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RE: (erielack) EL depressed flat cars

Curt Pope asked:

> One of my winter projects is to construct one or two of the 
> EL depressed flat cars in HO scale.  There was a wealth of 
> info and black & white photos in one of the early Diamonds 
> which I have a copy.  However, there was no mention as to 
> color of car and you can't tell from black & white photos.

All the EL/Erie depressed-center flats I've seen are painted black.

 
> Also, Paul or other members what decals would be appropriate 
> for the lettering on these cars?

I'm not sure if there's anything close. For the early EL cars (actually, for MOST of the EL cars, as they never got repainted all that often), the lettering was 9" Roman "EL" and 7" Roman roadnumbers. There will be a decal set coming out in the very near future for another project that will have that typeface on it with those elements.

The later cars were lettered in standard EL 9" Gothic, which you can cobble off my transfer caboose set (both the "EL" and the roadnumber) - you'll have to find the capacity data elsewhere. Someday (after I get more pressing decal projects out of the way) I'll do a "proper" flat car set, but until then, this should hold you over.

I actually started (but haven't finished, arrrgh!) my own depressed center flat project that I was going to write up for the Extra Board (now "From The Workbench"). I was inspired after seeing Preston Cook's photos of an EL 7600-series depressed center flat. (series 7600-7602, built by Maxson in 1974). This car is an almost exact match for the Walthers depressed-center span-bolster flat (which, by the way, was just re-released as a ready-to-run kit).

Biggest differences: Span bolster intra-truck spacing needed to be tightened by 1 scale foot, the well "ends" needed to have the downward "dip" removed, and the spacing of the side gussets need to be redone.

That last item is where I'm at now. :)

	- Paul

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