>From Dick Karnes
Dave Engle ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Richard Karnes <rnk2...@yahoo.com> To: David Engle <riroc...@att.net> Cc: Henry <tennsga...@aol.com>; Bothwell <jamie.bothw...@verizon.net> Sent: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 12:52 PM Subject: Re: Chester cars Dave -- Bill Stewart started Midgauge Models. He produced a line of boxcar and express reefer kits as well as the smooth-side aluminum-extrusion passenger cars you mention (60-foot shorties and 85-foot full length). He also put out a kit for a scale PRR K-5 Pacific that used AF pacific boiler and tender superstructures. He had some sort of exchange arrangement with Gilbert for this, but I forget the details. It could be that he supplied Gilbert with the fluted aluminum extrusions for the AF streamliners, but I'm not sure. Rollie Mercier would know. As far as I know, Bill never marketed fluted extrusions to S scalers. The Midgauge line also included cast white metal kits for superstructures for the Alco S-4 and EMD SW-1, intended to be powered by Miller power trucks. And there was a kit that converted the AF streamlined coach body to a self-powered carbody. The primary component of this kit was a front end casting that replaced the AF car end. Midgauge became Sylvania when Stewart passed his firm to Gene Fletcher, who kept only the passenger car line. The Chester cars came in the following varieties: baggage, baggage-mail, RPO, combine, coach, roomette, diner, observation. When JC Models briefly entered the S scale market around 1980, they reprised the Chester sides, but offered equivalent smooth-side kits as well. The original Chester kits contained only the corrugated aluminum P-S sides, wood floor and roof, two wood blocks to be used as spacers between the roof and the floor, celluloid strips for window glass, two flat aluminum ends devoid of any detail, and eight short wood screws to attach these ends to the floor and roof ends. The J-C kits were much more complete; they even included detailed cast ends that even today are highly sought. Dick Karnes From: David Engle <riroc...@att.net> >To: S-Scale <S-Scale@yahoogroups.com> >Cc: Henry <tennsga...@aol.com>; Bothwell <jamie.bothw...@verizon.net>; Richard >Karnes <rnk2...@yahoo.com> >Sent: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 6:40 AM >Subject: Chester cars > > > > The cars I have are all the pre-war PS pattern, that is, the upper >letterboard is half smooth, half-corrugated. I have never seen, let alone >owned , any smooth-side cars. The only possible exception is several cars >that are smooth except for a horizontal rail above and below the windows; I >understand those are aluminum extrusions by Sylvania, whomever they were. >Midgage is known for the long extrusions that I understand were actually made >by AF to match AF cars. > >I remember getting 3 cars in 1957 or 58, then trading them to Doc Johnson in >St. Louis for 2 AF coaches and a Midgage express reefer at the St.Louis MCoR >convention. By their 1962 convention, I was set in my all-scale ways; in >1968 I acquired all 3 Chester cars back plus about a dozen or so more, but >never really put them in service--no trucks at the time. I doubt I have all >the different sides that Chester offered. I acquired a shortened RPO from >Dick Karnes in those days, and it is on the layout as a straight RPO. More >recently, he has done an observation car from Chester sides, etc; > >I remember that a local railcar repair shop in the '90s had one of the L&N >head end cars, full-length, 3 doors; by then it was a monster pigeon >sanctuary. AFAIK, there is a Chester match for that car. > >Maybe we could go back through the Model Railroader mags of the '50s and find >the ads I looked at then. Also, has anyone compared the Chester side >offerings to what Union Station Products offers for. Southern, L&N, etc., > >Jamie, Earl; Thank you very much for your very informative responses already. > >Dave Engle > >
