Hello all,

These cars are shipping! I received my 4-pack yesterday. A brief review, as I've started to assemble them already...

 

The kit contains a one-piece resin main body, several pieces of wire for brake piping and long grabs, pre-bent grab irons, Kadee #57 couplers, and a resin "sheet" of additional parts - ends, side braces, interior bracing, hopper doors, etc. Fortunately, not too many parts, so this isn't too tough of a resin kit. It also comes with a pewter-cast centersill under frame for additional weight, but even with metal trucks (not included, the only thing it doesn't come with), this car could probably stand to use a little more weight. I plan on putting ballast in mine (1974 EL service shows them being used for ballast).

 

Jim Harr has done a wonderful job on the masters for this kit - the castings are razor sharp and nicely detailed.  Oh yeah, the car comes with decals for Erie and both EL variations (Roman and Gothic reporting marks) done by some little decal outfit in Dover, NJ  ;)

 

I had a pleasant evening watching TV last night with the wife while cleaning up flash from the parts and drilling out the holes for the grab irons, all of which went smoothly. I also test-fit many of the interlocking parts (very ingeniously done, it works well!). The rest of the "effort" here is simply going to be ACC-ing the whole thing together. Very impressed so far!

 

Any Erie or EL modeler could stand to pick up a 2-pack or two... :)  These cars are very distinctive, with their varying side stake widths and the signature "tilted in" tops.

 

Paul

 

Paul R. Tupaczewski

Lucent Technologies

Mobility Solutions                              Phone: 973-386-4966

MASD Enterprise Apps and                 Fax: 973-386-4147

Performance Test Team

67 Whippany Road, Room 15D-116 

Whippany, NJ 07981