There are quite a few styles of track bumpers to choose from. Some bumpers look like toys, some look real. I am doing an HO layout (code 83) Questions: What is prototypical for a 60’s era layout. Were they found at the end of any, or most sidings, or only in yards? Was it common to see several types in different areas?
Thanks-Craig
The Walthers bumpers are protypical. Based on vague memories, I think bumpers were fairly common on stub end yard tracks (added) in cities (added) and in industrial parks, but probably relatively rare on out in the country.
Most tracks that I’ve seen actually don’t have any bumpers on them at all. If they do, the “bumper” is generally nothing more than two ties stuck under the rails or a pile of gravel.
The two common types of model track bumpers are the Hayes wheel stops, which bolt onto the track, and the larger track bumpers, which rise up and stop at the coupler face. The wheel stops are generally only found in yards and terminals, where a car could roll off the end of the tracks and mess up the rest of the yard. The larger bumpers are generally found wherever a car could roll off the end of the track and mess up non-railroad property. They’re regularly found on stub tracks at stations, and when a spur dead ends at a road.
Frankly, I’ve never seen a stub-ended railroad yard outside of RR museums, so I have no idea what a working road would have used in the 1960s. The 1960s was a time of deferred maintenance and overall depression for the railroads, so I’d assume that the old ties under the rails trick would be about as hi-tech as you’d see.
The State Belt Railroad in San Francisco hadseveral stub end yards along the waterfront. I’m sure there were bumpers similar to the Walthers.
I think some industrial spurs in Sacramento have bumpers.
Stub end passenger terminals had bumpers too. (possibly the most common use)
Not sure on this but I don’t think the Hayes wheel stops were around yet in the sixties. The larger type mentioned I remember seeing at the end of an industry track, and a team track, in the Chicago neighborhood (South side) where I grew up in the sixties.
There is a drawing of a bumper in The Science of Railways by Marshall A Kirkman 1902.
It is similar in appearance to the Atlas Snap Track bumper.
This link tells a little about Mr. Kirkman http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5749/
The book is a 12 volumn set . I also have a single volumn supplement called Building and Repairing Railways also publisheg in 1902.
Thanks for the input. I am going to go with the Walthers style as it seems to be the most accurate. I also intend on scratchbuilding one that is made with raildroad ties and ballast. I found an example of this on-line and thought it looked great. It is basically a wall built with ties at the end of the sprur. Behind the wall is a pile of ballast, contained by ties arranged in retaining wall fashion on either side. I think it would look great at the end of an ababdoned spur. Thanks again for the repiles, this forum is fantastic!
You may not have to scratch build them. Here are some you can buy made from Hydrocal(?) and formerly made by a company known as Mr. Plaster:
My LHS has a huge operating layout which is open to the public. They have been using the Walthers bumpers, but found that they break! (Not all the operators stop in time). Tomar Industries makes a code 100 bumping post out of track sections which is the same style as the walthers but much more sturdy. note: since it is metal, you must use insulated joiners to avoid a short.
Bumpers will look unprototypically out of place in industrial settings mostly. The above mentioned 2 ties crossing are far more common, and sometimes a simple large pile of ballast is used. These will look far more natural in industrial sidings than the prototypically expensive heavy bumper.
Ron
Well, Thanks again. There does not seem to be a hard and fast rule regarding track bumpers, type or style. I guess some more research is in order.
Craig
Craig,
I’ve learned a lesson just recently, though I’ve been interested in trains for just shy of 50 years now:
Many, if not most times, the “correct” answer to a question depends on the ERA being discussed/modeled. Consider this before you conclude your research and start modeling.
Good luck!
I have 3 deadend tracks in one of my yards. I allowed extra rail and heated the two rails and bent them up and togeather about coupler height. this is proto typical from some that I have seen.
Not just the era but the Railroad and sometimes the particular Division on the railroad
I’ve looked a standard plans for a number of railroads over the years. They will have different standards for different areas. This may be due to differing conditions (terrain, climate, etc), local laws, previous ownerships of the faciliities, availability of materials and suppliea, etc. Also they don’t always follow the standard. Sometimes a standard will be published but never be used…
Nothing beats a good dated photo this king of information. Unfortunately, they are often hard to find.
On the tracks where I grew up and used to play as a child back in the 60’s in Lincoln, Nebr., there were several RRs that operated in the area (Mopac, Burlington, Old Milwaukee, and RI). What I remember seeing at that time was 4 types of stops. The most common was the use or RR ties either bolted or nailed (I didn’t really look that close at the time) across the top of the rail or dirt and rocks packed around the end side of the tie. Another (I saw allot of these) was where one end of the tie was buried while the other end laid protruding across the rail in an X fashion. Another way was where there were no stops at all and the rail simply vanished below the ground! As kids we used to think the rails sank from being so heavy and that the RR stopped going down those tracks anymore. There were allot of locations like this too. Since it was flat in Lincoln (where I was anyway) I can see why this was used as it was cheap. However, I did see at a few locations the use of Hayes wheel stop and the use of concrete poured as abutments and built up stops made from ties and perhaps a few from old rails (so long ago, in a far away land, memory is a bit hard to recall). If there were any stops, most of what I saw were the use of old RR ties with whatever hardware that was on them that had not fallen off still on them.
Found a great example of the bumber style on the road that I am modeling. The bumper is on a spur that has been abandoned for years. There were two crossed ties at the end of the line. I also found an abandoned concrete ramp that was built up next to a siding, it must have been used to load freight, this of course gave me yet another idea for the layout.
Anyone ever try the Peco Code 83 Hayes Bumpers? I’ve seen where some have actually made their own out of left over rail. Anyone have any instructions on how to go about that?
Those oversized Atlas bumpers with the light bulbs on them were used only in a few locations, primarily in a dead end, underground passenger terminal. Even so, the lights on them were nowhere near as big as the bulb used by Atlas.
Even without the bulbs, the Atlas bumpers seem to be a style that was used only in underground passenger terminals. I think the real ones even had springs in them.
i worked a few places where there were no bumbers. we were supposed to know where the end of the track was.
now for a little story. around 1969 at the old Big Four lower yard in E. St. Louis. 4;00 am and raining. the engineer on TV-5 (inbound tofc train) hollers at me on the radio and asks where to go with the train. i told him, “inbound lead all the way to front street. come back the south lead and take the power to Rose Lake.”
i took the yard clerk with me in my car and parked with the headlights shining on the train as they pulled in so he could get a check of the car numbers and mark the turned rights and wrongs for the yard crew. engineer with an attitude sees the poor number dummy trying to make a list of the train and decides to widen out on 'em. (former PRR man, no doubt. they always were in a hurry)
clerk says, “don’t they seem a little far away?” i said, "yeah, i think they are in the wrong track. no radio or fusees in my car so i figured they would just have to shove back and try again. they were in number 10 track which was a short stub track.
train never slows down and suddenly they go in the big hole. we drive down to see what has happened and there sits the big six axle lead unit buried in the mud so far the fuel tank has been punctured by the ends of the rails. number two diesel fuel running everywhere.
hogger has dumb look on his face so always the diplomat, i said, “you know, they never did finish this railroad all the way to Kansas City.” then the jerk wanted to fight! i told him to save it until after the investigation.
do i miss it? yeah, sometimes.
grizlump
Craig,
If you want “working” Walthers track bumpers, I have a “how-to” modification on my web site link below that works very well. Click on the “How to” Instructional Series link on the left side of the page.
Hope that helps…
Tom