OK, here's one for the experts.....
In re-reading Duke's book on RDC's, I noticed a picture of a Budd RDC boarding passengers at Wells River, VT. Visible, but not legible, is what appears to be a trust plate on the letterboard adjacent to the illuminated number board on the car's long or "A" (six wndow) end. There are three lines of text, but as I mentioned, it's not legible, even under magnification. Anyone have any idea what these plates read? It looks to be too much lettering for something to the effect of "Property of Boston and Maine Railroad Company". I began looking more closely at the pics in the book and noticed other examples;
One builders photo of B+M RDC-1 6100 (their first RDC-1) shows the plate, but only two very short lines of text. It almost appears to be a builders plate w/model designation. In another early photo of 6145 (from the 1955 delivery) taken shortly after entering service, there's a plate, but it's difficult to make out how many lines of text are on this particular one.
In other photos of B+M Budds I've seen, you can sometimes just glimpse the plates, in other pics they're not discernible due to distance, clarity of the shot, etc.
Similar plates can be seen on photos of NH RDC's also, on both sides of the short or "B" (five window) end, and B+O's early RDC's too.
In re-reading Duke's book on RDC's, I noticed a picture of a Budd RDC boarding passengers at Wells River, VT. Visible, but not legible, is what appears to be a trust plate on the letterboard adjacent to the illuminated number board on the car's long or "A" (six wndow) end. There are three lines of text, but as I mentioned, it's not legible, even under magnification. Anyone have any idea what these plates read? It looks to be too much lettering for something to the effect of "Property of Boston and Maine Railroad Company". I began looking more closely at the pics in the book and noticed other examples;
One builders photo of B+M RDC-1 6100 (their first RDC-1) shows the plate, but only two very short lines of text. It almost appears to be a builders plate w/model designation. In another early photo of 6145 (from the 1955 delivery) taken shortly after entering service, there's a plate, but it's difficult to make out how many lines of text are on this particular one.
In other photos of B+M Budds I've seen, you can sometimes just glimpse the plates, in other pics they're not discernible due to distance, clarity of the shot, etc.
Similar plates can be seen on photos of NH RDC's also, on both sides of the short or "B" (five window) end, and B+O's early RDC's too.
"You're so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece! Did your parents have any children that lived?" R. Lee Ermey
