Hi, I am trying to find a roster of hoppers that the Santa Fe used. I searched online for the past 30min with no luck.
What kinds of hoppers did the Santa Fe use,
?
Thanks,
Charles
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Modeling the Santa Fe & Pennsylvania in HO
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"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
That seems to be pretty good info, but much of it was compiled by Dr. Richard Hendrickson, PhD, who passed away several years ago. He was well known as a careful, thorough researcher who always adhered to high standards (in addition to being an all-around great guy). I suspect some of his excellent information may have been superseded by later product releases and the new discoveries of additional information.
According to Railway Prototype Cyclopedia (RP CYC) No. 1, Santa Fe had 500 AAR offset side steel twin hoppers, delivered in two different groups.
Class GA-54 consisted of 200 cars, numbers 180800-180999, built by GATC in March, 1941, with 2191 cu. ft. capacity. These were the AAR Alternate Standard design, and had Ajax brake gear and Wine door locks. A photo of 180874 appears in RP CYC 13, published in 2006. The Alternate Standard design is offered only by Intermountain. It is different from the Standard design in the contour of the "darts" in the corner of the car, and the spacing of the vertical support posts, the tops of which are visible just below the bulb angle. The visible portion of the vertical support is also covered by a shroud on the Alternate Standard car.
Class GA-72 consisted of 300 cars, numbers 78000-78299, built by Pullman Standard in 1948, with 2145 cu. ft. capacity. These were the AAR Standard design, and had Ajax brake gear, Keystone door locks, and Gypsum brake step. A photo of 78114 appears in RP CYC no. 25, published 2012; and a photo of 78130 appears in RP CYC 13, published in 2006. The AAR Standard design is offered by Athearn, Atlas, Kadee, and Accurail. These models show some differences, including differences in the end bracing. Most or all are correct for some prototype(s), but I don'tknow which is closest for Santa Fe. Photos should answer that question for you. In comparison with the Alternate Standard, the AAR Standard design has a different contour in the corner "darts" and its vertical posts are not equally spaced. The tops of the vertical posts are open structural members, unshrouded.
Santa Fe also had composite (wood side) War Emergency hoppers of the same general size. There were 400 cars, in two groups. There were 200 class GA-60 cars built by Pullman Standard in 1943, series 180600-180799. There were also 200 class GA-62 cars built by GATCin 1943-44, series 180400-180599. All 400 cars had Ajax brake grear and Wine door locks, and were rebuilt with steel sides at the Topeka Shops ca. 1957. Photos of several of these cars appear in RP CYC 29, published 2014. Athearn, Accurail, and P2K have produced models of these composite cars. I don't know which is most accurate for the Santa Fe.
Railway Prototype Cyclopedia is an excellent resource. Back issues are available through your LHS or direct, RP CYC Publishing Company, P. O. Box 451, Chesterfield, MO., 63006-0451.
The Santa Fe's 1,425 seventy ton triple offset cars of classes GA-66, GA-73, and GA-77, built 1948-49, are probably best represented by the Bowser (Stewart) or Accurail cars, but I have no more precise information. According to the January, 1953 ORER, they were numbered 183000-184424.
There were also Hart ballast cars and scads of Caswell gons (Westerfield) that Santa Fe might have used in the same service as hoppers. A Santa Fe specialist could probably tell you more precisely about that.
Tom
(Edited; corrected; amplified)
thankyou very much guys!
I'll try finding that Railway Prototype Cyclopedia soon!
The ATSF was not a big coal road, so didn't have many "coal trains" per se. The only reason they would haul coal is if there was a coal fired power plant or an industry that used coal. Most of the coal in the 1940's and 1950's would have been hauled in Caswell gons, a version of the GS gon, instead of hoppers.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Santa Fe had some coal mines in Colorado and New Mexico, and the road burned coal in many steamers on its Eastern lines. I suspect (not sure) most of that coal came from online mines, or sources in Illinois and adjacent States. Certainly, hoppers were a small part of the ATSF fleet, and gondolas carried a lot of coal on ATSF.
When did the various New Mexico mines open?
"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
You could also look for The Official Railway Equipment Register. They were reproduced by the NMRA.
http://www.nmra.org/library/kalmbach-library-collection/official-railway-equipment-registers
There do not appear to be any reproduction volumes on Ebay at the moment. NMRA does not appear to have any in the store.
Edit: I missed Tom's Edit about ORER.
Intermountain also makes the Caswell gondola:
Ed