Two questions for Santa Fe experts -- re the October issue of MR

[dknelson]

OK Santa Fe experts -- maybe Andy Sperandeo if you are reading this -- the Oct issue of MR raised two Santa Fe questions for me.

Question 1, the baggage car plans on page 83-85. The car is called "semi-lightweight." Built 1960-65 -- definitely the lightweight era, if not beyond it. They are smooth side cars (although MR has shaded fluting in the heading) with four wheel trucks. To every visual aspect they look like lightweight cars. Question is, why semi lightweight? They look lightweight. I assume they were heavier than lightweight but why? I have always assumed the ride was better for heavyweight cars than most lightweight but who cares what the ride is like for baggage cars? And they had no air conditioning, or seats, or interiors that true lightweight cars would have, so if anything they should be lighter than lightweight coaches or sleepers. So what -- other than their weight lol -- makes them semi lightweight and why were they built that way?

Question 2, the cover shows a signal bridge, seemingly to the side of the rails, with the word "TRAIN" in large letters. Knowing Gary Hoover's reputation I am sure this is an accurate model of a prototype, but what was the reason for having a big sign with the word "TRAIN" next to ... well ... train tracks? What else would the sign say -- SNAKES? Was this meant to light up as a sort of warning?

Dave Nelson

[jimrice4449]

I haven't gotten the Oct issue yet so I'm flying blind here, but I suspect that the baggage car you're refering to is what's generally called an "economy" baggage car. The SP, NYC and a bunch of others had jillions. The semi refers to the fact that the cross section contours don't match the AAR standard for lightwieght cars.
The "train" signal is a model of one used at the west end of Summit on Cajon Pass (and possibly other places). I don't recall the exact meaning of it, possibly an indication that a train was comming up on the "wrong" main. I'll bet somebody will jump in here and enlighten both of us.

[balearic]

Maybe those baggage cars were rebuilds that started out as heavyweights, but like Jim, I haven't received my copy of the new MR so it's just a guess.

[Sperandeo]

Hi Dave,

The Santa Fe's regular lightweight baggage cars were built with fluted stainless siding by Budd and ACF. The semi-lightweight or economy baggage cars were built by the railroad from kits supplied by Pullman including smooth welded sides. They had the same cross-section as the true lightweight cars, but the railroad purchased them as the least expensive replacements available for its oldest heavyweight baggage cars (which included some wood-bodied cars with steel plating screwed on!).

The "TRAIN" sign at the west end of Summit was connected to the automatic block system, and was set to rotate from the horizontal and display the word "TRAIN" when an eastward train was in the block around the curve below Summit.

Yard limits were posted at Summit, and so designated in the employee timetable, to allow helper engines to use the main tracks without special authority from the dispatcher (as you may know, yard limits apply only on main tracks). Rule 93 required trains or engines on main tracks within yard limits to give way when another train approached, but because of the curve and ridge at the west end of Summit it was hard to see when a train was approaching. The ABS signals faced the oncoming train, so they were no help. (Signal 561, shown in Gary's cover photo, governed trains on the westward main track.) The TRAIN sign gave crews working at Summit warning that they would have to clear for an approaching extra freight train.

Not that the sign wasn't also activated by scheduled passenger trains – it certainly was. However, by rule other trains and engines had to clear the schedule time of first-class trains, not just get out of the way when they showed up. Other trains were supposed to be off the main at the time the first-class train was scheduled to leave the last station in the rear where time was shown in the employee timetable. For eastward trains approaching Summit, that was Alray, where the eastward main line crossed Route 66, and just below the two tunnels on the west slope of Cajon Pass.

Jim Rice mentioned running on the "wrong" main, but between San Bernardino and bridge AA40X, the flyover in the desert at Frost, trains normally kept to the left on the Santa Fe's two main tracks. Thus the track closest to the TRAIN sign at Summit is the eastward main track, and trains approaching from the west on that track are where they are supposed to be.

So long,

Andy

[dknelson]

Thanks Andy this is very clear. Seeing that "TRAIN" sign in action must have been a real kick!
Dave Nelson

[davekelly]

Someday someone will ask a Santa Fe question that Andy can't answer. I'm not going to hold my breath for that though!!

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

I think it's great that Andy and some of the other staffers at Model Railroader share their knowledge with the rest of us!

Dave