I know that in the early part of the 20th century, cement was first shipped in bags in box cars (very labor intensive.) Next, it was shipped in containers carried in gondolas, and somewhere in the 30’s, covered hoppers appeared on the scene. What I would like to know is, what year did the L&NE first start using covered hoppers and where can I find dimensional data and hopefully, a photo or two. Any info will be appreciated!
Bil
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org has a bunch of photos.
grizlump
According to my C-D-S lettering catalogue, the L&NE covered hoppers first appeared in 1938, in the lettering scheme shown below.
The cars were apparently bought in three series: 12101 to 12665, 12666 to 12700, and 12701 to 12801, and, starting around 1960, some were repainted with the billboard-style LNE. The paint scheme remained the same, with a light grey carbody, with black ends and black undersides on the slopesheets. Dry transfer lettering sets may still be available direct from C-D-S. They’re no longer making lettering, but when I last spoke with them, they had lots of sets still available. The set you’re looking for is #714.
As far as I know, they also shipped cement in boxcars similar to the Pennsy X-29. I used an old Train Miniature kit to build the car shown below. Lettering is from Champ, Set HN-70, which is a roadname set (no dimensional data) that will do either the scheme shown or the black and white scheme with the billboard lettering. The Champ set will also do the line’s newest boxcars, the PS-1s.
Wayne
Here’s the working version of the LINK to L&NE photos. [swg]
Wayne
Bowser has this car kit in 3 road numbers http://www.bowser-trains.com/hocars/2baychop/2baychop.htm look about half the way down the page
Hhmmmmmmm! I was kind of hoping it was a few years before that. I have a Freelanced Prototype Railroad (initially inspired back in the early '70’s by the work of Allen McClelland and Tony Koester - the “Lichen Belt guys”) called the Lehigh Susquehanna & Western (all Camelback motive power,) set in upstate Pennsylvania. I had set the time period as fall of 1936. [ I just finished a scratch-built Art Deco Chrysler Dealership with two gorgeous 1936 Chrysler Airflow Imperial Eights on the showroom floor, so I’m probably not going to change to 1938. (sigh, I wanted to run some L&NE LO covered hoppers, but I guess I’ll have to make due with those containers in Gons to service the Portland Cement facility along the Lehigh River.
Thanks for the info, though, Wayne! I do appreciate it! I may build a couple anyway and put them on display with other rolling stock that I’ve “built 'cuz I liked 'em,” like the PRR MP54 Commuter Coaches (we called them the"red cars" when I rode them into Philly during freshman year to go to the Philadelphia College of Art.)
I appreciate the quick and thorough help! Model railroaders are good people, I don’t care what anybody says![;)]
I wonder whatthe dates on the sold out early style lettered ones are. The new billboard style ones that they still have in stock have a NEW date in the 60’s so they don’t fit with my era. The older ones would be perfect if the dates fit.
One of these days I will build oen of the Reading cars that was a rebuild from a coal hooper - they added a roof and hatches and made a covered hopper. A step by step article appeared in MR several years ago.
–Randy
Don’t forget that the “NEW” date limits the use of the car, for a covered hopper, to a period of 30 months following the “BLT” date. In other words, if the car was built in Jan. 1960, “NEW 1-60” would appear on it only until the car was re-weighed, probably somewhere around June, 1962. At that time, “NEW 1-60” would be painted over, and the letters representing the station doing the re-weighing (for L&NE, it was PA, for Pen Argyl), along with the date, would be re-stencilled in the same place. If the weight of the car had changed, the numbers following “LT.WT.” and “LD.LMT.” would also be change accordingly.
“BLT” is the “Built” date, and generally doesn’t change unless the car undergoes a major re-building, usually involving changes to the underframe.
“NEW” refers only to the “LT.WT.” (light, or empty weight) of the car when it was built. After a certain time period, which varied for different car types and different eras, the car had to be reweighed, as outlined above. After the initial re-weighing, “NEW” would no longer appear.
Here are a couple of cars that demonstrate the lettering changes. I model the “late '30s”, which gives me a bit of leeway on the exact dates. Occasionally, cars from the '40s or even '50s have been reportedly seen by railfans. [:-^]
This car just made it, built in Oct. 1939:
This Erie boxcar, built in 1930, was re-weighed at Meadville, Pa. in May of 1935. The data in the black patch on the sidesill, above the right truck, indicates that the journals were re-packed, probably (
I am not so picky as to make sure the date is within 30 months, I am however picky enough not to run a car with e NEW of 1-60 in 1954. I know I can always decal over it and backdate the car if that’s all that needs to change, but the newer style lettering is also too new. I need to look around and see if I can find the older versions on eBay. One exceptions lipped by, on a P2K 10K tank car, totally unnoticed until I was lookign at it a month after I built it and noticed a tank testing date on the underframe ov 2-62 - not even visible at normal viewing distance but up close you could see it. Darn the high level of printing and stamping on modern models…
–Randy
The Anthracite historical Society “Flags Diamonds and Statues” had an article on the LNE covered hopper, they date from 1938-1939.
The Reading’s LOb/LOc cars converted from 70 ton rib side open top hoppers were made in 1940 and the CNJ got some also (the RCT&HS “Bee Line” had pictures of those. There is also a book or monograph on Reading covered hoppers but I don’t know if its all or just the modern ones. The LOa covered hoppers are basically the old Varney/LifeLike car, a twin hopper with a flat cover on the roof. The B&O also had some similar cars, there was a picture of one carrying flux into the steel mill in Coatesville in a Bee Line.
I’m now much more educated than I was before! However, I have, in my collection of unbuilt rolling stock, a bunch of what I had thought were early covered hoppers which I now know to be “later” covered hoppers. I’m sure that I could “put them under the knife” and back date them to early ones but even early ones are beyond my “date.” I suppose, since I’m freelance prototyping, I could “overlook” a date mismatch of a couple of years, but then I’d be starting to slip down the proverbial “slippery slope.”
What’s your opinion on that score, Dr. Wayne … would you do it, you’re apparently a '30’s kinda guy?
Thanks for asking, but I’m probably not the one that should be influencing others. [(-D]
I understand what you’re saying, but my version of the '30s is, I think, an improvement over the original. [;)] And while all of my towns and rivers are named for real ones, their geographical orientation to one another takes, shall we say, “liberties” with reality. [swg] While I like to follow prototypical practices, and have built cars, locomotives, or structures to match specific prototypes, I also like to freelance, using, hopefully, sound engineering practices. So my slide down the slippery slope started some time ago. In fact, though, perhaps it’s really a climb up the slippery slope, as I’m more particular about realism than I was previously, and probably become more so as I continue to learn more about the prototype. Still…
If you’re modelling a particular road, I think that you tend to be more aware of what’s appropriate in the way of equipment, lettering, practices, etc. However, for anyone modelling a common carrier road, you need a selection of “foreign road” cars, too.
My four railroads (all free-lanced, with only two modelled, but equipment from all four in service) will interchange directly w
Thanks, Dr. Wayne! You made me smile!!
Just unpacked another box (still unpacking after my move) and found a half-dozen covered hopper “starters” (Life-Like covered hoppers w/ square hatches) and decided that I’m gonna have at it … “layout police not invited!”
I model a free-lanced prototype that has interchange with three prototype roads (only one modeled interchange) and I’ve decided (like you) to take a few liberties. I like 'em, so I’m gonna build 'em (well, heavily modify them - I like the “production line” method of building rolling stock.)
Oh, and BTW, Wayne … I really like your weathering style! Nice work!!
Bil
Reading joined the covered hopper brigade relatively late, if you’re talking about covered hoppers built from the ground up as covered hoppers. Before that they had multiple classes of converted open hoppers. I may just have to fake it to have enough cars to run.
–Randy