Not much progress on my St Charles 1898 "Phase Zero" coal car--covering summer vacations for the younger doctors in the group, with kids, have left me in the hospital a lot, with little modeling time.
But I walked out to the mailbox and found a pleasant surprise, the July/August copy of the
Gazette.
But an even greater surprise was found on pages 41, 42, 43: Our own contributor, Dr Robert Stears, has published 3 pages of plans for both St Charles coal car classes. The "Phase Zero-zero" three board high cars that were built for the UPD&G in 1897, and the more familiar "Phase Zero" St Charles cars of 1898 with four board sides. Included are smaller drawings showing every lettering style that these two classes of cars ever carried, from building to abandonment.
This may be enough inspiration to get me off my butt and back to building my own first attempt at a "Phase Zero" St Charles coal car, as above.
The art work for the lettering diagrams is superb, I would hope that The Leadville Shops might produce decal sets for each of the cars shown!
Stay cool,
Jim
Jim Courtney
Poulsbo, WA