Ski Train; and its cars . . .

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I remember from a video on steamers some time ago. It had DRGW cars that had strange wheels. I went to RailPictures.net entered Ski Train and found this:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=117787

You can’t see it too well, but here’s another view from Ski Train’s website:

http://skitrain.com/winter.html

It’s under “photos” in the summer section, where there are a pair of kids sitting on the steps, to their right is the strange looking wheels.

The question I have is who made these cars and why the strange wheels . . ?

Answers are greatly appreciated

2

What timing! I just got some close-up shots of the ski train trainset a couple of weeks ago, doing duty as the Hawkeye Express.

http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=7231

I even took a ultra-close-up shot of the wheels- it looks like the brakes are disk-style, and are mounted on the outside.

http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=198169

3

Cool . . . but why put the disk brakes on the outside . . . were these cars prototype/production cars to test a concept or what . . .?

4

I took a closer look and it looks like the suspension may have been air or coil and air . . .

Hmm . . . maybe some one who knows this better will know . . .

5

IIRC, these cars were purchased from VIA Rail in Canada. These were standard passenger cars built for CN and CP, just can’t remember who built them(Pullman Standard or Hawker-Sidley come to mind, just not sure…)[?]

6

DISC BRAKES, thats awsome, i saw the ski train sitting in a yard in denver a few weeks ago, a big UP yard

7

My guess, and that is exactly what it is a guess, is that the disk brakes are for the grades in the mountains. I would think that they would want as much braking as they could get for those heavy cars up in the hills.

8

These coaches are old Tempo cars. Glad to see they are still in service somewhere. I beleive they were built in Thunder Bay.