Timeline of rolling stock changes

[Anonymous]

I'm wanting to know about the times of change, when boxcars went from wood, to steel, riveted to welded, short (34 to 40 ft, to 50, etc.) to long, and that sort of stuff.

It seems to me that if one was to model a specific era, then rolling stock should be from that era... What I see is "steam era" stuff, AAR stuff and so on.

Any help or guidance to a website would be super!

Thanks, Rey.

[CBQ_Guy]

I know this isn't the most dependable indicator, but I generally go by the BLT date, etc. on a model before I buy it.

After awhile in the hobby you pick up tidbits of info to help, such as billboard reefers were banned from interchange in the 1930's, or some such. Or a paint scheme wasn't used by a particular railroad until a certain year. For example, I'm modeling the Burlington (CB&Q) in the late 1960's but I've learned they changed their paint scheme in the late 1950's. Doesn't matter in my case but if you're modeling anything prior to the late 1950's you best not have any Chinese Red on the rails!

You can decide how far into this you want to go and it's and individual choice, such as your own personal definition of what's "good enough". I like to learn new things about the prototype, and incorporate them into the layout when I can, but if I can't easily do so, I don't obsess over it either. I am behind on my MR reading and just last night was reading about different truck types and the years they came into and went out of service. Interesting, as I say, but I don't know if I'll be checking and replacing a lot of trucks on my models if they don't have the appropriate type. Only on the glaring ones!

So I agree with your wish for a one stop historically accurate, accounting site of when all this happened, but realistically I don't see it completely happening anyway. One suggestion is to join at least the historical society for the prototype you are modeling as I feel a modeler should at least have some knowledge/expertise on his home road. Other than that, well I guess that's why we go online and ask questions!

Hope some of this helps.

[Anonymous]

Rey:

Interesting question with a complex answer or set of answers.

A good place to begin is with the history of the American Car and Foundry company. For specific types I suggest:
Kaminski, Edward S., Tank cars from American Car and Foundry
Thompson, Anthony W and Robert K. Church, Pacific Fruit Express.

Check with the various specific railroad's historical societies, They frequently have information posted or available which will be very helpful. Larger railroads often had special classes of rolling stock built, this was the source of considerable innovation which later became standard.

Federal regulation spurred changes, the Safety Appliances Act of 1912 (? on the exact year) led to considerable change in car fittings. The war emergency rationalization of rolling stock designs in World War I was a great change maker.

Change from one construction practice to another was often slow. Center sill cars were first produced in 1895, yet truss-rod cars continued to be manufactured until the start of WWI, a generation later. I believe PFE continued to order wood side cars into the 1950s.

Railroads continued to run outdated equipment for decades. I personally saw an X29 box car in San DIego CA in the late 1960s.

I would say your best bet, if you want to be period correct, is to pick a specific railroad and a specific type of car...say box cars...and research what the road was running at the time. Freight Car Cyclopedia for various years are available on CD for just this purpose.

If you really want to find the answers you are going to have to like, or learn to like, doing research. You will get considerable help here. Several of the posters are very knowledgable on this exact subject. I'm sure they will chime in, sooner rather than later.

Side comment, both Westerfield and Sunshine are good about researching the background of their kit offerings and posting it with their offerings.

Good Luck

Randy

[nfmisso]

Rey;

As Randy mentioned Westerfield http://users.multipro.com/westerfield/ has dates on every car he offers. Red Caboose http://www.red-caboose.com/ does to. And Kadee http://www.kadee.com/ca/allcars.htm Atlas does on some releases.

Another good source of general information are RR films and videos filmed during your era of interest.

50ft "automobile" box cars showed up in the '30's.

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm certainly not a purist... I don't plan on modelling any specific year or prototype, rather just an era.

I thought though, that if I modeled post war, or 50's, then I don't think it would look proper to run a container train, but I'm not sure if I could run a TOFC every now and again with 24ft trailers. Don't know how out of place that would be.

Also, I'm not sure what the average car length would be for that period, and I doubt if what I call frameless tank cars were in use. Just things like that.

It seems to me that at some time after the 50s, the level of sophitication in rolling stock increased dramatically. I can't peg the date.

A visit to the library seems in order now. At least that is close by!

[dehusman]

The changes occurred over many years. Some roads were buying both steel and wood cars at the same time. Some required changes (knuckle couplers, safety appliances, no roofwalks, no archbar trucks, etc) took decades to be fully implemented. Genraly between 1890 and 1905 link and pin couplers were replaced with knuckle couplers. About 1900 the cars grew from 34' to 36'. Then by WW1 the cars were up to 40' generally. Truss rods were phased out in the first quarter of the 20th centrury. All steel cars were pretty much the norm by WW2 only to be replaced by wood during WW2 ( the Athearn wood twin hopper is actually a NEWER car than the quad hopper). 50' cars were the norm by the 60's.
Westerfield sells ORER's on CD that are only $20 or so, they are great investment.

Dave H.

[leighant]

I model middle 1950s so it's easy having a 1954 Official Railroad Equipment Register so just looking and seeing if a particular car I identify from its reporting mark (RR initial and car number) was listed for interchange in that period.

[Anonymous]

someone mentioned to look at the build dates on the car,,some times not readable but must try..I an running a cab forwered and all the cars are pree 1945, however there is same car number every now and then on more than one or two cars,,but most people dont even notice,,

[IRONROOSTER]

John Armstrong's book 'Creative Layout design" has a two page summary of the changes over time for locos, freight, passenger cars, track, etc. While an older car / engine may not be out of place don't overdo it. Unless of course you model a line like the Ma & PA that used old equipment into the fifties. They had truss rods, arch bar trucks, open platform passenger cars long after they were gone from the big roads - they just didn't interchange them. Of course you can do both - have the modern (i.e. fifties) class 1 and a shortline that can't afford to modernize.
Enjoy
Paul