short ladders on boxcars

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

When did boxcars begin to be built with short ladders and no roofwalks?
How long did the phase in last?
Eric

2

I am not sure but I think the short ladders and no roofwalks came out in the 1980’s? You may want to check with someone else though.
Also if you have the December 2003 of Model railroader look on page 114.

ShaunCN

3

To the same que0stion I put to MR. in 1996 the editor (then Andy Sperandeo) answered that after 1968 no new "house"cars with running boards were buillt for US railroads. |The target date for removal of running boards from older cars
was 1974 but a few cars kept them for several years later. In 1972 for instance many cars still had running boards. I’m inclined to think that the same applies to short ladders.

4

The “phase in” lasted from about 1966 through the mid 1980s. Any house car built new had to have short ladders at all four corners and a low mounted brakewheel. When older cars were sent for overhaul they were supposed to have the roofwalks removed, the A end ladders shortened and, if the brakewheel remained in its original high position, the B end received an L shaped grab iron on the roof (where the original roofwalk grab would have been) and a label on the bottom of the car side warning “keep off roof, no running board.” Any car sufficiently rehabbed to have ladders shortened at both ends and the brakewheel lowered should have received ladders at all four corners and had the grabs at the A left and B right corners (looking from the B end) removed.

The same principle applied to other cars like covered hoppers, which needed roof access via full height ladders on the ends but lost the tall side ladders.

Representing de-roofwalked boxcars is easy using kits from Red Caboose, Intermountain or Branchline Trains that come with separate ladders and don’t have mounting holes for the roofwalks pre-cored. Some “poorer” roads, like D&RGW and WP, had quite a number of old cars lasting into the late 70s-early 80s still with roofwalks, so try to find a photo to determine how a particular car should be finished.

5

Thanks for the info, guys![:D]
Eric

6

Concerning covered hoppers,I work at a grain terminal and we just loaded a ex-Lehigh Valley (CSX) car.The car was built in 1967 and still has a high brake wheel and tall side ladders.