Could I have a little more info, like how well it did?
Trainboy
It was used out of the PRB for a while and became sort of a hanger queen. Stored out of service in Great Falls and has been cut up for scrap.
I think there were some problems with the train dynamics, a lot of specialized castings and fittings and premature failure of some components.
I only dealt with it a couple of times but from what I have heard it was just not practical. Perhaps Vermont can add more.
I met the inventor of the Trough Train. One of the problems with it was also it’s initial advantage, namely a multiple unit car. You get one bad wheel and you have to take out a whole car section. I’m not sure about component failure. The only real specialized component was the single axle trucks on each car end with the 38" wheels.
There may have also been a disadvantage in that the preference seems to be for rotary-equiped coal gons, and (I’m going by memory here) the Trough Train was a 13 unit bottom unloading configuration.
Didn’t SOUTHERN RAILWAY have a multi-unit coal car back in 60’s. What happened to it? Same as Trough train?
Railroad65
I’m a bit ignorant on this topic- can someone post a picture/link of what you’re talking about?[%-)]
You’re refering to the Southern 100…
http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1965/65-8/toc.html
…a four unit car using single axle bogies on each unit with 38" wheels, aluminum body with center sill, and link pin connections between units. Years ahead of it’s time, it’s load factor was a whopping 7 to 1! The problems with it (again from memory) aside form the specialized components, was that the link pin connections between the units made it a pull over risk on curves. Replace the link pins with rotary drawbars between the units, beef up the single axle bogies with greater suspension, and get rid of the centersill using side sills instead, and you’ve got a car that would pay big dividends today.
Comparing the Southern 100 to the Trough Train, the Trough Train was much lengthier between coupler ends, and was not adaptable to rotary usage (unless some coal plant wants to install a 300’ long tipper). The Trough Train used articulated two axle bogies between units compared to the separate single axle bogies of the 100.
I looked at that link, I had no idea it lasted into BNSF!
Trainboy
