Modeling 1960's Freight

[Anonymous]

Railmodel Journal used to run a feature showing a photo of a freight train and the date the photo was taken followed by a car by car breakout of what was in the consist. I haven't read the mag for a few years, but those articles goe a long way toward answering "what was there then?".

Cheers

[CNW-400]

Hey conford...does the Green Frog video you spoke of show the whole freight train?

I've got "Chicago Odyssey" vol. 2 and I know what Rock Island Lines was talking about when he said Gulash seemed only interested in the locomotive & caboose (or maybe it's just how Green Frog edits them). Now passenger trains...that's different, then we get to see every coach car, one after the other, even though they all look the same.

Mark

[conford]

The PRR site kc.pennsyrr.com has a database you can search to see what the PRR's freight car roster was like in a number of given years in the 60's (also includes earlier years). That will give you an idea of what kinds of cars the PRR had, and it had the most cars of any RR. Green Frog's Michigan Fast Freight has plenty of freight trains circa 1967 Michigan that you may enjoy. Films by the great Gulash. Consider getting an Official Railway Equipment Register for the year you model. It lists all freight cars in service at the time it was issued. Often available at train shows or on ebay.

The Morning Sun color guides are great. Get the one for your railroad A number of folks have noted that the caprions are sometimes less than accurate, but the pictures are great

The 60's are my era, so good luck.

Regards
Peter

[Anonymous]

All of the Midwestern roads were "mighty fine lines" in my opinion. Too bad NS, UP and BNSF had to chew them all up and spit out what remains of those lines' physical plant.
Rock Island Line, you can also go to www.rr-fallenflags.org and see quite a few locomotive and car pictures on the ROCK in the '60's.
---------------------------
CB&Q rules!!!![;)]
Wabash RR rules![;)]
EVERYWHERE WEST/WAY of the ZEPHYRS!!!![8D]

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. There were several good ones mentioned I can try.

I was trying to go just by the road name on the car, like if it said BN I knew it was after my timeperiod. But I don't think some model manufacturers sell cars painted after actual real-life rolling stock. I don't want to be what some here call a rivet counter, but I'd like to keep it fairly accurate.

[chutton01]

Hmmm, one thing is you'll have a easy enough time scenicking your layout, as there is quite a bit of models out there who's molds and designs came about in the late 50s - mid-60s period - I'm thinking Eko Automobiles (probably about 20 different models of vehicles suitable for US streets including wagons and sedan), plus whatever late 50s autos Busch/Herpa offers; Buildings galore, including Alpine Division (the Old E Syndum? - it's stores and factories fairly scream 1950s/1960s - although the world famous Bekins Storage Warehouse is no longer listed - that was a Mandatory building on any large-size 1970s or earlier layout), Bachmann and IHC suburban houses (don't laugh - a little painting and detailing, and they look decent), Model Power IHC and Con-Cor businesses and industries (I was amazed to see the Summer Stock Theatre and Weekly Herald Print Shop listed in the 2004 Walthers Catalog - I thought I was looking at a time warp from 1974 [they still use the same picture with the 1960 Dodge car by the loading dock] - oddly enough, the infamous 'Revelle' Enginehouse from which they were based was NOT listed).
And, if you can find them, a lot of the Athearn Blue-Box models would fit your desired period, especially the various tank cars. Think that, prototypically, a lot of cars built in the late 40s and 1950s would be around, and indeed form the bulk of the fleet in the early 1960s (and if it's the very early 1960s you're after, keep a lot of the cool 60s stuff such as center flos, trailer train, and mech refeers to a minimum)
Best of all, since the molds have long since been paid for, these models are often more affordable than newer era stuff.

[CBQ_Guy]

Hi,

I heard a rumor that the Rock Island line is a mighty fine line! [:D]

We have a local train store owner who models the Rock in the basement of his house on a double deck layout, and in the basement of his store. Both, I believe, are set in the sixties. I know the one in the store is.

He is a retired teacher but also an ex-Rock Island employee from the 50's or early 60's. We consider him then, the local expert on the railroad. His store has a sign over the door outside which says "Home of The Rock Shop". The point of all this being, if you're looking for something Rock Island, he just may have it or be able to get it as there is a high percentage of Rock Island models in his store and he has a lot of supplier contacts he deals with. Contact me off forum at:

[e-mail]

if you're interested in contacting him. I have no financial interest, etc, etc. He's just a friend and good guy.

Two resources that you might be interested in looking into are to try and find, probably on ebay, a book called an ORER, which stands for Official Railway Equipment Register, for the time period you are modeling. I believe they are published quarterly and contain lists of various freight cars in service on that date from all the railroads.

There is also the Rock Island Technical Society online at:

http://storm.simpson.edu/~RITS/

Finally, there is a new group at Yahoo Groups called bbfcl, standing for Baby Boomer Freight Car List at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bbfcl/?yguid=154581698

They cover freight cars from 1954 to mid-1970's.

Hope this is helpful to you!

[Anonymous]

Since the roofwalks were being removed in that period you can have a recently refurbished 40 or 50 foot boxcar with the high ladders, high brake wheel, and the roofwalk supports still in place but no roofwalk. Along with the cars that still had roofwalks, and the new cars with low ladders and no roofwalks made for a nice variety in house cars.

[sparkingbolt]

Here are a few facts regarding freightcars that could have a bearing on some of what showed up (or didn't yet- or anymore) in '60's freight trains. This info is gleaned from a chart on the back of a 1979 calender included in the Jan 1 1979 RMC.

"Just the facts, Ma'm"

1923: First application of Timken roller bearings to a freight car, a W&LE boxcar
1927: Steel underframes required on cars built after Jan 1 1927, or rebuilt after July '28.
1933:Billboard reefers outlawed as in violation of anti trust laws.
1940: All wood underframes, including steel girthed center sills prohibited in interchange after Jan 1.(truss rods still allowed on composit underframes)
--Arch bar trucks prohibited in interchange after July 1
1948: First mechanical reefers placed in service by Fruit Growers Express
1952: Composit underframes prohibited in interchange Jan 1
1955: Airslide hoppers began service.
1959: Alcan tank hopper car ( welded aluminum, center-sill-less covered hopper)
introduced.
--Hydrocushion underframesbegan to appear on newly built freight cars.
--85 foot flat with kingpin hitch for piggyback trailers introduced.
1960: First Trailer Train tri level autorack enters service on Sept 28
1963: First HyCube boxcars are built experimentally by ACF for SP, L&N and Wabash
1964: ACF introduced the "Flexi-Flo" pressure differential covered hopper.
1966: I.C.C allows the railroads to eliminate roofwalks from freight cars. Thus, Four rung ladders and lowered brakewheels come into use.
1967: Thrall door boxcars introduced.
1968: Automatic car identification (ACI) adopted by the A.A.R: to be installed by 1970, abandoned in 1978 as impractical.
1978: U-1 type wheel inspection plates (yellow or white dot in black square) required on all cars of 70 tons or less capacity with 33 inch wheels. Cars with outlawed wheels may not be used after Dec 31.

This might help us decide what applies and when, to the '60s. I left out any info that wouldn't have a bearing on how our models look. (coupler, brake, etc details).
I also left out any freightcar truck info, as it is covered nicely in Dec 2003 Model Railroader.

It's especially interesting what it says about roller bearing trucks coming into wide use in the late '50s and '60s. I remember in about '65 or '66 my older brother for some reason pointing out some of these rotating as a train slowly went by one day in Eugene, Oregon. I was seven or eight, but I remember them. Dan

[Anonymous]

I was there also, MR. Rock Island Line was asking about the early to mid 60s. Focus, guys, your being tested!

[dknelson]

I suggest trying to find a 1966 Car and Loco Builder's Cyclopedia and one from 20 or 30 years earlier -- figuring that freight cars can have a useful life that long. So cars from the 1940s were pretty common. Even in the 1960s I remember seeing a box car in hide service with a built date of 1919. Some wheels still had the ribs on the back.
A few more personal recollections and observations. 100 ton cars were a rarity although not unheard of,so coal hoppers were often of the 50 to 70 ton range, such as the Athearn hoppers.
Grain was being shipped in covered hoppers but also plenty of 40 foot boxcars handled grain. Mechanical reefers were very common but there were still ice bunker reefers including some with wood sides although NOT the "billboard' reefers sometimes seen.
Flat cars were mostly 50 foot with a few forty footers in there, ditto for gons. Plenty of TOFC, less so of COFC.
Cabooses - yes.
Some wood outside braced boxcars were still to be seen particularly in hide service.
lots of tank cars. every once in a while a stock car.
Roof walks were still common ditto high ladders but around 1965 one started to see A FEW cars without them. ACI (scanner) labels were common by the late 1960s.
The newest cars had roller bearing trucks but plenty of cars still had friction bearings.
Hope this helps -- I was there!
Dave Nelson

[chutton01]

MR Itself had a article about Railroading in 1966 in the March 2004 issue (pg 92). A lot of equipment which we take for granted now (Center Flows, 50' Outside Post boxcards, the famed 87' Trailer Train flatcars, etc.) were just becoming common them.
No roofwalks/mandatory roller bearings rules came out then, so early 1960s you could still have roofwalks and journel bearings.
BTW, most common hopper of the time = 70ton.
For some reason I find the rather small 40f framed tank cars of the time somewhat anarchonistic..

[eng22]

I have found that the "year built" date can be located on the car itself. This has helped me to buy the correct rolling stock.

[Anonymous]

By the '60's and '70's railroads started taking roofwalks off and shortening ladders.
Pullman 60-footers and hi-cube boxcars were becoming common, and reefers and stock cars were getting less common. Morning Sun offers freight and passenger car guides that show some cars in this era.
-----------------------------
CB&Q rules!!!![;)]
Wabash RR, too![;)]
EVERYWHERE WEST/WAY of the ZEPHYRS!!!![8D]

[Anonymous]

AAR steel 40' and 50' box cars were the norm. The older wood outside braced and double sheathed cars were still seen but getting scarce. I don't think roller bearings were in use yet. I also believe piggy back trailers were starting to see favor. Cars should have walkways and high brake wheel positions. 2 bay hoppers, 40-50 and maybe 60 foot gons. and flats, both wood and steel bunker reefers were in use.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am building a layout designed around a switching yard in the early to mid 1960's. My problem is I have a hard time figuring out what freight cars are from that era and which are really an earlier or later period. I tried getting some videos of trains from that time period, but both Emery Gulash and *** Wallin both only seemed interested in the locomotives, we see the engine then it cuts to the caboose, with almost no film of the cars.

Is there a source I can use to tell which cars are from the era I want? For example, when did they stop having roof walkways?

Thanks