[david bunn]

Hi guys
I am in the process of 'upscaling' all my big hauler rolling stock and have completed a flat car, two box cars,a wooden gondola and a long caboose.Pics of the gondola have been posted and I will post pics of the others soon.
However despite reading that the passenger cars would be nigh impossible to do I have taken the plunge, first off to get the razor saw taken to it is a baggage car.The roof wasn't too bad to do but I decided to scratch new sides out of ply overlaid with scribed thin balsa sheet and new window frames of styrene.
This car will scale out at around 8ft wide x 38ft long and is based on a slightly shortened version of DRGW car no60.
My query is over the colour of REA cars like this, I have pics of no60 from various sites but cannot work out whether it is dark green, dark blue or a dark grey!!!!!!!!!!!!Although this will not be an exact model I would like to get the colour something like.
If this project turns out ok I will turn my attention to a combine and a passenger car.
Regards
Bunny

 

[rgolding]

Bunny?

Okay

I don't know that I can be the most accurate person to ask on the subject , but feel you do deserve an answer. If I remember correctly, the REA trucks were green. I believe they were just a dark green. Not so much a "Pullman Green". I'm basing this on past memory and a book by V. S. Roseman, called "Railway Express Agency - an Overview".

I hope this prompts debate, so you can get something you can live with.

 

[Torby]

Don't know why passenger cars would be impossible. Some of the guys have built some beauties.

I didn't reply 'cause I can't be of much help with REA specifics.

 

[peter bunce]

Hi David,
Sorry to correct you BUT Car 60 is a RPO car, not an REA car; true one(smaller that the RPO portion), end is a baggage area, and that has REA on the exterior. That is because the D&RG used the REA system, C&S used the other one -Adams. The car was owned by the D&RG, and had to conform to the US Mail regulations re the size and fitting out decreed by the US mail who changed their minds several times.

I think that the parcel would be sent by REA if its destination was off the D&RG, or had come from off the D&RG otherwise and likely to be cheaper it would be by the D&RG system for parcels, and then the D&RG made the money for the freight!.

The color in D&RG service would be Pullman Green, before 1912 it was red/maroon. As usual the car was rebuilt quite a lot.

 

[david bunn]

Thanks for the advise and help guys,green it is then. I had noticed the differences between the current state of #60 as the drawings I have all show the car with passenger car style ends and overhanging roof.
Progress on this car is going well with the basic body done, new sides from ply with an overlay of thin balsa with the planking scribed on, don't know how effective this will be when painted but we shall see!!
My comments on the passenger cars was based on an old post I read which may have actually said that it was difficult, apologies, however this car has given me confidence to attack the others which at the moment are shivering in fear on the shelf!
regards
Bunny