Ya gotta have at least one of the boxcars with a swayback, just 'cause. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
I wish I could share photos, I have some good ones on my home computer but I am not home this week!
Gee, my swaybacks are all out of service. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-frown.gif)
After Dakotah John’s MIK build I have wanted to do a sway back. Not this go around but I just might haf ta.
Dave all the motive power for the this road were 2-6-0s. Don’t know why I think this but in my research I believe I read that they were 30 foot cars both the flats and the box cars. However I can’t prove it. The flats only have a rating of 16,000# can’t read the box cars, so that makes me think they were smaller as you suggest. I am making mine all 29’ 6" because, well frankly that’s what I have plans for.
I do know for a fact that the first batch were a buy out of the Texas and St Louis when they standardized. They bought two locos, two coaches and other various rolling stock and since the only thing ever listed were flats and box cars it a safe bet.
Let’s see if I can paste from my tablet!
This is my model of the WW&F box car…it even has a bit of a sag to it!
Was your RR NG or Standard?
It does make a diff. in car size.
Dave Taylor said:
Was your RR NG or Standard?
It does make a diff. in car size.
Narrow Gauge
OK guys, Here is my take on 1880s boxcars. I’m basing it upon the D&RG, as they were the largest NG anywhere with at one time 1670 miles of line, and they had the largest fleet of NG cars in the US at the time. My thoughts are that the D&RG was the trend setter ( 800 lb. NG Gorilla ) most other NG lines would be following along there path, or not wandering to far off.
In 1878-1883 the D&RG, built 2,507 NG wooden Boxcars ( these are generally referred to as Class 3 ). These were built in the Denver shops from a Billmeyer & Small “Standard” design. I’m guessing to meet D&RGs specs. They were 24 feet long ( 26’ over end sills ), and carried a weight limit of 10 tons. Outside width to the siding was 7’-4” excluding any hardware and the doors. And the roof line at the drip edge was 8’-7 1/2” above the railhead, and the peak several inches taller + the roof walks. The cars built in 78’-79’ were built on 3’ - 2” wheel base trucks with 24” wheels. From 1880 on they used 10 ton trucks with 3’-7” wheelbase and 26” wheels. All the trucks were Archbar type. These cars had a short “porch” or deck on the ends of about 1 ft, making them fairly easy to spot. Some were latter rebuilt into 26’ cars and the end “Porch” taken up with the added footage.
Construction was time typical for wooden freight cars. Under frame were 6 sills running the full length from the end beams. The center 2 held the draft gear, which were link and pin at the time. They used 4 truss rods with turnbuckles centered between the 2 needle beams. Typical flooring was 2”x8” ship lap, running across from the outside edge of the sills. All the flooring that I have personally seen (and or removed) were attached to the sills with large size 5” nails, x2 per board per sill. Siding was typically 1x3 grooved T&G, and ran from roof line to the bottom of the side sills. The siding on the car ends ran to the top of the “Deck”. The facia was about 6” wide and ran just under the roof overhang. Side doors openings were 4’-8” wide by 5’x7” tall, and the doors slide to the Left side of the opening. I have never inspected the inside construction of a door of this vintage, but typically they were a outside frame with “Z” or “V” reinforcing, and sided with the same v-groove siding as the rest of the car. Inside was typically sided with 1”x6” planking running from the door opening to the ends, and across the ends. Boarded from the floor to a height of about 3 ft. No gap spacing between the boards. Above the planking was open to the side beams and diagonal braces. The top of this inside planking ended at the horizontal reinforcing boards inside the wall beams, acting as nailers for the inside and outside covering, and prevented stuff from falling inside the wall cavities. Grab iron locations and spacing and placement was very random on the different NG lines throughout the rockies, and stirrups may or may not have been on cars.
The roofs were a double layer wood design. 1”x6” boards were used, and had a half round grove cut into the top side just in from the edges. The top layer was offset from the bottom layer, with the groove facing up on both layers. The groove ran all the way off the end of the board. The thought being that the grooves would work as a water channel for any water that might seep in between the layers. The roof boards overhung about an inch past the facia boards. The roof was painted with 4 coats of heavy paint for sealing. The roof walks had three boards totaling 18" wide, running the length of the car with very little overhang on the ends. The roof walks were NOT painted, but left natural wood. Also note: the hand brake rod with handle was not as tall above the car roof line as the latter cars.
I hope that this helps clarify somethings for someone. I believe that these were very “typical” for the time period. I do know that these cars ended up running on the Rio Grand system all the way West to Salt lake, until standard gaged. They were the standard also for the Rio Grand Southern, Silverton RR, Silverton Northern, and the SG&N. Most of these cars that were rebuilt lasted up till 1923, when new FRA requirement made them obsolete, and not worth rebuilding. These cars were often seen in interchange service on the other NG lines in the Rockies.
Edit to clean up some typos and clarifications.
Dave,
A huge thank you. I am at least one of the “someones” this will be a help to. You answered I believe all of my questions in one fell swoop. There were a few questions I was holding in reserve but you answered them.
Thanks again.
Dave, if your fingers aren’t too sore from your last post, Could you fill us in on the specifics of the new FRA regulations that obsoleted these cars? Was it multiple items or just general construction principles etc… ? Thanks for all the great info!
@Randy et al. Without taking this thread way off topic to fast. These 24’ cars were rebuilt in several time periods, starting in 89’. There were at various times 24’, 26’ 28’ and 30’ versions of these. Mostly they were rebuilt to 20 ton cars by adding newer trucks.
The biggie on regulations was the ICC “Safety and Appliance Act of 1902”. Basically all cars had to have Automatic couplers, automatic air brakes, and uniform specs on grab irons, + other stuff. Many “Old” cars were in such bad shape by then that they weren’t worth the re-building costs to come into compliance. Thou during this period there were some “tax reasons” to rebuild cars and the car came out of the re-build basically a different car i.e… started as a 10 ton 24’ car, came out as a 30’ 20 ton car carrying the same number. Also by then Loco power had grown so that heaver loads could be hauled.
Great information Dave. Thank You!
