Southern Pacific hoppers suitability

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Hi
can someone please advice me if the ATHEARN set of SP hoppers 94988 94943 and 94944 are suitable prototypes for the time period 1955 to 1960 ?

thanks very much for your reply

stefano

2

Those are models of SP’s G-100-1 or G-100-6 gondolas. They were built in 1958 and 1962 respectively. They were used to haul ore from the mine near the Salton Sea in southern California to the Kaiser Steel Mill in Fontana, CA or to the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro, CA part if I remember correctly).

3

Thanks very much Eric for your helpfull reply

so at least one type is suitable
regards

stefano

4

It depends on the location you are modeling and how prototypical you want your layout.

5

Hi Eric

What about the class U-29 ? could you find this in service in the mid 1950s ?

thanks stefano

6

I am not familiar with that class.

7

Are you referring to General Electric’s Universal Series of diesel-electric locomotives? I don’t believe there was a U29 model. Regardless, the Southern Pacific had no GE Universal Series locomotives in the 1950s. The SP acquired its first GE roadswitchers in 1962, model U25B

8

If you mean the General Electric U28-C locomotives, SP acquired some of those around 1968 for use on the iron ore trains which ran west (and uphill!) from the Kaiser interchange at Ferrum, Calif. So for the 1968-and-later time fame, it would be very appropriate to pull your SP ore cars with U28-Cs.

9

It looks like he must be referring to an ore hopper model made by Model Power (http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/490-1901). They are numbered for SP’s H-100-10 class, which were built in 1963. The models look similar to these cars but they do not appear to be a match.

10

Hi

No Not reffering to locos

I was referring to a class of ore cars which a read on the side to be called U-29 this models are made by Whalthers and look from pic like small gondolas or hoppers

Do you know if are suitable for the MID 1950s?

thanks very much

stefano

11

Hi Eric

Yes you correct the ore cars in the link you provided are the ones i ment they made by Whalthers .I dont know how common they were in the mid 1950s ?

If i read correctly this ore cars althought similar to the ga 100 seem to have been around before 1963 as on the side of the car i read NEW 11-43 am i correct ?

thanks very much for your reply and for the link

stefano

12

Anybody know when were this steel ore cars built ?

thanks very much for your reply

stefano

13

this site you will find a lot about the Southern Pacific

http://espee.railfan.net/espee.html

14

The model has a number belonging to a H-100-10 hopper. However, it is not an accurate model of a H-100-10. The design may have been around in 1943, but I have found no evidence SP had any cars like it. Your best option is to look at the various SP hopper classes to find something suitable.

15

Eric

Hi Thanks very much for your advice I am not convinced either but i have to reserch what is available to me here were i live

Thanks for helping me out

regards

stefano

16

Hi

With regard to the Athern SP ore cars used in the Salton Sea area items 94988 and 94943 i have noticed that this sets have a difference in representing this models one has the low side and the other has an high side to accomodate more ores as they were modified in the mid 1960s

Can anybody tell me when were this cars basically completed in theyr modification ? did the modification process take a long or short time ?and if all the cars were modified or only some ?

Basically i would like to know if the low side or the high side [or both] are prototopical to model a time period of 1965 ?

Thanks very much for your reply

stefano

17

This book may have the answer.

http://www.signaturepress.com/SPF5.html

18

thanks Eric

Do you have any pic that includes this type of ore cars in the period 1960 to 1965 ?

19

I don’t have any pictures of these cars.

20

Eric

its ok thank you anyway

regards

stefano