BestSnowman,

I was born in Grand Rapids & raised a "Ranger" in Itasca County, land of a 1000 lakes, many of which I've fished.  My dad worked 35 years for Cleveland Cliffs in the test lab at their Holman Mine.
 
I recently bought Bachmann DM&IR iron ore cars from MB Klein at modeltrainstuff.com.

I've bought Bachmann GN heavyweight passenger cars, a Bachmann 4-8-4 & a Spectrum DM&IR 2-10-2 on eBay from thefavoritespot.com, which says it is an authorized Bachmann dealer.  They often put NIB items for auction & also sell them for BuyItNow prices.  I've found both dealers to be reliable, with good prices.

 We started watching "Cry Danger" (1951, with Dick Powell & ravishing redhead Rhonda Fleming) tonight.  The credits appear over the arrival of a SP Daylight passenger train in L.A.

Thanks, Joe.  I missed you at the show in Eau Claire last fall, but I hope to see you here.  Maybe I'll attach my GN & DM&IR pins to my Minnesota Twins cap.   

 Bob, thanks for turning out another instructive comment.   

 On the terminology, "switches" or turnouts," I find in Walthers' sale catalog an HO scale "Modern Switchman" ("not turnout man), although they call their "switches" "turnouts."  Why "turnout," instead of "turnin" or "turninandout"?   

 Joe, thanks for the links.  I enjoyed the videos.  Our copy of the Pioneer Press had pictures, but their website didn't.  I couldn't find the original story on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal's website.
No, I haven't been to the Twin City Model Railroad Museum & hadn't heard of it until you posted the link.

 Did you see this, Joe?
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_12020334?nclick_check=1

 Novice & neophyte are better English than newbie.

Gene, the middle axles are right over the screws holding the trucks in place.  They look as if they might touch the screws.  I could not tighten the screws much.  One middle axle moves back & forth an unusual amount in the journal boxes.  I removed it & found the holes wider than for the other axles.  I pushed the car on the track without that middle axle, & it rolled a little.  I removed the other middle axle, & it rolled better still, but not as well as it should.

Bachmann, thanks for the link.

  Thanks, Bob, for the confirmation that this is unusual.  The distance is 1".  When I get some two-wheel trucks, I'll try them. 

 I removed a 50' flat car from my train, because it was dragging, instead of rolling.  Then, I realized that it has 3-axle trucks.  None of my other freight cars has them, not even my 75' well cars.  The flat car is second-hand, so I can't be sure that the trucks are original equipment.  Has anyone else encountered freight cars with 3-axle trucks?

 Because Bachmann recently posted a notice to check their photo gallery to see their latest stuff, I checked but found nothing recent, even.

 Thanks, Bob, for all of the help your posts have given me during my short membership in this forum & for the help & enjoyment you have given me by e-mails.

My best regards,
Bill

 Bob, I should have known you'd be ahead of me.  While I was in the basement getting my notes, you told it as it is.

 Although one reason why I especially like "Wreck of the Old 97" is the use of railroad terms, I'm not sure what "a line on a three-mile grade" means.  I guess "You can see what a jump he made." means how far the locomotive jumped off the track.