John, in studying the Miller system we’ve come to understand the Miller “hook” was part of a much broader system called the “Miller Safety Platform,” which combined a series of platform trusses, body-in-line buffer and captured draft hook which significantly stiffened and strengthened coach platforms over predecessors. We also realized that when converted to Janney, the Maine 2 foot cars had their Miller trusses hacked off. W&Q 1,2 and 3 were built with Miller Safety Platforms and lost them.
We want to reconstruct the Miller system for a number of reasons- to achieve the proper safety platform, to construct coach 9 as coach 2 was built, and to use our unique circumstance as a captured railroad to demonstrate a working Miller system on a train set, as was common on Maine two-footers in the 1890s.
The Janney adapters for the Miller heads are a concurrent development to ensure continued interchangeability. However to at least some of us- the no-brainer is to not waste this opportunity to do right by the coach 9 historical reconstruction and coach 3 restoration by, in part, equipping them with proper Miller Safety Platforms.
Thanks
Jason