PRCo 1138

[Jim Holland]

Greetings!

Dietrich, Robert J. wrote:

> http://www.voicenet.com/~dietrich/prco1138.jpg

> The hourglass looks like a half-circle on this car which made me start to
> wonder. Looking in Volkner's book page 96 (if you can find the page numbers)
> the top photo shows 1506 very similar to the attached link of 1138.  The
> bottom photo on that page shows 1161 with less than a half circle.

> Now I know that both are right, but is 1161 (and others like it) a half
> circle that ends higher and lower, or is it an ellipse?  And if it an
> ellipse what is the shape.

	*Whatever* is being applied is being applied over a curved surface on
the prototype while a photograph is reducing the 3-dimensional image to
a single dimension.  Additionally, a photo depends on angle of viewing,
etc.  It is going to be difficult to tell.
	None of them appear to be a half-circle or the cream would protrude
further into the red at the belt rail and floor level.  It may be a true
circle but with a diameter larger than floor to belt rail.  That would
be my take.
	Move back to page 94; does it look like the curve begins at the back of
the vertical window post on 1532 and closer to center or front of same
post on 1161?
	Unless someone has *THE* original pattern for this, we shall actually
never know.  And it seems probable we need to allow for variations
depending on who was doing the painting.
	If you have *Traction Planbook* with the "O"--Scale JTC PCC plan, draw
a circle with a compass that touches the top of the floor rub rail and
the bottom of the belt rail.  Just do it on the side of the car since
the front end curves away on the prototype.  This will show how deep
into red territory the cream would have to come.

> I'm only curious for painting my models and I don't want to start another
> fire-storm about the red on this car.

	Are you painting your PRCo cars Fire Engine Red?

> Thanks.

> Bob

James B. Holland

        Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),   1930  --  1950
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