It is true that some CB&Q cars had no fluting in the letterboards, but this was
confined only to the 9904-9905 sets (2nd TCZ) and the 9906-9907 sets (1st DZ).
Skirting *was* cut out for all pre-war cars. Unfortunately, the Walthers cars
feature Budd's later split-pane wide windows. These were used on few if any Q
cars (I'm away from my resource files at present). OTOH, making new pier panels
is a simple matter for even beginning kitbashers.
It's too bad that Walthers did not include the fluted letterboard, which was
much more common, on more railroads. IF Walthers could be persuaded to sell the
sideskirts separately (not likely from past experience), they could be
sawed/sanded paper-thin & applied to the blank panel. From there, a rich
variety of Q cars could be kitbashed just by adjusting length and window
arrangements!
We'll have to see as they actually hit the hobbyshops & can be experimented
with.
Marshall Thayer
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