So, I have several old Athearn blue box 50' plug door boxcars that I'm modernizing to my 1980 era. I have removed the roofwalks, filled the holes and matched the roof contour with no problem. My problem is the molded on ladders. I tried once before to remove them and the outcome was not anything I was happy with. Does anyone have a method they use or tool or technique that they could share? Or is this just a practice makes perfect kind of thing? 

I have this early 25' CP RR, 15 ton boxcar kit whose prototype was made in the 1860's. i'm looking for a picture or plan for the original. I'm told its in a rather pricey book (Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Vol. 4) but wondering if some kind soul who has it might share the one thing I need from it. Thanks. Alex

Earlier this year I supplimented the equipment on my layout "Denton Brook' with a narrow gauge self-propelled 'steam' crane. This is all 0 gauge (1:43), and the gauge is 14mm (scale 2ft gauge).

However, it needed to be a fully functioning radio controlled crane, to lift cable drums on the layout, loading and unloading the lorries that drive into the yard.

Starting another round of casting.  I built several resin kits that used flat castings and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be so I decided to try building a gon from flat castings.

I studied the P&R gon diagrams and there were 3 gons that used the same stake spacing on the sides, and the same ends.  Two used the same underframe.  Class GMa had 1 board high sides with 8 stakes, class GHa had 3 board high sides with 8 stakes and a flat bottom, class HS-a had 3 board sides with 8 stakes and a single hopper bottom.