Re: What is the best car siding woodl to use? *LINK*

We have used just about everything at Strasburg. Most of the cars were originally poplar and they lasted for 50 to 75 years. We tried poplar, but the newer stuff did not have the weather resistance. We have not tried it using our new painting methods. We even tried cypress one time and it didn't last.
For awhile we used redwood. We stopped because of expense and switched to cedar. The cedar was OK but gradually it became too difficult to get wood with a proper grain, ideally pie cut or quarter sawn.
Throughout the years we have used honduras mahogany with much success but we balked at the price. When we switched to soft woods, we still used mahogany for sills, structure and anywhere people could get at it. A couple of years ago we decided to default to mahogany for all the siding. We have not found a more satisfactory material, and while the price is high, if the car will be outdoors, I believe it will be cheaper in the long run.
We are currently experimenting with a synthetic material for the clerestory screenboards. These boards are the first line of defense and have proven difficult to maintain because of the many joints. We have not tried plastic wood siding for two reasons. First, it is offensive, and second, it expands and contracts at an alarming rate. Because of the nature of T&G siding the expansion may not be that much of a factor but we prefer to stick with wood as long as we can obtain material that is suitable. We are currently using a composite wood product for step treads and platforms and this shows some promise