MTL Mail/Baggage Car

[Chris333]

Look on youtube. People clean files by rubbing a piece of copper along the ridges.

[JoeD]

Classic Epic Railwire Forum Thread Drift alert     Squirrel? 

Joe

[eric220]

Classic Epic Railwire Forum Thread Drift alert     Squirrel? 

Joe

No... Turtle!   

[peteski]

No... Turtle!   

I LIKE TURTLES!

Josh,
I have dozens of different files I accumulated over decades.  It doesn't matter if a file is cheap or expensive - they will clog up with certain materials like plastic or soft metal like lead, aluminum, copper or Zamak.  I think I've read somewhere that running a piece of chalk over the file. surface (so the chalk gets deposited between the ridges) before filing will minimize clogging, but I have never tried it.

[eric220]

My baggage cars landed today. I've already swapped out the trucks for 3D-7P2's, and they are awaiting door swaps.

[reinhardtjh]

My baggage cars landed today. I've already swapped out the trucks for 3D-7P2's, and they are awaiting door swaps.

Shouldn't we be posting things like this in the actual baggage car thread and keeping this for the upcoming mail/baggage car (I know, between files, the baggage car and turtles it's really too late)?  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34932.0   

[eric220]

Shouldn't we be posting things like this in the actual baggage car thread and keeping this for the upcoming mail/baggage car (I know, between files, the baggage car and turtles it's really too late)?  https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34932.0   

Attribute that to "oops, wrong thread". 

[VonRyan]

@chicken45 I use American-made Nicholson files. I swear by them. I actually picked up a nice small flat/half-round for only $3 at a train show about a year or so ago. As for cleaning them, I either use an old natural fiber artist's paintbrush where the bristles have become short and stiff, or I use an old x-acto or scalpel blade. I also sometimes use warm water to help loosen things up, but dry the file immediately afterwards with a good soft cloth.

[thomasjmdavis]

You can get a set of Nicholson hobby files for under $20

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nicholson-5-1-2-in-Assorted-Hobby-Craft-Mini-File-Set-6-Piece-42030L/203336567

I've had mine for 15 years, probably best investment I ever made.  Use them everyday.  Square, round, triangle and several variations on "flat" including a tapered one.  The square one is great for windows and such, the flat one is really flat, and they work well on everything from styrene to brass.

Now back to our regular programming.  I pulled out my copy of Railroad Post Office History, which has a lot of photos of RPOs and RPO-baggage cars to look for cars that resemble the CB&Q prototype and came up with:

CN (which, apparently, had a car in CN paint and lettering running a route on CV to Springfield, Mass, in the 1960s, per the caption)
CGW
GN (lettered Empire Builder or GN)

And it is fairly close in configuration to ATSF, other than lacking the side sill.