Identify this car!!

[88gta350]

I'm posting this on several different forums in hopes of getting an answer......

There is a railroad car(s) at my work that has sat there since I started 2 years ago. I hasn't moved, as we don't use our line unless we have a serious part coming in for repairs (It's a nuclear power plant). This "car" is actually two cars. Each half as a coupler on one end and... well, I think the pictures would do a better job of describing it. In between the two halves sits what appears to be a spare transformer of some type, although it doesn't really look like any other transformer on site. It appears the cars are supposed to somehow transport the "transformer" between them. I really have no idea. The cars have a build plate on them that says "Built By Maxson". I have more pics of the cars if you need them, but most are just different angles, nothing new... so, here are the pics... can anyone identify what this car is and just what it is used for?

First is an overall side view of one of the halves:


This is the non-coupler end of one half:


A wider angle of the non-coupler end:


An overall shot of both halves with the transformer situated bewteen:


Another side shot:


The "BUILT BY MAXSON" plate:


A different angle of the non-coupler end:


Any help would be appreciated. I'll try to ask around at work and see if anyone knows what it's for. I thought you guys would appriciate seeing this unusual car.

[Anonymous]

It must be some sort of a MOW vehicle.

[Anonymous]

Not to be flip, but that is a Maxson car built to handle heavy, oversize loads like transformers.
By bolting the big load between the two halves, you get more clearance overhead for bridges, etc, than if it was sitting ON a flatcar. All the extra axles help spread out the extreme weight.
Similar, bigger rigs are built by Shnabel.
Some cars like this have a cab on one end for an operator to ride with the car. His job is to shift an over-wide load left or right to clear obstructions.

[Anonymous]

For more info, check out the other link on the forums:

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16507

[heavyd]

Yep, Tank is right. It is used to haul super-big electrical transformers. I have seen one up here in Canada used by Ontario Hydro quite some years ago. The transformer is bolted to the ends of the cars and "load" becomes the "body" of the car. When in transit this becomes a special move, restricted speed and nothing more than a caboose coupled after the "rig".

[ndbprr]

Also do a google search using the word Schnabel. The idea of these is that axle loadings are limited to 80,000 pounds so you need the axles to carry the weight. Weatinghouse has four all together but two of them have 4-6-6-6 wheel arrangements on both ends and have hydraulic cylinders to raise and shift the load horizontally for tight clearance areas. They also lower the height of the car by using the object as part of the load rather than resting on a flat car. I built one using Athearn heavy duty flat cars and the Walthers three piece flat. the load was made froma length of PVC pipe. Asked MR if they would be interested in an artcile and they didn't even respond or return my SASE.

[Anonymous]

Hi ndbprr, how about posting a picture of your project? There is also MRC!!

Bill

[Anonymous]

It a heavy load car. These cars are booked years before the load that going to be carried. The routing of the load is know well in advance by the railway that will be carring the load. So that any track improvement that are necessary can be made. If the journal size 12 1/2x14 would be rated for 286,000 load on four axles. The load moved in the range of 200 tons.

These cars move at a speed of 10 mile per hour, day lights hours only. Since caboose are far between these days, some other type of car as rear marker for communication wtih locomotive engineer. The owner of the car would provide an operator for the car to do any load shifting around curves.

[route_rock]

You know I saw one of these in action in an 80's edition of trains(sorry lads and lasses cant remeber the date)I do remember it was on BN in the Pacific NW and all those rules listed above apply.Plus you add a roadmaster and a track crew plus maybe signal dept. to move signals signs and stuff out of the way.I do believe a buisness car with sleeping quarters would work as well owing to the shortage in caboose stocks.(sorry sir we are all out of fresh caboose but you can get day old cheaper[swg]at the day old store)anyhow now your new ask around question is what the heck did this bring in!Or is it taking out a large piece to go to another plant?

[Anonymous]

I'm going to agree with everyone who said it hauled transformers.



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3DTS RULES, MAPLE LEAF TRACKS ROCKS AND I JUST BUY THEM!

[Junctionfan]

I never seen a white schnabel like car before. Do know what the reporting marks are? Of that species of flat car the only one I have seen in person was a green 20 axle schnabel car with reporting marks KWIX sitting in Hamilton, Ontario as a set-off for the Siemens-Westinghouse transformer plant.

[DSchmitt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Junctionfan

I never seen a white schnabel like car before. Do know what the reporting marks are? Of that species of flat car the only one I have seen in person was a green 20 axle schnabel car with reporting marks KWIX sitting in Hamilton, Ontario as a set-off for the Siemens-Westinghouse transformer plant.

Go to this thread and scroll down to my post

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16505