I've been trying to research the companies that made the various components and fittings for '30s to '50s era freight cars, but haven't had much luck. We know the names, but who manufactured or developed them? Creco doors, Wine latches, Dreadnaught ends, Miner brake ratchets, Ajax brake wheels, Youngstown doors, Viking and Murphy roofs...the list goes on. Is there a source for this info?
Russ
Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ. Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/
If you're referring to the manufacturers of the parts for real trains, rather than models, many of the names you mention (Wine, Miner, Viking, etc.) are the names of the original companies. CRECO doors were from the Chicago Railway Equipment COmpany. I believe many of those companies date to at least the '20s, if not earlier, and some may have started out in other fields, then adapted to supply the rail industry.
Wayne
A Car Builder's Cyclopedia of the era -- 1930s to the 1950s - would have this information in the many pages of advertising. Those Cyclopedias function sort of like a Walthers catalog for the prototype railroads: need car doors? wheels? brackets and latches and parts of any kind? A prototype railroad employee or supervisor would reach for the Car Builders Cyclopedia. That and of course the traveling salesmen for those companies would come calling, likely on a daily basis!
A Car Builders Cyclopedia for your chosen era is an excellent investment in accurate information. Remember of course that if you model 1937, the 1937 Car Builder's Cyclopedia would show the newest stuff available. For information about the roster you'd have of older cars, some of which might be 30 or more years old, you might want a selection of older Cyclopedias as well.
If a Cyclopedia is a bit pricey you might find old copies of a railroad trade publication such as Railway Age at a well equipped public or university library, or for sale at a swap meet. They too would have ads for the manufacturers.
Dave Nelson
Yes, I'm referring to 1:1 railroad equipment. The Car Builders Cyclopedia sounds like a good place to start. I'll see if any are available for free on Google Books. Thanks for the suggestion!
Erie1951I'll see if any are available for free on Google Books.
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000552394
https://archive.org/search.php?query=car%20builder%27s
Some of the ones at Archive go way back to the early 1900s. There is a 1919 issue that would have equipment shown that would have still been running in the early '30s.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015006057858&view=1up&seq=5
Still, interesting to look at. There WAS an ebay seller called Tap-Lines that had scanned copies on CD (.pdf files) but I don't see them there any more.
Bethlehem made car kits!
Bethlehem_car_ad by Edmund, on Flickr
Are there any particular areas of interest you have? I have a 1940, 1953 and 1970 Car Builder's Cyc and a 1941 Locomotive Cyclopedia. I could scan a few pages for you and email them to you.
Cheers, Ed
gmpullman...There WAS an ebay seller called Tap-Lines that had scanned copies on CD (.pdf files) but I don't see them there any more...
That's Don Hensley's outfit, and you can view his site at www.taplines.net
The page (dated today) which appears also notes that his eBay site has re-opened.
doctorwayneThe page (dated today) which appears also notes that his eBay site has re-opened. Wayne
Thank you, Wayne. I have purchased several items from him in the past but I don't see some of the passenger equipment registers or Cyclopedias listed, presently.
Perhaps if the OP contacts him directly?
Regards, Ed
It's been some time since I got a 1938 ORER (on disc) from him, but the small folder which came with it suggests emailing or calling him if you have questions or problems. I hesitate to include the e-mail address or 'phone number in case that's a violation of forum rules.
In the same folder, it shows equipment registers for various years, but none specifically for passenger equipment, nor any mention of Cyclopedias, although, as I mentioned, that's from several years ago.
Russ, I've sent you a PM with both the e-mail address and the 'phone number if you wish to contact Don.
Thanks, Wayne...I think that I'll give him a call. Ed...I'm interested in finding information on the James of the companies that made appliances, car body parts, etc. in the '32-'38 timeframe, but nothing else in particular. Thanks for the offer!
Erie1951 I've been trying to research the companies that made the various components and fittings for '30s to '50s era freight cars, but haven't had much luck. We know the names, but who manufactured or developed them? Creco doors, Wine latches, Dreadnaught ends, Miner brake ratchets, Ajax brake wheels, Youngstown doors, Viking and Murphy roofs...the list goes on. Is there a source for this info?
I think the "dreadnought" ends and many of the diagonal panel roofs used on boxcars were made by the Standard Railway Equipment Co. (Stanray). The rest of the things you mentioned are the company names (or abbreviated versions thereof) that manufactured them (e.g Youngstown Steel Door Co., etc.)
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
Thanks, Chris! I'm going to do a search using some of your suggestions.
Another avenue you may wish to explore is the series of Train Shed Cyclopedias published by Newton K Gregg, in the 1970s. They were magazine sized collections of pages from car and, locomotive builders cyclopedias of the 20s, 30s and 40s. Walthers used to sell them and you can find a listing in their catalogs from the 1970s.
Another more recent, defunct publication to seek is the series of Railway Prototype Cyclopedias or simply, RP CYCs. This a series of paper bound publications that focused on different aspects of railroading, between 1920-1959. A lot of their material was also gleaned from the car and, locomotive builder's cyclopedias from that era. They were published up until last year and may still be available from hobby shops and booksellers. One source is www.protocraft.com . Volume 11 had 59 pages devoted to just handbrakes from the 1920s-1950s. Volume 16 devoted 53 pages to freight car running boards and brake steps, so they might have something that interests you. Happy hunting.
Thanks, NHTX. I have a few Train Shed Cyclopedias in my railroad book library and I'll have to go check them out. Thanks for the tip on the RP CYCs and I'll check those out as well.
The Train Shed Cyclopedias would reproduce what I'd call the "first part" of a Car Builder's Cyclopedia, that being the pictures of recent freight cars by type: box cars, tanks cars, etc. What I referred to in my earlier posting was the back (and much larger) part of the Car Builder's Cyclopedia, that being the many and varied parts that go into building or repairing a freight or passenger car.
The Railway Prototype Cyclopedias were indeed an excellent resource -- sorry to hear they have gone belly up -- and one of the best (still offered as a reprint by Ron's Books) issues is Vol 20 with drawings, text and photos showing AAR rules for bracing and securing open loads on flat cars.