AAR classification for Dynamometer car?

[ripvanwnkl]

Is there an AAR classification for a dynamometer car? 

Thanks,

[jrbernier]

Dave,

  At one time there was an 'I' series classification for 'Instruction' cars(usually converted passenger cars).  Most are now classified as 'PS' - This is for company service(usually office or instruction cars).  I would suspect that it would fit in there.

Jim

[markpierce]

Not surprised I've yet to find such codes for cars not involved in revenue and interchange service such as maintenance-of-way-cars like snowplows, flangers, bunk cars, crane cars, water cars, tool cars, etc., etc.

Mark

[tomikawaTT]

If the final katakana symbol in the car number is Ya, ti's a test or rail geometry car.

Of course, that doesn't help if you don't model Japanese prototype...

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - sans test and rail geometry cars)

[doctorwayne]

markpierce

Not surprised I've yet to find such codes for cars not involved in revenue and interchange service such as maintenance-of-way-cars like snowplows, flangers, bunk cars, crane cars, water cars, tool cars, etc., etc.

Mark

 

While I couldn't locate any listing for dynamometer cars, my 1968 ORER has a list of designations for MoW and other non-revenue equipment.

MWB - ballast cars

MWC - caboose and tool cars

MWD - dump cars

MWE - ballast spreaders and trimmers

MWF - flat cars

MWG - section gang or track inspection cars

MWH - hand car (push car)

MWJ - ballast unloaders (such as a Lidgerwood)

MWK - snow removing cars

MWL - hand car (self-propelled, but not motorised)

MWM - stores supply cars

MWP - pile drivers

MWS - steam shovels

MWT - tool and blocking cars

MWU - wrecking derrick (manually-operated boom and hoist on flatcars)

MWV - wrecking derrick (steam donkey-powered boom and hoist, but not equipped with its own boiler)

MWW - wrecking derrick (same as MWV, but with its own boiler - the type typical to most model railroads)

MWX - boarding outfit cars (includes those for sleeping, cooking, eating, etc.)

Curiously, given the date,  there's no mention of diesel-powered cranes, but some of these classifications seem to cover a wide range of cars.  MKW, for instance, is "a car equipped with any special device for removing snow from between or alongside of rails."  This would seem to encompass wedge plows, rotary plows, flangers, and snow melters.

Wayne 

 

[markpierce]

Thanks, Wayne.  This demonstrates the shortfall in Westerfield's DVDs containing ORERs, which only include railroads' reports on freight cars.  No information on passenger cars, MOW cars, or a code key.

Mark

[Gil Janus]

You can also find some pretty complete info in the AAR ULMER manual maintained by Railinc.com - a for-profit subsidary of the AAR.

You can download the 3.1 MB PDF here - UMLER DATA SPECIFICATION MANUAL

See pages 129 thru 131 for non-revenue cars, mostly non-interchange cars.

From the ULMER manual:

UMLER (Universal Machine Language Equipment Register) the Equipment Register for North America contains inspection dates required by AAR Interchange Rules for various rail car components, specific details on the internal and external dimensions, carrying capacities expressed in gallons/cubic feet capacity, equipment weight, as well as special equipment on all railcars and highway trailers and containers that are used in interchange equipment or commercial service. The number of cars (1,700,000) and trailers and containers (750,000) registered in the file is approximately 2,500,000.

This manual specifies data requirements for the proper reporting of locomotives, maintenance-of-way passenger cars, End of Train Information Systems, rail cars and highway trailers and containers. UMLER is the master file from which the CHARM® (Car Hire Accounting Rate Master) file and TRAIN II® (Tele Rail Automated Information Network Phase 2, the railroad industry’s national car information system) are verified before equipment is entered into these files.

Hope this helps, Gil

[markpierce]

Classification codes change over time.  For instance, the modern listing provided by Gil show a lot fewer codes for various passenger cars.  One needs to consider the period one is modeling to use the correct codes.  Check this listing out:

http://eaneubauer.ipower.com/mech.pdf 

Mark

[steemtrayn]

Just wonderin'.... When was the last time a railroad used a dynamometer car (assuming, of course. that they don't anymore)?

[Gil Janus]

I doubt that any railroads have any Dynamomter Cars left on their active rosters, but I'm sure that EMD and GE do. But see the item about the CP below - they might still have one.

And to help confuse folks even more - here's a page of various cars (with photos) belonging to the BN.

Burlington Northern Rolling Stock Photographic Roster

A Dynamomter Car and a HW track geometry car are listed with the AAR code PA - which is just a Passenger Car equipped to carry passengers. Which they are, but they have test equipment installed too.

And In the Canadian Pacific Rolling Stock Photographic Roster, the Dynamomter Car is listed as AAR code PS.

So it looks like it might vary from railroad to railroad, decade to decade.

GIl

[markpierce]

steemtrayn

Just wonderin'.... When was the last time a railroad used a dynamometer car (assuming, of course. that they don't anymore)?

It is believed the last locomotive testing with Southern Pacific's dynamometer car was between Roseville and Ogden in 1978 using three SD45T-2s. (page 22 of Summer 2000 SP Trainline)

Edit -- SP's 1956 car roster lists the dynamometer car (#137) among its business and instruction cars (numbered between 99 and 200).  That may (or may not) hint how the railroad classified it under the AAR codes.  On the other hand, the car had a kitchen, dining tables, and sleeping accommodations (and until the last years, the crew included a cook), so maybe it was classified somewhere within the passenger dining or sleeping car codes.  I can imagine the SP really didn't care how some clerk would classify it.  It seemed irrelevant to the railroad (official car roster doesn't identify AAR codes).

Meanwhile, I'll use the AAR code "PV" until I know better.

Mark

[cv_acr]

Gil Janus

And to help confuse folks even more - here's a page of various cars (with photos) belonging to the BN.

Burlington Northern Rolling Stock Photographic Roster

A Dynamomter Car and a HW track geometry car are listed with the AAR code PA - which is just a Passenger Car equipped to carry passengers. Which they are, but they have test equipment installed too.

And In the Canadian Pacific Rolling Stock Photographic Roster, the Dynamomter Car is listed as AAR code PS.

So it looks like it might vary from railroad to railroad, decade to decade.

While the AAR designations have changed from time to time, it's more likely that the poster of the images had no more idea of the correct code than the original poster of this thread, and the stated codes could be flat wrong. That happens a lot too, especially on the internet. There's a lot of bad information out there with the good unfortunately.