Did the Frisco ever own any caged freight cars for hauling circus animals or are these Frisco models complete jokes? I haven't been able to find any references to these anywhere on frisco.org.
I believe that these are supposed to be "chain cars", 104045-104091 class,which the Frisco used to deliver ties trackside. See the fist two images in this thread. http://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/tie-gang-at-mile-post-c89-6-may-1975.6563/
Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if I like the "oddness" of the flexi-flow hopper well enough to overlook the fact that the Frisco probably never had any. However, the tie cars in those images definitely look like the model. I'm going to buy one, cut some square sticks that I already have on hand to length, glue them in groups for each bay and stain them. Can anyone recommend a good stain for some HO scale ties out of a pack of tiny, pine, square sticks from Hobby Lobby?
Do a search for "Roco Cars Little Help" Those cars do indeed look like the Tie Chain cars the Frisco had, but they are modeled after a N&W car for pulpwood. They could easily be made to look like the tie cars. As far as stain, the "Grimy Black" is pretty good, that is the way they looked fresh out of the creosote plant. I know I unloaded enough of them, tough bad job. and I have the skin burns to prove it. Reminds me in 73, when the FRA just started, Frisco, as well as other rail lines, needed to fix the track, as per the FRA standards. They hired hundreds of workers in 73, and some of the newbie's started unloading ties out of gondola's. Well as you guessed they took off their shirts, because it was really hot. The next day, some had their eye's swelled shut and burns all over their upper body. Most just quit. A hard day in July They give us the cars that was too gooey to unload on the move on the main line. Jerome helped me with the identification of the cars, so he gets the credit.
Here are a couple at the "bay" Dan http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROCO-Austri...982063?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item5afde94daf and another. http://www.ebay.com/itm/H-O-Scale-S...930171?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item338d98bffb
I won a bid for an Accurail SLSF 5678 that closed around 3:40pm CDST. Here are a few more I've found. Obviously some sellers don't know what they have. "Animal Cage Car?" Really? Wouldn't you like to have been the guy who had to clean those. SLSF 5678 with the Frisco coonskin http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-2-vi...368696?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item35d48e65f8 SLSF 5678 also at http://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-Scale-Ga...893641?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item48645454c9 Check these out. Too funny: http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/d/w225/m/mPdxbTnlOGRQ2iQqM36hYmw.jpg http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mVBOA2RnVIN0D_BqJb-n0jg.jpg