diff --git a/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.cpp b/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.cpp
index a6d3cd404..827a0bdd6 100644
--- a/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.cpp
+++ b/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.cpp
@@ -114,14 +114,19 @@ namespace Cantera {
     m_diam = right.m_diam;
     m_perm = right.m_perm;
 
-    // Warning -> This is a shallow pointer copy. gastran may not point to the correct object
+    // Warning -> gastran may not point to the correct object
     //            after this copy. The routine initialize() must be called 
-    m_gastran = right.m_gastran;
+    if (m_gastran) {
+      delete m_gastran;
+    }
+    m_gastran = right.duplMyselfAsTransport();
+
 
     return *this;
   }
   //====================================================================================================================
   DustyGasTransport::~DustyGasTransport() {
+    delete m_gastran;
   }
   //====================================================================================================================
   // Duplication routine for objects which inherit from %Transport
@@ -182,7 +187,12 @@ namespace Cantera {
     // constant mixture attributes
     m_thermo = phase;
     m_nsp   = m_thermo->nSpecies();
-    m_gastran = gastr;
+    if (m_gastran != gastr) {
+      if (m_gastran) {
+	delete m_gastran;
+      }
+      m_gastran = gastr;
+    }
 
     // make a local copy of the molecular weights
     m_mw.resize(m_nsp);
diff --git a/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.h b/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.h
index 2a9e96813..83304364b 100644
--- a/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.h
+++ b/Cantera/src/transport/DustyGasTransport.h
@@ -378,6 +378,9 @@ namespace Cantera {
     doublereal m_perm; 
 
     //! Pointer to the transport object for the gas phase
+    /*!
+     * Note, this object owns the gastran object
+     */
     Transport* m_gastran;
 
   };
diff --git a/Cantera/src/transport/TransportBase.h b/Cantera/src/transport/TransportBase.h
index 1e1d07e55..e605836ed 100644
--- a/Cantera/src/transport/TransportBase.h
+++ b/Cantera/src/transport/TransportBase.h
@@ -746,10 +746,9 @@ namespace Cantera {
 
     //! Set model parameters for derived classes
     /*!
-     *   This method may be
-     *   overloaded in subclasses to set model-specific parameters.
-     *   The primary use of this class is to set parameters while in the
-     *   middle of a calculation.
+     *   This method may be derived in subclasses to set model-specific parameters.
+     *   The primary use of this class is to set parameters while in the middle of a calculation
+     *   without actually having to dynamically cast the base Transport pointer.
      *
      *  @param type    Specifies the type of parameters to set
      *                 0 : Diffusion coefficient
@@ -759,8 +758,7 @@ namespace Cantera {
      *  @param p       Vector of parameters. The length of the vector
      *                 varies with the parameterization
      */
-    virtual void setParameters(const int type, const int k,
-			       const doublereal* const p); 
+    virtual void setParameters(const int type, const int k, const doublereal* const p); 
    
     //! Sets the velocity basis
     /*!