Just got back from Cocoa Beach. The IM car is a model of an ART car. The ART car was owned by ART only. The paint schemes while very nice are bogus. IM is painting them in the schemes recoup their portion of the tooling costs. Frankly I'd love some Wilson Reefers but unfortunatly these models are not correct. The models was covered on the STMFC list a few months ago. I have copied a few messages from Ed Hawkins below. 12/19/05 "The new MPHS/ARM model will represent 450 prototype cars assigned to series 24000-24449 and built from late 1939 to early 1945" 2/27/05 "This ART reefer project is a joint venture of the Amarillo Railroad Museum and Missouri Pacific Historical Society. Sunshine offers the 1939-early 1945 version having square-corner Dreadnaught Ends (24000-24449) and the 1946-1948 postwar version with Improved Dreadnaught Ends. The InterMountain model would be the first accurate ART car of this type to be done in plastic and represents the 1939-early 1945 version with square-corner ends. ART also had 325 cars built with Dreadnaught Ends having round corners in mid-1945 to 1946, but these have not been produced in plastic or cast urethane as far as I know. All 775 of these ART reefers were assembled by ART at their St. Louis shops from kits (sides, underframes, and various steel details) furnished by AC&F. Presently the ARM and MPHS are working with InterMountain in developing a new pair of sides and an additional detail parts tree (with unique ART parts, including a Universal XL hand brake) that will supplement other parts that are common to InterMountain's PFE R-40-10 model (ends, roof, underframe and a number of detail parts). When the ARM and MPHS approve test shots furnished by InterMountain, the project can then go forward into full production. The plan is to offer assembled models in at least three paint schemes and the as-built scheme (used by ART to 1947) also offered as decorated kits. At this time I do not know when models will be available for purchase. Hope this helps. Regards, Ed Hawkins" Brian J Carlson P.E. Cheektowaga NY The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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