Today I have several mystery parts not mentioned in my book that you may have around too.

First though, when you think of pressed cardboard ends you probably think of Eastern first, seen below. I would think of them first, as my first OO model was an Eastern kit with these ends.

You might also think of Graceline/Transportation Models ends. Those parts are similar, pressed into a yellow cardboard material (“comprestic”), and have Graceline marked on the parts in the margins of the stamping.

Then we have a the pressed cardboard Nason ends. Nason? I was digging for something else and found that I had an envelope of these, clearly marked and seen below. They came in two designs and were a post-war product, not appearing in any of their catalogs.

And now we get to some real mystery parts. The first set below, these are doors for double door boxcars and are stamped in brass. One set of four, at top in the photo, have been soldered onto a steel backing, a good idea if you were to actually use these.

Next is just this one example of a brass door and end stamping in brass.

The next set of ends and doors has ends of two different heights and also doors. The final one on the right is turned over. This material is not metal, it is a yellow comprestic material with for the lack of a better term one side “metalized,” coated some how with a shiny aluminum. The example on the far right shows the appearance of the reverse side.

Finally, another type of double door boxcar doors in stamped brass. These are really very nice, but I have no idea the maker — which for all of these says a lot. Maybe you have other examples in your parts supply?

To close, I can show an example of how these were made, more or less. In with the Nieter molds was this die someone made using a stamped brass Scale-Craft 50′ boxcar end and some resin material. I’m afraid to use it too aggressively, I believe it would shatter, but something like standard paper can be impressed easily with the ends pattern.