I purchased the B&O High Cube, Walthers Gold line ready to run 86’ high cube with a build date of 1965.
I am afraid the humongous boxcar is only good for bridge traffic and would like to ask for ideas on cargos carried by this monstor. I half think and have parts sufficient to build a facility with a interior loading bay and thinking about loading truck cab assemblies for shipment out.
It may not be protoypical but might give this elephant something to do.
What do you think? How do you use these big cars in operations?
The 86’ boxcars hauled parts for the auto industry. Many had special racks and were dedicated to haul one type of part . They mostly hauled light parts like sheet metal. Because of the size they would be overloaded with anything heavy.
The Indiana & Ohio Central have a few old ex DT&I ones they use on the old C&O line in the Logan/Lancaster area of Ohio. There’s a few pics of them on RRpicture archives, & from what I’ve found they’re used on the “Anchor Hocking Shuttle”, Anchor Hocking of course, being the glassware company based in Lancaster. I still need to delve further into their use, & more research needs to be done.
I’ve been told that the large cars were also used in the appliance industry… things like washing machines, dishwashers & refrigerators. They tended to be bigger, bulkier items that weren’t “relatively” very heavy.
Unless you had a warehouse or rather large manufacturing facility on your layout, I’d think that your best bet is as you mentioned, through traffic.
I will think on this some more. Ive got em and they will be used. Oh boy! I thought that the heavyweights and long TOFC’s were big.
I may have the spot for that big warehouse in one corner… debating it at the moment. We will see what will happen at some point in the future. It may be the one industry that specifally has a number 6 switch and a 34" swing just for that siding.
I even thought about aircraft wings… but discarded that idea as perhaps too wild in fancyland.
Appreciate the ideas everyone, I forgot about that Glass place in the Dutch Country.
What about something like plastic products? Maybe a plant that makes the large water cooler bottles could use cars like this. Or maybe they’re not loaded at all and are actually headed to a repair shop of some kind![:)]
There is a plant that makes composite roof shingles that had 86’ boxcars, HLMX former CR cars going there. From what they told me when I toured the plant, I think they must received glass mat in those cars. When I toured the plant, they said that they ship the mat by rail to Los Angeles, then by truck to the plant. I have not seen these cars in a while, so I think they may have gone back to this practice.