What kind of rail car was used to transport pulp wood to the New England paper mills back in the 1950's? Gondola's ? Bulkhead Flats? The New England Color Guide shows some pix of pulp wood getting loaded into boxcars, either plain boxcars or boxcars with the roof torched off. Most of the bulkhead flat models or photos show a really long flat, 60 foot or more, which seems a little too modern for the 1950's. The boxcar option doesn't excite me, they just look like boxcars, I'm interested in a load that looks like pulpwood going to a mill. The "Torch the roof off and load the pulpwood" car seems sorta crude, but do able.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
In the upper Midwest in that era, gondolas were pretty popular for pulpwood. Not sure about the Northeast, but would guess they're in the mix.
I agree that 60' bulkhead flats are too modern. Shorter ones were around in the South IIRC, but not sure about the numbers or use elsewhere.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
This thread has some information and photos.
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74112-information-on-us-freight-cars/
CG
In Texas there were bulkhead flats, with solid steel floor with a slope down the center. 4-5 ft pulpwood would be stacked on the car in two piles, the slope keeping the piles on the car. Those were easilly unloaded with a front end loader.
Hated dealing with those, pulpwod would fall of the top or shift, had a couple cars that had about half of one side fall off the car because it wasn't "bumped up" tight.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
In the 50s the railroads used pulpwood cars,gondolas and in some cases boxcars. The pulpwood car was the most popular since it was easy to load and unload.
These cars was in pulpwood service only.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
The February 1956 Model Railroader has an article on the Southern's pulpwood cars - a sort of home-brewed bulkhead flat -- and speaks in terms that make me assume bulkhead flats were very common in the 1950s and before in this service. But I agree not the big, long modern bulkhead flats we see available as models. These were modified old flatcars. At one time Train Miniature offered a 40' flatcar with a couple of bulkheads that could be added. They are just the type. Otherwise do check out that article in the Feb 1956 issue, part of the old Dollar Car series that has received some nostalgic comment in recent months.
I have also seen old photos of crude bulkheads being added to the ends of gondolas for pulpwood service, so the load towers even over the sides of the cars.
Dave Nelson
Tichy has 40' bulkhead flat kits modeled on an ACL car. They are availably as singles or six packs, with or without decals as far as I know.
The 1953 Car Builders' Cyclopedia shows an interesting Bangor and Aroostook side dump specialty pulpwood car. The photos show BAR 5026 and 5047. They don't show in the July 1956 ORER, however. There's also a drawing of a Maine Central coverted boxcar with openings/doors for pulpwood unloading. It's not a boxcar anymore, though. Those DO show up in the ORER.
If you have a specific railroad in mind, I might be able to supply more information. And year, also.
Ed
dstarr What kind of rail car was used to transport pulp wood to the New England paper mills back in the 1950's? Gondola's ? Bulkhead Flats? The New England Color Guide shows some pix of pulp wood getting loaded into boxcars, either plain boxcars or boxcars with the roof torched off. Most of the bulkhead flat models or photos show a really long flat, 60 foot or more, which seems a little too modern for the 1950's. The boxcar option doesn't excite me, they just look like boxcars, I'm interested in a load that looks like pulpwood going to a mill. The "Torch the roof off and load the pulpwood" car seems sorta crude, but do able.
Dstarr
MEC in Color Vol 2 (or whichever one is the green one) has photos of pulpwood being unloaded/loaded in 41' Gons and box cars. I have read about and seen photos of specialty roofless "box cars" used for pulpwoood loading. I am in the process of moving, but when I finish I will dig through my B&M and MEC books for photos of pulpwood operation. I agree with your supposition that 60' bulkhead flats and specialty pulpwood cars are too new for your 50s era layout.
I would assume that you are looking for pulpwood operations in Maine or New Hampshire on MEC, BM or both based on your profile photo and physical location.