steam era freight cars

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

Maybe everyone knew about this website but me … but I just discovered a great resource for model and prototype pics of steam era freight cars.

www.steamfreightcars.com

this is one of those sites you can spend hours on.

Dave Nelson

2

Thanks for the tip on this site…I just had one of the most awesome computer experiences of my life since I started using these things 20 some years ago…On the Gallery view of the yard;
http://www.steamfreightcars.com/gallery/shot%20of%20mo/feb02/shotofmofeb02.html
just clicking on the various cars parked within their consists,will bring up a separate view showing an individual photo of the car as well as its’ specs and other interesting info.

Very Very Very Well Done![bow]

Mark

3

Thanks Mark I had not found that particular feature! What a tremendous resource (and what a neat photo)
Dave

4

Ted’s site is great, and only the tip of the iceberg for fantastic freight car modelling. If you have any interest at all in freight car modelling or history, check out the links to other great sites, and join the steam-era freight car Yahoo Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STMFC/

And don’t forget to check out the NEB&W’s website for some of the best general freight car and scenery information anywhere!

http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/index.asp

And finally, for possibly the best modelling on the web, check out the PRR Historical Society’s modelling section and monthly newsletter:

http://www.prrths.com/Keystone%20Modeler/Keystone_Modeler.htm

5

Ray:
Maybe you can explain one of the pictures I saw on the PRR Website. It was TKM Number 17. I looked at the capacities on the gondola and they do not compute. The capacity is 140,000 lbs (70 tons). The load limit is 154,600 lbs, but the LT. WT is 55,400 lbs. Subtracting the Lt. wt from load limt yields a net capacity of 99,200 lbs, or less than 50 tons. Shouldn’t the load limit be 140,000 plus 55,400 or 195,400 lbs or is the lesser load capacity used on interchange service due to the fact that PRR used a heavier rail than other systems?

6

I just checked some my rolling stock at home and found that this is a typical practice among different railroads, not just PRR. Could the capacity be the figure used for determining required locomotive power? E.G. A locomotive rated for 2800 tons over a particular route would be able to handle 40 cars with a “capacity” of 70 tons even though these cars may actually weigh more.

7

Where do I find Locomotive Ton Ratings in steam? Is it readily availible?

8

Leon,

Back in the good old dqays, car design was limited by one major factor: truck load capacity. The standard trucks of the day were rated for either 50 or 70 tons. Subtract the weight of the car, and you end up with a rough guide to how much stuff you can put inside. Car shape was determined by the loads it was supposed to carry (iron ore, station wagons, pipes, etc). How this equates to the loading data on the sides of cars I’m not QUITE sure, but it relates to the truck rating and car weight.

I’m still learning freight car stuff myself, which is why I’m so thankful for the sites I mentioned!

9

The tractive effort of basically every steam engine ever built (or rebuilt) is readily available, but generally not online. The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has been publishing railroad-specific steam engine rosters for decades, and the lists include such mundane information such as driver diameter, overall weight, cylinder size, and tractive effort. You’ll have to search out the railroad(s) of interest to you and buy back issues of the R&LHS Journal to find the information you’re looking for. I’ve found that Railpub.com is the best place to find backissues.