I recently acquired two Walthers center depressed flat cars. I also acquired two of the Walthers transformer kits. I have seen transformers right behind the locomotives (if they meet clearance standard) on some manifest trains.
I was wondering if it would be prototypical to have two of these cars in a train. I have only seen one at the the front of a long train. The Walthers transformers do fit within specs of the NMRA gauge when loaded on the car.
Will
wholeman I recently acquired two Walthers center depressed flat cars. I also acquired two of the Walthers transformer kits. I have seen transformers right behind the locomotives (if they meet clearance standard) on some manifest trains. I was wondering if it would be prototypical to have two of these cars in a train. I have only seen one at the the front of a long train. The Walthers transformers do fit within specs of the NMRA gauge when loaded on the car.
Yep, but this might be handeled as a special Exrtra. I've also seen a picture of two or three Transformers and a SCHNABEL car in one train. I'd also not be surprisaed if you needed an Idler between them. CMPA walked a Dperessed Center car (maybe two, don't recall) down the 5.89% grade, but they had to keep a covered Hopper between the engine and the flat. in the 90s, nothing down there was requiring of ANY freight beyond the IKE powerplant, so that car either had to be a spcaer, or was going to be switched out at the top of the Hill later on.
-Morgan
Flashwave ......I'd also not be surprised if you needed an Idler between them. CMPA walked a Dperessed Center car (maybe two, don't recall) down the 5.89% grade, but they had to keep a covered Hopper between the engine and the flat. in the 90s, nothing down there was requiring of ANY freight beyond the IKE powerplant, so that car either had to be a spcaer, or was going to be switched out at the top of the Hill later on.
......I'd also not be surprised if you needed an Idler between them. CMPA walked a Dperessed Center car (maybe two, don't recall) down the 5.89% grade, but they had to keep a covered Hopper between the engine and the flat. in the 90s, nothing down there was requiring of ANY freight beyond the IKE powerplant, so that car either had to be a spcaer, or was going to be switched out at the top of the Hill later on.
That extra car was probably used to provide extra braking capabilities, or, if there was a bridge, to prevent having both the loco and the loaded flat on a bridge which might not be capable of carrying the combined load simultaneously.
Wayne
depressed center cars aren't necessarily about weght. They are depressed to lower loads that would otherwise be too tall.
This shot shows 3 transformer loads sitting on a setout track, waiting for the proper train to pick them up and continue. There are a few restrictions and train make-up rules covering these, but I'm pretty sure all 3 of these could travel together like this. These are smaller transformers on 4-axle flats, sometimes an 8-axle flat is used for the bigger ones.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
PRR and later PC used to run a High & Wide extra train out of E St Louis to Indianapolis three days a week. there was a westbound counterpart on alternate days.
these trains carried any cars that were considered to be of excessive dimensions or had speed restrictions.
one or more transformer loads might be found in one of these consists along with fabricated steel components out of Nooter corp or Combusion Engneering in St. Louis. double and triple loads of treated poles were common loads for the eastbound trains and believe it or not, often empty gondola cars that had their sides spread out so much they were considerred wide loads.
Wagner Electric had a transformer plant in Wellston (St Louis Mo) and they often had a car or two going east in one of these trains. They were always ordering depressed center and heavy duty flat cars for this traffic.
Schnable car loads did come west occasionally out of Pennsylvania but best i can remember, those were always special freight train moves with no other revenue loads in the train.
grizlump
If intended for a new installation, it would be usual for three transformers to travel together. The North American power grid runs 3-phase AC.
A single transformer might sometimes replace an older unit being removed from service. IIRC, a lot of older transformers were filled with PCB, which is unacceptable under current environmental regulation. I don't know if there is a requirement to replace serviceable transformers, but I'm sure there's a, "Replace rather than repair," rule in force.
Two transformers traveling together isn't unlikely. In this day of, "Just in time," delivery and zero inventory practice, the manufacturer would probably want to ship them to the receiving utility on a, "Get it out the gate as soon as finished," basis.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
On a side note, I would like to point out how the transformers are tied down to the flatcars. The last time I saw an article in MR about a transformer load, it had extremely heavy tie downs - and then someone wrote in saying that they were too light! Our transformers are typically shipped and tied down just like the ones shown in the picture above. The tiedowns are 1.25" cold rolled steel rods that are threaded on the ends. They pass through heavy metal plates that are welded to the car just for the shipment. Similar metal plates are attached to the transformer. Nuts are threaded on the ends of the rods to hold everything in place. Everything has a somewhat spindly look compared to the bulk of the transformer, but is more than adequate for the job, since the transformer's base is also attached to the car. In HO scale, these tie downs would be a mere .014" diameter.
When we unload a transformer, the steel plates and rods are typically torched off and scrapped. I have taken some pieces home for projects, so I actually have a plate and the end of the rod out in the shop! It makes good axle material for my live steam stuff...
- James
I simulated the tie-downs on these loads (not transformers) using .015" music wire. The upper ends are bent to fit into lifting "eyes" welded to the load, while the lower ends simply rest in the stake pockets. The loads are also "bolted" to the car's deck through the bottom plate and the wood blocking, but are completely removeable.
tomikawaTT A single transformer might sometimes replace an older unit being removed from service. IIRC, a lot of older transformers were filled with PCB, which is unacceptable under current environmental regulation. I don't know if there is a requirement to replace serviceable transformers, but I'm sure there's a, "Replace rather than repair," rule in force. Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
PCB's were no longer placed in transformers as of the late 70's. It was also illegal to remove the PCB's from a transformer and replace them with regular transformer oil. I do not want to get into the details of the fine we received for doing that from the EPA, but that was before all the regulations regarding the use of PCB's was finalized. PCB's are now endemic in the environment, even a new transformer using regular transformer oil has trace amounts of PCB's in them. We use to make a lot of money testing the transformer oil for clients. We also replaced a transformer inside a building, we told the owner it would be better to leave the old transformer in place than incur the expense of trying to dispose of it.
There are no laws requiring an owner to remove the PCB filled transformer, unless it fails. But the disposal costs are enormus.
Large Transformers are also shipped without transformer oil in them and the oil is added on site. Makes the transformer a lot lighter to enable moving it around.
Rick
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we were on the subject of transformers a while back and something crossed my mind. i have not seen any of the later HO scale cars so i don't know how they are decorated. the reason i bring this up is just about every depressed center car i ever saw was stencilled "prohibited third rail" might make an interesting detail especially for those who can make their own decals.
dti406 ... We use to make a lot of money testing the transformer oil for clients. ... There are no laws requiring an owner to remove the PCB filled transformer, unless it fails. But the disposal costs are enormus. Large Transformers are also shipped without transformer oil in them and the oil is added on site. Makes the transformer a lot lighter to enable moving it around. Rick
Here we have specialists that shut down a transformer, pump the oil out, filter it and top the system up before starting it up again.
Sometimes (in normal op[eration) a system fails and the oil catches light. That makes a real mess.
Rather off topic... but I have been wondering what sort of combination(s) of equipment are configured in what ways? Is there a site that would give pictures useful for modellers? I recently discovered a nice pic of a street running switcher with most of the background taken up with some sort of transformer system - much bigger (more bits) than the Walthers system... but I couldn't see what was in the site.
We recently had a rather large (25 feet tall or more) blow itself up inside. Nothing escaped the casing but the whole adjacent office block has been reglazed with "bombproof" glass in case one of the others goes bang even more destructively. ... They just switched in the spare unit that has been standing next door doing nothing for years - i guess that they probably ran a few tests first.