Passenger Car Terminology and Parts Article?

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I am building a heavyweight passenger car and someone told me that Model Railroader published an article within the past few years explaining and providing the terminology of the different passenger car parts. Does anyone know which issue that was? I looked in the index but am not sure I have the right one.

I suppose I could purchase a copy of Mr White’s comprehensive history of passenger cars but can’t afford a copy right now.

Thanks

2

Hi “Wabash,”

Sorry, but I think someone was giving us credit for something we haven’t published. Is there a particular part or parts you’re trying to identify? Maybe I could help.

So long,

Andy

3

Andy:

I built a heavyweight mixed train combine for a friend and am building another for myself. I would like to know the correct terminology for various parts that can be seen in photos.

1.00 The strip of sheet metal with rivets right below the windows the full length of the car that is much thinner than a belt rail. Someone thought it was still called a belt rail. Or, 2.00 for example, two air tanks side by side, under one side of the car, one smaller than the other (main and auxiliary air tanks?), or 3.00, the retangular piece of heavy sheet metal noticable on the ends of the cars above the doorway–(no diaphragms) And speaking of that: 4.00, brackets on the top of the car ends there too that must have held the diaphrams when the cars were in regular train service. Also, 5.00, the oval castings that can be seen on the car ends which the couplers extend out of–called draft gear? Are they part of the center sill?

And the last item: 6.00 The first car had a sheet metal roof but the second one has a canvas roof. What is the wood strip that is along the edge of the roof that the canvas is attached to?

I would post a photo or two but can’t seem to be able to do that.

Thanks

4

Hi “Wabash,”

  1. It’s still part of the belt rail.

  2. The air tanks depend on what brake system the car has. If it’s the older “LN” system, with a type L triple valve mounted right on the brake cylinder, there are two air reservoirs, a larger “supplementary” and a smaller “auxilliary.” Cars with the later “UC” system, with a separate Universal control valve, had three reservoirs: the largest was the “emergency,” the middle size was the “service,” and the smallest was again the “auxilliary.”

  3. I’m not clear about what this might be. Perhaps something added after the diaphragm was removed? If so, it might not have a formal or widely used name.

  4. Probably the brackets for the upper buffer spring, which pushed against the top of the diaphragm face plate from behind when the diaphragm was installed.

  5. Sounds like the draft gear, but note that there would also have been a lower buffer above the coupler when the diaphragm was used, and on many cars this buffer was retained after the diaphragm was removed. The draft gear was an extension of the center sill, but it might be a swiveling extension as on Pullman sleepers. In that case there would be an inverted U-shaped carrier under the draft gear.

  6. The eave strip – some things are just too simple.

So long,

Andy

5

Thanks Andy! Maybe you can publish something one of these days with photos that show passenger car parts like you did with steam locomotives? I would say you would be the most qualified.

Victor

6

Maybe he already has…I wonder if this book could be what you were thinking of?? [swg]

7

It’s definately on my list, but I wasn’t aware that Andy goes into detail of identifying the hardware on the cars.