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What is a K7 Stock Car?

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Posted by doctorwayne on Monday, January 31, 2022 5:56 PM

garya
BEAUSABRE Wayne I call BS on that. PRR already had the letters S, T, O and C assigned, so K was what was left

Yes, and I do admit that it was a Bad Story.

garya
Whoosh

I take it that that's the royal flush?

Wayne

 

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Posted by garya on Monday, January 31, 2022 3:54 PM

BEAUSABRE
Wayne I call BS on that. PRR already had the letters S, T, O and C assigned, so K was what was left

Whoosh

Gary

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Posted by cv_acr on Monday, January 31, 2022 11:05 AM

SeeYou190

I have noticed that resin model kit manufacturers almost always put the class numbers/letters on B&O, PRR, and ATSF freight cars. Not so much on other roadnames.

Probably because not all railroads even had class systems for their freight cars. No Canadian roads ever did. CN and CP had detailed class systems for their locomotives though.

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Sunday, January 30, 2022 11:04 PM

doctorwayne
I have heard, from a good source, that the name was derived from the fact that the car could hold 7 Kows at a time, those being quite large, as indicated the capital "K".  Wayne

I call BS on that. PRR already had the letters S, T, O and C assigned, so K was what was left

PRR rolling stock class letters

 

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, January 30, 2022 11:00 PM

I have noticed that resin model kit manufacturers almost always put the class numbers/letters on B&O, PRR, and ATSF freight cars. Not so much on other roadnames.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by doctorwayne on Sunday, January 30, 2022 10:46 PM

dehusman
...K is the PRR code for "stock car". 7 is the 7th order of stock cars, the seventh design....

bearman
I did a google search but did not come up with the era or the reason why the car was labeled K7.

I have heard, from a good source, that the name was derived from the fact that the car could hold 7 Kows at a time, those being quite large, as indicated the capital "K".  Whistling

Wayne

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Posted by doctorwayne on Saturday, January 29, 2022 1:20 PM

BEAUSABRE
...I don't want to be around when the next great leap in model railroading comes about, "authenic stock car smells...

They were actually available at one time, perhaps in the '70s, from a company called Olfactory Airs, I believe, from Micros Corp.

There's some comments on it to be found HERE.

Wayne

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Posted by BEAUSABRE on Saturday, January 29, 2022 8:52 AM

BLI advertises they come with "Cattle" and "Hog" sounds (presumably the later is a double decker car). I don't want to be around when the next great leap in model railroading comes about, "authenic stock car smells". BTW, my dad's first job after graduating high school was as a laborer for the L&A in Greenville, TX. His first assignment was to clean out a bunch of empty stock cars left baking in the summer sun of Texas. Grandma wouldn't let him back in the house, he had to strip and wash himself down with a hose in back yard. 

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Posted by bearman on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 12:24 PM

Dave, that someone was me.  

Bear "It's all about having fun."

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Posted by dknelson on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 12:14 PM

bearman
I did a google search but did not come up with ... the reason why the car was labeled K&.

Heh - look at your keyboard and the answer becomes more clear.  Someone hit the shift key.

Dave Nelson

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Posted by bearman on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 12:09 PM

Yes, Wjstx, I have my eye on the CP 4 pack.  And Doc Wayne, absolutely, my questions were answered and the K7's will work on my layout.  

I did a google search but did not come up with the era or the reason why the car was labeled K7.

Bear "It's all about having fun."

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Posted by wjstix on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:50 AM

I suspect you're looking at the BLI stockcars. As noted, Broadway Limited (BLI) based their HO stockcar model on the Pennsylvania RR K-7 stockcar, but also offer it in a number of other roadnames. Although it's a specific PRR design, many railroads had cars that were somewhat similar.

 

Stix
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Posted by dehusman on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:47 AM

K7 is a PRR class designation.  That is a code that describes a certain design of a car.  Most railroads had class codes, but there were no standards between railroads.

K is the PRR code for "stock car".  

7 is the 7th order of stock cars, the seventh design.

For example the PRR used "X" for boxcar classes and X29 was the 29th design, X31 was the 31st design or order.  

Railroads might also put sub-letters on the codes so a X31a is a variant of an X31 design.

Other railroads used other code patterns, like the length and the design.  A B50-6 might be the sixth design of a 50 ft boxcar.

Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com

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Posted by doctorwayne on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:47 AM

it looks like Rick and Dave have answered your question, and the cars are appropriate for a pre-'60s layout.
Another choice might be Bowser's K-9 and/or K-11 stockcars.  I liked the look of them, and had intended to buy a couple, but discovered that they're too modern for my late '30s-era railroad.  The earliest of the prototypes appear to date from the very late '50s.

Wayne

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Posted by dknelson on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:24 AM

I found a photo of a K7A class stock car in the book "The Cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad" by Wayner Publications.

It looks rather like a single sheathed box car in that there are verticle and diagonal metal supports on the outside (sometimes called "outside braced"), wood slats inside.  PRR 135499.  Blt date is 7-13 and it shows it has the old 'K' brake system.  It is a direct side view so I cannot see the ends but my bet is they are wood ends.  What is interesting is that the trucks (similar to the so called Bettendorf, not arch bar or Andrews) have one leaf spring and one coil spring.  

This particular example of the K7A is a double deck stock car so presumably suited for hogs, sheep and other smaller animals.  The notes say that both types had the same general exterior appearance.

The Pennsy also had K9 stock cars ... but they weren't for carrying dogs.

Dave Nelson

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Posted by dti406 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:21 AM

The first plans were issued in 1912, as of 1944 there were still around 1,400 still in service with 117 still in service in 1958, all were gone by the PC merger in 1968.

Rick

Rule 1: This is my railroad.

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Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!

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Posted by bearman on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:13 AM

Then that begs one final question, when was it first produced.  I have a line on a 4-pack but if it is post 1960 it won't work for me.

Bear "It's all about having fun."

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Posted by dti406 on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 10:59 AM

K7 is the class given to a stock car that is made to a certain plan of the PRR. Other railroads may have a car built to that same plan, but it may have that railroads class designation or no class designation.

As another example the PRR had X48 boxcars, that were actually Pullman Standard PS-1 40' boxcars, but to the PRR they were X48's.

Rick Jesionowski

Rule 1: This is my railroad.

Rule 2: I make the rules.

Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!

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What is a K7 Stock Car?
Posted by bearman on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 10:29 AM

And how is it different from your regular old every day, run-of-the-mill stock car?

Bear "It's all about having fun."

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