This is a long shot, but here goes. I have 1921 Poor's Manuel of Railroads. In the data of the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas railroad (Katy), under Freight Cars is listed "Combination Coal and Stock, 1584 (quantity, I assume). Anyone know what kind of car this would have been. I grew up on the Katy main line in McAlester, OK, which was the center of what was a robust coal minning area. I was in school 1940 till HS grad 1953 and coal minning was active then but shipped mostly in gons; don't remember hoppers but there could have been some. Nothing like the Comb description in the Manuel. Anyone have a clue?
Northtowne
Perhaps they simply combined the count of two types of cars for statistical convenience. Rather than imagining a car that carried coal and livestock together. Possibly the road didn't own a large number of either. Just a thought.
There was a patent applicatation: https://patents.google.com/patent/US1239558
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
tree68There was a patent applicatation: https://patents.google.com/patent/US1239558
Searching around online, I found enough references to the cars that I'm sure they were a specific type of car, not two types lumped together in ledgers. However, I haven't found a picture or description so I don't really know what they would have been like.
My guess is that some railroads 100+ years ago found they needed more stock cars in the summer, and more coal-hauling cars in the winter, so built a car that could be converted from one to the other. I know at that time railroads had wood flatcars that could have wood sides and ends added to convert them into gondolas which could haul coal. Perhaps there were gondola cars that could have side extensions added that allowed the cars to haul stock also. (If the livestock is only travelling a short distance, the car wouldn't have to have a roof.)
Kinda like this coal/coke car:
http://columbusrailroads.com/Ralston%20photos/ralston-030-1907-CH&S.JPG
wjstixKinda like this coal/coke car:
That's kinda what I imagined - put a roof on it and it's good for stock or coal, although it would have to be shovelled out by hand...
Back in the 1970s an elevator operator in northwest Iowa leased some old surplus stock cars, lined them with plywood sheets and used them to ship grain.
Jeff
Thank you tree68; this has to be what is listed on Katy car roster in 1921. Gons and stock cars are listed separately from the comb stock and coal cars.
chutton01The 'Bopper', 1916 edition, although even more bizarre. I know back in the day stock-cars were sometimes used to transport grain during peak harvest seasons (apparently requiring lots of cleaning and lots of wood coopering to prevent leaks), but coal? Oh well, why no
And if it's based on a high cube boxcar it is (wait for it)....A Big Bopper!
Ducking and running for cover
For those who don't get the reference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bopper
tree68That's kinda what I imagined - put a roof on it and it's good for stock or coal, although it would have to be shovelled out by hand...
I have a vague memory that the floor either converted into a hopper bottom or was flat with doors like some gondolas
AAR Classes in question
GA Open top car, having fixed sides and ends and drop-bottom, consisting of doors hinged crosswise of car, to dump between rails.
GE Open top car, having fixed sides, drop ends, and drop bottom, consisting of doors hinged crosswise of car to dump between rails.
Modern Bopper car video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlmyWyI9HT8
BEAUSABRE Modern Bopper car video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlmyWyI9HT8
I wonder if they tried to operate the movable floors with air instead of hydraulics?
tree68 while in my High School and after (in1960's); I had a regular jobs, and part time, aswell, in a Lumber and flooring mill in Memphs. A Iot to load and unload boxcars of raw sawmilled lumber (inbund). and bundled flooring, and semi-finished goods (outbnd). We saw very old boxcars and sometimes we used them to load out saw dust those cars, in some cases had to be lined with kraft paper over their 'holes'. WEeven used what were lumber doors in some (those were kraft paper bonded to metal strapping, which was then nailed to the interior of the car to 'protect' whatever the cargo being loaded was.). We occasionally got some very, shaggy cattle cars, which had come into town with bales of cotton, as loads...In those usy times, the outbound 'users' whatever kind of car they could make work. In the Fall Season, the IC and the Frisco both used whatever they couild make roll into town, from teir rural 'stockpiles' of cars. In those busy inbound seasons, at least at Memphis; The Fire Dept could often be found on the inbound side (East) of the Mississippi River bridges, either 'fighting fires' (Flamers!) or waiting for the ralroads to drag one off the bridges to them. It was a, too regular, exercise for the M.F.D. , particularly in heavy shipping seasons. wjstix Kinda like this coal/coke car: That's kinda what I imagined - put a roof on it and it's good for stock or coal, although it would have to be shovelled out by hand...
A Iot to load and unload boxcars of raw sawmilled lumber (inbund). and bundled flooring, and semi-finished goods (outbnd). We saw very old boxcars and sometimes we used them to load out saw dust those cars, in some cases had to be lined with kraft paper over their 'holes'. WEeven used what were lumber doors in some (those were kraft paper bonded to metal strapping, which was then nailed to the interior of the car to 'protect' whatever the cargo being loaded was.). We occasionally got some very, shaggy cattle cars, which had come into town with bales of cotton, as loads...In those usy times, the outbound 'users' whatever kind of car they could make work. In the Fall Season, the IC and the Frisco both used whatever they couild make roll into town, from teir rural 'stockpiles' of cars.
In those busy inbound seasons, at least at Memphis; The Fire Dept could often be found on the inbound side (East) of the Mississippi River bridges, either 'fighting fires' (Flamers!) or waiting for the ralroads to drag one off the bridges to them. It was a, too regular, exercise for the M.F.D. , particularly in heavy shipping seasons.
wjstix Kinda like this coal/coke car:
samfp1943tree68 while in my High School and after (in1960's); I had a regular jobs, and part time, aswell, in a Lumber and flooring mill in Memphs.
I think I drove through Memphis once... Maybe twice.
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