Hi all I am looking for information about empty freight car weights, refer and box cars especially, for the 1920s and the number of cars 442 Atlantic’s and 462 Pacific’s on fast freight and passenger service can handle. This information is nonexistent for the SP&S through the Columbia River Gorge which I am researching to model.
Here’s a start:
http://steamerafreightcars.com/index.html
1920 was, of course, right after WWI ended and many of its effects still lingered. One big deal during the war for RRs was that the US Railway Administration took over all RRs in the US, lock, stock, and barrel. After the war, the USRA was required to account for everything it took over, document that, restore or repay them for excessive wear and tear, then hand the RRs back the keys.
While running the RRs, the USRA order a bunch of stuff, most of which didn’t arrive until the war was over. So search in general with the terms “USRA railroad freight car” or similar and you’ll find lots of info on those.
Some libraries have copies of the old Car Builders Encyclopedias (not sure that’s the exact title, but close], which show examples of state of the art for each year.
Gidday, [#welcome] to the forum.
While not a direct answer I am presuming you are aware of these site and their links…
Cheers, the Bear.
Reefers generally were in the 50k-55k lb light weight range.
Boxcars seem to be in the 44k-48k lb range. Depends on the weight and the type of construction.
As for how many cars they can pull, it depends on the grade, driver size, the speed the train needs to operate, etc.
In the matter of passenger service:
SP&S got their first 4-6-2 in October of 1927, so it’s quite possible that Pacifics will not be of use to you, depending on which part of the 1920’s you’re interested in. The Atlantics, Ten Wheelers and the Prairies were available for passenger service, though. Also, during that time, the shift from wood to steel cars was still occurring, and the extra weight could affect train length and engine assignment.
If no one here can help you enough, you might find more information by:
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Searching through photos from various sources. If you can find a good dated photo of the train in question, it’s quite possible to not only count the cars, but maybe even work out the consist.
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Obtaining info from “The Official Guide” for the time period of interest
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Asking for help on the SP&S Yahoo group
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Getting a copy of John T. Gaertner’s “North Bank Road”:
It’s a great book full of date related information.
Ed
Boxcars and reefers built in the 1920’s would normally weigh 40 tons, and be of wood construction with a steel center sill or underframe. They would be 40’ long and 8’-1/2" high. There would be a few bigger cars, like outside-braced automobile boxcars that would be up to 50’ long and 10’ high, but they’d be pretty rare. You’d be more likely to see an old 36’ long / 8’-1/2" car from c.1900. 10’ high boxcars and reefers didn’t become standard for new construction until about 1936.
Boxcars an reefers built in the 1920’s would have a CAPACITY of 40 tons.
The cars themselves would weigh 20-25 tons and have a capacity of 40 tons for a gross weight of 60-70 tons for a fully loaded car.
Thanks all for this information some of the web pages I had not found and they look like they will be very helpful. I do have The North Bank Road and it has been great help. The grades for the Columbia Gorge was .2% from Portland to Pasco and .4% from Pasco to Spokane. This is got for the North Bank Road book I have not been able to find a gradient chart.