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Appropriate-ish cars for a PC/CR coal train?

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Posted by Autonerd on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 2:56 PM

Excellent! Thanks again for the help -- I am on my way with my train, more news on the General Discussion forum...

Aaron

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Posted by DSO17 on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 4:41 PM

As late as 1976 two pocket hoppers were showing up in PC/CR trains. Some reporting marks:

C&I (Cambria & Indiana R.R. Co.)

BWC (PC via PRR from Berwind White Coal)

TOC (PC via NYC)

Edited to add:

P&S (Pittsburg & Shawmut Railroad)

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Posted by Autonerd on Monday, December 5, 2022 11:09 PM

I love you guys, but seriously, you're like drug dealers sometimes.

Aaron

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Posted by PC101 on Monday, December 5, 2022 8:27 PM

@dti406, Nice work on the tall two bay hopper. That one will give the OP an odd ball car for his era.

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Posted by dti406 on Monday, December 5, 2022 8:00 PM

PC101

Then you have ex-NYC lot 887-H, PC #404194 a two bay open hopper that made it into Conrail along with ex-NYC lot 942-H, PC #410206 a two bay open hopper.

 

Lot 942-H is not a standard 2-bay hopper, these were extra large 2 bay hoppers with a 65 Ton Capacity versus the 50-55 Ton of a regular two bay hopper. These need to be kitbashed from a 3 bay 100 Ton hopper car. I used a Con-Cor Greenville 12 Panel Hopper for my kitbash.

Here is a comparison of the 65 Ton and 55 Ton hopper cars.

Here is the kit I started from.

Put together

Rick Jesionowski

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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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Posted by PC101 on Monday, December 5, 2022 6:01 PM

gmpullman
 
PennCentral99
Want randomity? Try PPLX (Pennsylvania Power and Light).

 

Plus you can run one of those handsome brown and gold PPL cabin cars!

https://www.mountvernonshops.com/products/ho-penn-central-pp-l-cabin-car-decals

Cheers, Ed

 

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Posted by gmpullman on Monday, December 5, 2022 12:10 AM

PennCentral99
Want randomity? Try PPLX (Pennsylvania Power and Light).

Plus you can run one of those handsome brown and gold PPL cabin cars!

https://www.mountvernonshops.com/products/ho-penn-central-pp-l-cabin-car-decals

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by PennCentral99 on Sunday, December 4, 2022 10:46 PM

Autonerd

And I like a little randomity in my trains, rather than that nice clean uniform look.

Want randomity? Try PPLX (Pennsylvania Power and Light). Not sure what scale you are looking for, but Bowser made a few in HO Scale.

You can do a search on rrpicturearchives or railcarphotos for proto pics

Terry

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Posted by Autonerd on Sunday, December 4, 2022 9:39 PM

Great info, thx -- and interesting to know there are legit two-bay hoppers. 

My goal here is to have a coal train Ito run at our club/museum... though all the different cars is going to make loading a bear!

BTW, Ed, cool to see that pic from the Rochester museum -- I used to volunteer there! Painted the trucks on LV211. I looked at the photo album and was very pleased to see the GE centercab from Beebee Station. I was a weekend DJ at WMAX in the early 90s, and her sister unit (#1950, also at the museum) was parked right behind our building. Somewhere I have a bunch of photos of her. What a small railroad world!

Aaron

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Posted by PC101 on Sunday, December 4, 2022 7:33 PM

maxman

Don't remember PC or Conrail having many (any?) 4 bay hoppers.

Many H39 and H43 hoppers.

Reading and Erie Lackawanna.

 

Ex-PRR class H21 reclassed to Penn Central class H5 4 bay open hopper, total of 602, approximately 543 made it to Conrail.

Then you have ex-NYC lot 887-H, PC #404194 a two bay open hopper that made it into Conrail along with ex-NYC lot 942-H, PC #410206 a two bay open hopper.

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, December 4, 2022 4:03 PM

Here's a few photos to help:

http://pc.smellycat.com/pics/equip/hoppers.html

Bowser has some H21 models. From what I gather, toward the end of their careers they were not interchanged but that was OK for P-C as they used them in dedicated service and M-of-W.

https://www.bowser-trains.com/history/h21history.html

 And a little more background here:

http://prr.railfan.net/freight/classpage.html?class=H21

 

 PRR Hopper Car 747803, Industry, NY by Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, on Flickr

 

Good Luck, Ed

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Posted by maxman on Sunday, December 4, 2022 3:19 PM

Don't remember PC or Conrail having many (any?) 4 bay hoppers.

Many H39 and H43 hoppers.

Reading and Erie Lackawanna.

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Posted by caldreamer on Sunday, December 4, 2022 3:13 PM

Here is family tree for Conrail, its predecessor roads and their family trees.  Hope this helps.

https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/conrail-merger-family-tree/

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Appropriate-ish cars for a PC/CR coal train?
Posted by Autonerd on Sunday, December 4, 2022 12:15 PM

Sooo, for my next silly obsession -- sorry, I mean project -- I think I'd like to do a coal train appropriate for Penn Central and maybe early Conrail (so, 1968 to 1978 or so).

I don't care about being 100% prototypical; plausible is what I'm going for. And I like a little randomity in my trains, rather than that nice clean uniform look.

I am trying to do this on a budget, and I don't want fragile cars, so I'm looking mainly at old Roundhouse, Athearn BB, Bowser kits.

From what little I know about coal cars, 34' two-bay cars would not be appropriate for my train, but 40' 3- and 4-bay cars would. It looks like some of the PRR-specific Bowser hoppers would work. I'm thinking cars painted for PRR, NYC, PC and CR would be appropriate, and maybe some Erie Lackawanna on the CR version.

Thoughts? Other road names/cars I should include? Am I way off on car types?

Thanks!
Aaron

 

 

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