Let’s say that I want to build a D&RGW freight train consist from 1980 with 20-25 cars. Where can I get information so I know what types of cars I should buy to make it prototypically correct?
Generally pictures from the time period would be your best bet. But basically because of interchange almost any US or Canadian freight car that was on the rails in 1980 would work. So a picture of the types of cars in a Kansas City Southern train from the 1980’s would be just as valid as a D&RGW picture. Trains & Railfan Magazines…
Railcar vendors references would be a good source for when their cars were made. There are some pretty easy things to eliminate. by 1980, no ice hatch refeers remained, almost no 40’ box (and if they were the roofwalks would have been removed), almost no “tank on a frame”, no stock, no open auto-racks, no wooden cars period. Tons of container, railrunner, TOFC, covered hopper (grain), open hopper unit trains, cylinder tanks, and of course the ubiquitous 60’ box car.
As far as road names go generally, the D&RGW would have had a higher percentage of western roads (BN, SF, SP, UP), and a concentration of WP and MP because of the transcontenental connections. This does not mean they wouldn’t have eastern and short line roads mixed in like NS, Chessie, Conrail, & LW. I recall seeing trains of with lots of eastern road name autoracks like Grand Trunk. Don’t for get the bunches of private industry cars (especially hoppers) like Pillsbury and ConAgra.
The Grande was (and is) a big coal hauler, so entire trains of home road hoppers would be appropriate. Other than that, as a bridge route, quite a few cars originated and terminated off the ends of the railroad. Those could be just about anything, including the once-ubiquitous Railbox (RBOX) box cars.
Chuck
Please tell me more about the coal operations. What coal cars was the most common cars between 1969-1989? And what routes did they operate on? Where can I find coal cars in HO scale that are prototypically correct?
Ok, I will look at photos and see where it takes me. Thanks for helping.
Wow, that is a major transition for how coal was transported. In 1969 there would have been trainloads of cars like the AAR 3-4-5 bay hoppers. By 1989 that fleet would be mostly the coal gondolas.
Below is a direct quote from the Atlas web site concerning their modle of the coalveyor, these would have been very common at the end of the period you mentioned …
The prototype Coalveyor™ coal gondola first manufactured by ACF Industries in 1978. Production of this prototype design continued until 1982. Commonly referred to as a bathtub gon, the ACF design was intended to lower car weight, lower initial and maintenance costs and provide a longer car life. In sort, the car was designed to lower the cost of shipping coal. The prototype car is 53’ 1” long over the strikers, 12’ 5” high, 10’ 8” wide, and has a capacity of 4,240 cu.ft. and 105 tons. Four different cubic capacities were offered by ACF to match coal densities across the country. Cars with a 4,240 cu.ft. capacity were sold in the greatest number. The cars reinforced circular bottom configuration provides a lighter car with increased capacity.
Below are the road names (that were produced by Atlas) I have seen here in Denver.
UFIX-Utility Fuels (Black w/Orange End)
WEPX-Wisconsin Electric Power Co. (Black w/Yellow End)
I believe MDC-Roundhouse has also made a model of these cars. I don’t recall any cars like this painted in Rio Grande.
All. The coal originates all along the line (Price, Sunnyside, Hiawatha, Emery, Coalville in Utah and Cra
Whoa, hold on…
NS didn’t exist in 1980, the OLD NS (the shortline NS) was absorbed by Southern Railway in 1974. The NS we know today wasn’t formed until 1982. Even then, it was a few years until there was a number of cars painted in NS paint. Use Southern Railway and N&W for early '80’s.
BTW, CSX was formed in 1980.
Brad