I’m posting this on several different forums in hopes of getting an answer…
There is a railroad car(s) at my work that has sat there since I started 2 years ago. I hasn’t moved, as we don’t use our line unless we have a serious part coming in for repairs (It’s a nuclear power plant). This “car” is actually two cars. Each half as a coupler on one end and… well, I think the pictures would do a better job of describing it. In between the two halves sits what appears to be a spare transformer of some type, although it doesn’t really look like any other transformer on site. It appears the cars are supposed to somehow transport the “transformer” between them. I really have no idea. The cars have a build plate on them that says “Built By Maxson”. I have more pics of the cars if you need them, but most are just different angles, nothing new… so, here are the pics… can anyone identify what this car is and just what it is used for?
First is an overall side view of one of the halves:
This is the non-coupler end of one half:
A wider angle of the non-coupler end:
An overall shot of both halves with the transformer situated bewteen:
Another side shot:
The “BUILT BY MAXSON” plate:
A different angle of the non-coupler end:
Any help would be appreciated. I’ll try to ask around at work and see if anyone knows what it’s for. I thought you guys would appriciate seeing this unusual car.
Oooo, oooo, ooooo, I know! It is a Schnabel car. They have two halves and each half can attach to one end of a large or heavy item. I’m not certain how it is attached, because I’ve never seen one in use. I’d like to know more about them too, but that is definitely the type of car, at least.
Congrats Nora…The well travelled one got this one right.
Dave: Hope that car belongs to the utility…the demurage bill on the hummer would be astronomical (Can’t read the reporting marks)…most are in high demand and there are not a whole lot of them around!
It does indeed belong to the utility. The reporting marks are GPUX, for General Public Utilities. They owned the plant and car until it was sold (the plant) about 5 years ago. There are a lot of great responses about this car on some of the other forums if you too, are interested.
I have the TRIX HO scale model of a 32 axle schnable car and it measures in at a whopping 28 1/4" . It also takes 2 of my big 6 axle or 3 of my 4 axle locos to pull it. It weighs in at a whopping 8 pounds.[:O][bow]
Just to add to the fun…
Without moving in either direction on the track, the yokes can move side to side, the car is articulated at the platform ends, so you can “walk” the item being transported around close clearences in yards and inside plants.
Note the operators platform on each end of the yokes, with the control panels for the hydraulics.
Watched em wiggle on of those transformers out of the Houston city docks, through our North Yard, and on to Basin yard.
With a man on each platform, they were able to tweak that thing into spaces I swore it would never go, it moves up to 24 inches off center either way.
On some of the “newer” ones, the platform on which the yoke rides, and the platform on which that platform rides, can be off centered, four way adjustment.
Nora, the transformer has corsponding lugs that fit into the slots with the holes in them, and a “pin” fits into the hole, throught the lugs, like a bolt.
The top of the yoke has pads that fit against the top of the transformer, the weight of the transformer pushes down on the bottom pins, which act like a hinge, forcing the pads to clamp against the top, its own weight holds it in place, those things are pretty huge and heavy.
And, FYI, when that Schnabel car moves loaded, it will travel in a special movement (reduced speed and clearances!) with several other cars containing the hardware. This would include the bushings (that’s the big porcelain “squiggly” things that stick up off top of the transformer–they contain the high voltage conductors that enter the transformer and connect to the overhead transmission lines and busbars–and they can be over 10’ long and weigh more than a ton) as well as all the instrument transformers (a transformer this big has other transformers that go with it), and sometimes the external oil pump hardware, radiators, fans, meters and other items that would be damaged in transit if they were mounted. The transformer body itself contains the electrical windings and the internal cooling pipes-these things can get awfully hot-and is generally stripped clean for transit. This allows somewhat tighter clearances and reduces the transit weight of the suspended unit.
The Schnabel car basically is a bridge on wheels, where the unit being transported becomes part of the structure of the car for the duration of the trip. One of the considerations in designing a large power transformer or generator is sizing the body so it will fit on the Schnabel car or on a 24-40 axle lo-boy truck (basically a Schnabel car on tires for the larger units, or just a lo-boy for the very small ones) and make the clearances. It’s field-assembled on site after it arrives.
The Schnabels are also used for transporting generators. Unlike transformers, which are generally cubical, these loads would be long and predominately cylindrical. The length of the cargo determines the minimum safe radius, and the hydraulics on the car are used to reduce that over what would otherwise restrict operation of the car. And, yes, Ed’s right as usual, it’s incredibly impressive when they start jockeying one of these things around.
Several Schnabels are based up in Schenectady NY at GE, and the other manufacture
For those interested in flat cars, you might find this site intereting. It has a bunch of specs on heavy duty flats, and their is also a clearance map for most major lines…
