The attached Burlington cars were built last winter and spring. The troop kitchens and XM-33 express cars were Walthers plastic kits with added steam, signal, and air hoses and painted for mail-baggage-express
service. The GM-4 gondolas were also Walthers kits that were enhanced according to the article by Jerry Hamsmith in The Zephyr No. 48. The FM-14 flat cars were Chad boas resin castings that were reworked to match CB&Q practice and given board by board wood
decks. I used Jerry Hamsmith decals for the flat cars and gondolas, Speedwitch decals for the XM-33 boxcars, and Micro Scale decals for the troop kitchens. The reefers were Sunshine resin kits. The gondola load used culverts from Iowa Scale Engineering, and
the transformer and furnace flat car loads are Resin Car Works kits. I picked up the pipe load at a train show, and I don’t know who built it.
Some of the plastic cars were undecorated kits, and some where factory painted for other roads. I stripped the factory painted cars by soaking them in 91% isopropanol overnight and scrubbing them
with a soft toothbrush. I used Tru Color paints and Model Master Clear Gloss and Clear Flat. The steam, signal, and air hoses were Cal Scale. I posted the process for casting new ends and the technique for adding window bars to the troop kitchens earlier.
Nelson Moyer
