Got another one for my friends on the forum: What steps would a shipper have taken to prevent a load of wood in a regular (non-RBL) double box boxcar from shifting and damaging the load and/or the car and also to make it easy for the receiver to unload? As my tourist railroad uses wood for its passenger cars and water tanks among other items, I am planning to build a load for a 50' DD boxcar using some Atlas mill lumber pieces. As usual, thank you for any help the forums can provide.
Found these photos from Google search. While they are from an earlier time it was still oftem done this way into the 1960's
Mengel Laurel 4-20-37 Walter E Zeman 002 by Donald Schmitt, on Flickr
PH_boxcar by Donald Schmitt, on Flickr
According to posters on another forum who have actually loaded or unloaded boxcars of lumber as late as the mid 60's a lot of the cars used had single doors. The lumber was passed through the side door one board at a time (one person working inside). A 20' long board could be jockyed through a 6' door. It was stacked tightly.
Loading was often performed through one side only, and then unloading required working from the same side and finding a board whih could be pulled out to get started.
Some cars had lumber doors (approx 3' x 3') high up on one end. They were generally only used for lumber longer than 20'.
Loading/unloading normally each took 1-2 days.
If the boxcar had double doors a forklift coulld be used to move stacks that fit through the door. This photo shows lumber on a forklift although no actually being loaded or unloaded.
http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/images/10/t1/32779.jpg
A double door car being hand loaded
HISTOR-4 by Donald Schmitt, on Flickr
AAR Closed Car Loading part 3 - Plywood and Similar Panel Products
https://www.aar.com/standards/DPLS-content/Closed%20Car%20Loading%20Standards/CCLG%20Part%203%20-%20Plywood%203-2014.pdf
AAR Closed Car Loading Guide part 4 - Lumber
http://www.aar.com/standards/DPLS-content/Closed%20Car%20Loading%20Standards/CCLG%20Part%204%20-%20Lumber%203-2014.pdf
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
FRRYKid I am planning to build a load for a 50' DD boxcar using some Atlas mill lumber pieces.
I am planning to build a load for a 50' DD boxcar using some Atlas mill lumber pieces.
Why? The doors on a loaded boxcar should be *closed* in transit. You shouldn't see the load.
That said, I have seen prototype photos, but it's not quite "proper".
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
Unless you intend the car to be spotted for unloading, or partially unloaded (and how would you animate that?) the doors should be closed.
Of course, you could load a car with doors that can be opened, then spot it and open the doors. Then, somewhere around 0 - dark - hundred the Giant Hand of God can quietly close the doors and mark the waybill 'delivered' and the car sheet 'empty ready to pick up.'
(Did you say you're modeling in N scale?)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with loaded cars that really aren't)
I actually model HO. My original thought goes back to the fact that the tourist railroad wouldn't use a whole boxcar load of lumber all at once (I would hope) and having it sitting on a siding would make for a interesting detail.
Unless the tourist railroad owned the boxcar (unlikely for several reasons) they would still want to unload it quickly to avoid paying per diem on the car. They might have some old boxcars (maybe just bodies) around that can be used as storage sheds to keep the lumber dry on site but a revenue freight car needs to be emptied and returned as soon as possible.
cx500 Unless the tourist railroad owned the boxcar (unlikely for several reasons)
Unless the tourist railroad owned the boxcar (unlikely for several reasons)
Why would that be? In my case, I model a time shortly after the BN merger but in my freelance the BN decided to lease off the old NP line in Southern MT (as the BN later did with was became MRL). The tourist line operates in the area using the old Milwaukee line (they pulled out way earlier than 1980 in my freelance). A freight road also uses those tracks for revenue work (Central Montana Railroad is the prototype.) I know in some cases railroads have sold old cars (and engines) to reduce inventory and make some profit from that equipment. (The tourist road actually has three interchange cars [the afore mentioned boxcar and two coal hoppers all ex-NP], three maintanance cars [again ex-NP], and a switch engine for moving the passenger cars as needed as well as the mentioned freight cars.)
FRRYKid:
If the freight cars you mentioned are ex-NP, that means they date back to earlier than 1970, at least 45 years old. That means they are no longer acceptable as interchange cars. It is probably also why the tourist road was able to acquire them very cheaply. They can only go off line if the receiving road agrees to accept them, and if it is major road the answer will almost certainly be NO.
If they are being shipped from a lumber company, the normal practice is for the originating carrier to provide the empty boxcar. It will be assigned out of the normal interchange pool. Now if the sawmill is on the tourist road, or a shortline partner, then it is possible that the boxcar might be used for shipping but that will be a rare situation. But as I mentioned, using an old boxcar to provide weather and theft protection for long term storage is much more common.
To clarify, I model mid-70s to early 80s just after the merger, not the modern era. (ACI era so the ex-NP cars fit perfectly.) The connecting road is a freelanced short line that formed to run the ex-NP line that the BN choose to lease out.
ndbprrI had a coworker back around 1970 who used to moonlight unloading the box cars at the local lumberyard. He got $150 for each car and gave $50 to anyone w illing to help him. He said the loads shifted every time. It was a nightmare to climb on top of the load and get the first boards out often taking as long as the rest of the car.
Dangerous too. My Grandfather was killed in the '30s unloading a boxcar of lumber when the load shifted and crushed him. This thread has been interesting to see some of those old pictures.
Ray
I know in some cases railroads have sold old cars (and engines) to reduce inventory and make some profit from that equipment. (The tourist road actually has three interchange cars [the afore mentioned boxcar and two coal hoppers all ex-NP], three maintanance cars [again ex-NP], and a switch engine for moving the passenger cars as needed as well as the mentioned freight cars.)
Unless they are shipping lumber and coal OFF the tourist line, or the source of the coal or lumber is on the tourist line, the chances of the coal or lumber for the tourist line being delivered to the tourist line in their boxcars is pretty low. In order to get the shipment of lumber in the tourist line boxcar you would have to move the tourist line car to the mill. The "freight" railroads are not going to move an empty boxcar for free, so the tourist line would have to pay to ship their car to the mill, then the mill would be required to load that specific car with the specific commodities and bill that specific car back to the tourist line.
If you want to do tha then use the old tourist line boxcar as a "warehouse", bring the shipment in a "normal" boxcar, spot it next to the tourist boxcar, transload the lumber into the tourist car and use it as a warehouse for the lumber, never moving it. It doesn't even need to be on track connected to the rest of layout because its never going to move.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com