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- From: ggg9y@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Garth G. Groff)
- Subject: Re: box cars
- Message-ID: <1993Jan21.134013.21518@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
- Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
- Organization: University of Virginia
- References: <C16Cus.5I4@rice.edu>
- Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 13:40:13 GMT
- Lines: 57
-
-
- MORE ON BOXCARS
-
- The question you have asked is quite complex, and I can
- only speak in generalities. My information is largely
- based on recent articles in RAILMODEL JOURNAL and is from
- memory (since I am now at work). End disclaimer.
-
- There were experiments with steel cars, or steel covered
- wooden cars during the late 1800s. One example: the
- Carson & Colorado (later SP's narrow gauge Owens Valley
- Line) operated steel covered boxcars before 1900. The
- B&LE bought the first all-steel boxcar in 1908 (#9000)
- and ordered more in 1914. During the WWI era, several
- major lines began buying large fleets of all-steel cars,
- including the UP with steel-sided outside braced 40 and
- 50 foot cars, the PRR with its famous X-28 and X-29 and
- large numbers of steel cars for the NYC and its affiliates.
- Many other roads purchased similar cars during the 1920s,
- including the B&O, CNJ, etc. However, there were many
- steel-framed cars with wooden sides built until the
- early 1930s. About 1932 the ARA published its recommended
- design for an all-steel 40-foot boxcar. This was
- subsequently expanded in size in 1938 and again in 1942
- until the standard inside height of 10' 6" was reached.
- Nearly all boxcars built during the 1930-1940 era were
- all steel, though there were exceptions (especially the
- GN and NP which used the same designs but substituted
- wooden sides). When steel supplies became critical in
- WWII, there was a brief flurry of building single-sheathed
- cars again. Some of these continuted as wood-sides cars
- for years, others were rebuilt with steel sheathing after
- the war. There were some experiments just after the
- war using plywood sides for boxcars (the GN again), but
- they were brief.
-
- The true overlap period of wooden and serious steel car
- construction was during the 1920s. There were many
- throwbacks during the 1930s and 1940s, but by about 1932
- steel construction was established practice. Many wood
- sided cars continued to serve for years. In the early
- 1950s, wood cars still made up substantial portion of the
- U.S. car fleet. There were thinned rapidly so that by
- the 1960s wood cars were very rare in regular service.
- The last wood-sided car I ever saw in service was a
- pristine double-sheathed NP car being loaded with dog
- food in Los Angeles in 1975.
-
- I am sure there are many readers out there who will add to
- this summary (or dispute my facts, which after all are from
- memory), but its a start.
-
- ~S
- --
- Garth (Haridas) Groff
- "Not yet famous author"
- ggg9y@poe.acc.virginia.EDU Chant "Govinda Bohlo Hare"
-