signal lines, inter- nal lighting, floor drains and dual ser- vice air brakes. These cars were paint- ed Pullman green and between 1947 and 1949 they were repainted in Ban- do Blue. By May, 1959, B&O had con- verted all 25 express cars back to freight service. A profusely illustrated article by Pat
Wider on the M-53 was published in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia RP CYC No. 9. An article on the M-53 by Ted Culotta was published in the July, 2005, issue of RMC. The ExactRail model of the M-53 is
an impressive model in ExactRail’s Platinum Series. The model has the flat doors as built. It has factory-in- stalled eight-rung ladders, grab irons of 0.019-inch wire, brake rigging, cou- pler cut bars and air hoses. The run- ning boards have a wood grain surface representing wood.
It has factory-installed Kadee No. 58 couplers in narrow-style draft boxes. The trucks by ExactRail are 100-ton ASF Ride-control with CNC-machined 33″ wheels on metal axles. The weight of the ready-to-run model is three ounces. At the time of this writing, ExactRail
offers its M-53 model ready-to-run dec- orated in six B&O paint schemes. Ex- actRail describes the offered paint schemes as Early Kuhler, 1937, Wartime, Early 13 Great States, Ban- do Blue and Olive coach green. The paint color and finish is excellent. The lettering is sharp and complete, and matches photos of the prototype cars. An undecorated kit is also offered. Perhaps ExactRail will in future of-
fer the model decorated in other accu- rate B&O schemes. There are at least four additional lettering schemes that
could be offered. Decorated M-53 mod- els could also be offered with Youngstown Camel doors that were commonly installed after the war. The model is securely boxed in a protective plastic “clam-shell” package. Models and kits for the B&O M-53
have been offered by numerous manu- facturers but this superb ExactRail model is the best model offered to-date. Depending on the lettering scheme, these models by ExactRail are appro- priate for the period 1937 to the 1960’s. The price for the ready-to-run model is $32.95.— JOHN RIDDELL
New Haven Comettrain: HO scale Mfd. by Con-Cor International Ltd.,
8101 E. Research Court, Tucson, AZ 85710-6758;
www.all-railroads.com. Con-Cor has introduced a new HO
model the New York, New Haven & Hartford streamlined Comet 3-unit, ar- ticulated train of 1935. The model is an- other in the Con-Cor series of nicely-ex- ecuted models of notable trains including the CB&Q Pioneer Zephyr, UP M-10000, GM AeroTrain, and CNS&M Electroliner. The New Haven’s Comet was the re-
sult of a combination of several events. By 1934 there were clear signs of the beginning of a recovery from the Great Depression. Automobile traffic was in- creasing, and having a noticeable im- pact on railroad passenger traffic. In New Haven’s territory, highway U.S. 1 recently had been improved between Boston and Providence. Streamlining was becoming the style for everything from airplanes to electric toasters. The Burlington’s Zephyr and the Union Pa- cific’s M-10000 were operating success- fully with much publicity and favor- able public response. The Navy’s rigid airship USS Akron (ZRS-4) crashed in 1933, leading its builder Goodyear- Zeppelin Corp. to seek other potential markets. And lastly, one of FDR’s ma- jor New Deal programs, the Federal Emergency Administration for Public Works (later renamed Public Works Administration or PWA) was providing
Lookin o
ng for information abo
outO Modern O Scale, $24.95 + s&h.
Scale? We have it in our Guide to Moder
Join thJoin the OST Modelers NetwT Modelers Network and meet other O Scale modelers online at
www.oscalemag.com.at www
Now in our 11th year of publication. OST, PO Box 289, Exton PA 19341 *US rate. Non-US subscriptions are higher.
Now in OST, P US rate. No
82 Now
with P DF Update
JULY 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116