I got some cattle that I want to put into some stock cars. I would like to include some realistic hay on the flooring to cover weights and have the cattle standing in.
Any suggestions?
dsb77
HO scale
Buy a cheap fine bristle paint brush and trim the bristles into short lengths. If you get a bru***hat has neutral (kinda yellow) colored bristles, you won’t have to recolor it.
Stock cars only had hay in them if the cattle were in the cars for more than eight hours. If the cattle were in the cars for more than 20, they’d have been offloaded and fed/watered.
If you’re thinking about bedding for the bottom of stock cars, SAND was used. Cows eat straw, so there wouldn’t have been much bedding left after about 2 hours.
Sorry, thought you where talking about NASCAR some of them act like cattle or donkeys is more to the point, if so a 6 pack would do it.
I spend way to much time with automobiles. I also thought of NASCAR first even though I am building a cattle pen and loading ramp Right now. From growing up on a farm with cattle I can tell you that in addition to the normal road dust and grime you would find the occasional streak of manure running down the side of the car, courtesy of an animal that was backed up to the wall when they relieved themselves. More manure at floor level. Water and maybe feed at the loading and unloading points.
Thanks everyone.
They would live in the car - permanetly. - haha.
I didn’t even think about “how long they’d be in there”, let alone the eating and wasting that would obviously take place in any 8 hr period.
dsb77
Stock cars also saw loads such as finished lumber and fruits/vegetables that required air flow, mellons come to mind in particular when not engaged in the livestock trade. Whatever commidities did not require weather protection was fair game for the stockcar and kept them employed in the off season.
Dave
Pack them in pretty tight. I’ve seen people model cars with just a few cows. It looks really funny. While I’ve never seen a railroad stock car loaded since I was a little kid, the Semi-trailer trucks I see loaded are packed tight nose to tail, gut to gut. The cows couldn’t fall down if they wanted to. Sometimes there are tails and hair poking out the sides.
Somewhere out there, I’ve seen the ARA specifications for heads of cattle and sheep allowed in different lengths of stock cars, but I can’t find it right now. Can someone check the special instructions pages of old ATSF and CB&Q ETT’s? (they’re the largest stock car handlers, and MIGHT have that data in their timetables). I want to say 35 cattle in a 40-foot car and 70 sheep (double deck) but don’t quote me!
Boy, I hope this thread doesn’t lead to a discussion on cheap ways to model manure.[:D]