With Furx on a BNSF coal train. The others had definite lift here holes and brackets with holes that I could see daylight through. These were just dark holes.
These cars had no sheetmetal cutouts at the ends (porches), altho the ends were open to a degree and the ribs were different than the other cars. The holes were cut into the sheet metal, not on brackets on the frames.
They were bottom dump cars. BN and FURX are the only ones that have these “holes”.
Brother Carl?
And for the newbies, I saw several yellow thingies!
First off, the areas below the sides are solid, with no hopper doors, so these are in fact gondolas.
You’re right about the sides looking a little different. This is an effort to reduce aerodynamic drag, which could amount to quite a bit on over 100 cars moving at a decent speed. You’ll see a few sets of smooth-side cars in various fleets, but it hasn’t really caught on.
So the “hole” I think you’re talking about in this case is the rectangular area at the lower left. Note the diagonal rivet line a small distance above it–that’s where the actual slope sheet of the car is. Avove that line, coal. Below it, air and not much else. On this end of the car, though, is all of the brake equipment, and that opening is to gain access to the brake valve–easier and safer than going at it from the end of the car.
Unfortunately, the only pictures I can find of these cars on this site show this side of the car (brakes on the left end, rotary-coupler end on the right). I don’t know if there would need to be an opening on the opposite side of the brake end, since this is the only brake valve on the car. Note that the opposite end is solid.
So in this case (and not necessarily in the case of your FURX cars, which are hoppers), the hole is just a necessary departure from the aerodynamic streamlining present everywhere else on the car.
Oh, and nice job of number-grabbing (except for the one seven-digit number, which is an impossibility on North American railroads)! Makes you appreciate what yard clerks used to have to do day in and day out. I wasn’t a clerk, but I’ve made my share of “inside checks” on the hump before the computers came in and took care of it all (and sent the yard clerks to oblivion–there are times when we wish we had them back!).
OK - let’s all go back to the website Brother Carl gave us and look at the picture of the gondola car. This one is different than the one that has a hole - Driver, Mookie and I all looked at the picture and agreed!
This one has the open space at the bottom of the ladder. The ones we saw did not. At least on the side we were looking at. The flap at the top is the same and the ribs look about right. But the difference is the whole area where the ladder is - had solid sheet metal on it. The hole is about 6 inches in diameter, completely black - as in no light shows through and is located just to the right of the ladder rungs - about the 2nd one up from the bottom of the car. Driver sez the end of the car was closed too. And it seems to me that these particular cars weren’t gondolas, but were bottom dump - but I can’t prove it. I just remember yelling at the Driver (in excitement, folks) that they were.
I will take my camera and try to get a picture for BC and take copius notes as they run past me. This ain’t easy people! Meanwhile, all of you out there can help by looking for BN not BNSF, but BN coal cars that look very similar to this one and look for a 6" hole in the actual sheet metal (no rivets are showing) in the side of the car on only one end - as far as I know. Otherwise the Psychiatric Dept of Trains.Com will be sending nets…
Still waiting for someone to bite on the yellow thingies!
Well at least no one is yelling at me! Course, they aren’t talking to me either.
Driver is licensed to me, exclusively. However, since he hates to ride with anyone, he drives whenever possible. Saves wear and tear on the floorboard on the passenger side.
Yes is he very hard-of-hearing - in the right ear. He always told me it was service related and, of course, I believe everything he tells me. Notice, however, the left ear has a problem too - at home…
I am going to make an effort to capture one of these boxcars, drag it to work and have someone photo it and post it on the web. Then you guys can figure it out.
Hugh - it would be easier for me to pull the real thing here in the driveway and take a picture and send it to Tree, Ed, BC, etc than for me to learn how to scan!
…Oh, an above post by Jen…that says the right ear is hard of hearing and service retated. That’s me, for sure…and the funny part was that the other one becomes hearing impared when out of the car and in the house…
No Tree - this is a jack hole and I have seen the “other” holes that are tow holes.
This is a larger hole - about 6" in diameter - and I think Ed from Houston and BC helped me figure out what it is. But…cat’s got my tongue! I am going to find one and take a picture and somehow put it on the forum when I find one! Saw one this weekend and wouldn’t you know it - it was between me and a fast moving coal train!
Quentin: you and the driver share that same ailment! My chair at home is to his left - he is right-handed. Convenient hearing loss in direct proportion to what is on the sports channel!
