Prototype information for the modeler

Hi all,

I want to model a load of individual rail lengths as loaded onto a 40 foot flat car and was interested to see what the prototype looked like.  Does anyone have a relevant photograph or site address?  Alternatively does anyone know the stacking arrangement, number of rails per layer etc?

Regards, Mike.

This link is a picture of one way. It is probably not the way it is normally done. http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=26672  The car is a St. Marries log car and can be modeled with a 40' fish belly flat and log bunks from Details West. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/235-171 The car looks like it started out as a 40' but has had extensions added to the ends making it 50'. http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=26671 This is a 50' flat from the same road in Idaho, both loads don't look secured and along with the friction baring trucks they wouldn't be too interchange friendly. As you probably know by now, most searches will result in pictures of multi car ribbon rail trains. The rail may be loaded in gondolas?

The rails were set so the bases touched.  The layer above was "pyramided" so that the base of the rail above rested on the ball of the two rails below.  Then they would chain the whole load down with chains at every stake pocket.

I have actually seen a lot of rail in gondolas as opposed to flat cars, since with gondolas there is less chance of shiffted loads.  In recent years they use bulkhead flats of flatcars specially fitted with low bulkheads to carry rail.

Dave H.

I would also think that there would be about 6 to 8 cross timbers evenly spaced and seperating the rails from the lower stack or layer to the next higher layer.  At least that is what I have seen in photos of flatcars used in early years.  1920's and up.  Because of the weight of the rails, I don't think I would go more tha five layers high at the most.

wp 3020, what the heck is your avatar?
to stay on topic, i have to say that you can have a gondola and drop rail in there. easy 15 second project.
you can also have a flat with track sections stacked, which happens often

wyomingrailfan wrote:

wp 3020, what the heck is your avatar? to stay on topic, i have to say that you can have a gondola and drop rail in there. easy 15 second project. you can also have a flat with track sections stacked, which happens often

It's grafiti on the side of a hopper with what look like a high nose and a GP something or other in a cartoon crash. I think the "brong" whatever is a soundeffect. I could be wrong. Sorry to intrude.

From what I;ve seen, rail is stascked similar to lumber, and lashed down with a rope across the top to loops in the gondola.

You are close, Flashwave. My avatar is some graffiti I painted called "Crushzone" on a HO scale 3 bay ACF center flow hopper. I first sketched it out in a note book then painted it on an Nscale MT center flow (I don't do graffiti decals because I don't like the look of any of the graffiti decals. I think the resolution sucks). A friend, who works at my LHS, asked me to paint t on a model of his, after seeing the Nscale car, and my avatar is a cropped and resized picture of it. My Nscale car has more weathering applied to it. This is a link to a photo of the HO version http://lsofmrr.org/PersonelPhotos216.jpg and the opposite side http://lsofmrr.org/PersonelPhotos217.jpg  No, I haven't painted 1:1 graffiti. And yes it is a jab at the Youpee. I'm not particularly so fond of them after the big mergers/takeovers with C&NW and Espee. I've been hassled by a Youpee cop (pre 9-11-01) in places where Espee personnel had allowed me to photograph before (the last time I met and talked to him he had mellowed out). I thought the copyright enforcement was a big mistake and hurt their PR greatly. They could have went about it a different and better way and most people would have supported them doing it and improved their PR. I think I explained it in my first ever post on Trains forums? Anyway, I've moved on but I still hand paint custom model graffiti.

  I have never laughed so hard in my life WP That is AWESOME!You need to market that fir us UP haters out here lol.That is some great artwork.

   UP crews hate me cause when passing them I usually blurt on the radio " Cant spell stupid without a U and  a P" All in fun their BNSF comments are usually not printable in family magazine lol.

  I don't want to be the kid who is accused of being disrespectful and disrupting class so if anyone wants to talk to me about my avatar you can contact me out of school on by sending me a PM. Thanks for all the compliments guys.

  Now to get back on track and out of the dirt (pun intended). Some mention was made about no putting too much rail on the flat or gondola. If you figure code 83 rail may be the size of 100# rail? Rivet counters and nit pickers are welcome to correct me (not a dare, I'd just like to know too). Rail is figured # per yard. So, # X length of rail X rail on the car.

Code 83 is closer to 132# rail.  Code 70 is closer to 90-100# rail.  Capacity of the flat car in lbs./13/132 = the number of sticks of standard 39' rail.

For a 40 ton flat that would be 45 sticks, for a 50 ton flat that would be 58 sticks.

Dave H.

Nice artwork WP!

BTW, love your signature, LOL.