"No soup for you!" - Yev Kassem (from Seinfeld)
QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob-Fryml Didn't The A.T.& S.F. Ry. have multiple sets of 10-pack spine cars dedicated to piggyback service between Chicago and Los Angeles? As I recall reading in either Trains Magazine or the trade press, these cars were not available for interchange (or did not meet interchange service requirements due to being too light in weight). But it was their light weight that the Railway hoped would translate into operating costs savings. Figuring that each spine section was 50-ft. long, that'd make this car 500+ ft. drawbar-to-drawbar.
QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C We have one Schnabel car in Australia, and I followed it on an empty run a couple of years ago. It had plain oil lubricated bearings, despite being built in the 1970s. The theory was that it would be rarely used, and the plain bearings would last better in very occasional service. It had only two axle trucks but more of them than BBCX 1000. While they are not truly single cars, we have sets of eight coul hoppers permanently coupled by bar couplers, so for all traffic purposes they are single cars. These would be longer than any articulated container rake here of five vehicles. We also have bar coupled rakes of container well cars, and they have a single car number, unlike the coal hoppers. Just an inconsistency, the same operator owns them. M636C
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
railfan619I was wondering what are some of the longest rail cars around like how long can a boxcar can be last one I knew. Was about 70 feet long but I'm not sure about that and same thing for flat cars, tank cars, auto racks, tank cars and whatever else kinda cars there are out rolling down the tracks these days. Then again there so many diffrent types of cars I have lost count The longest one I have seen was an autorack. Articulated ones nearly 200 feet long.
The longest one I have seen was an autorack. Articulated ones nearly 200 feet long.
ericspThe longest non-articulated car I have seen would probably be BBCX 1000.
blue streak 1 ericsp The longest non-articulated car I have seen would probably be BBCX 1000. Question for our AAR experts. Car placed into service 1972 50 years will be 2022. Will it have to get special dispensation to exceed the 50 year AAR limit ? It certainly hasn't seen many miles.
ericsp The longest non-articulated car I have seen would probably be BBCX 1000.
I suspect the rebuild of the car in 2002 may have extended it's life well beyond 2022. Such cars rarely rack up much mileage or much high speed operation - especially when loaded.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
As of now, its "end of service date" is still in 2022.
Back in the late 1960's and into the 70's, Souther Rwt and NS used a Monster Boxcar in tobacco Hogshead service through out the Carolinas and Virginia. They were roughly [by capacity:(+,-) 10,000 cu ft(?) ] 3x the size of a 'regular 40' boxcar. Originally, the first batch was built at Knoxville,Tn, in Southern's Car Shop. That was early in 1960's; they were built with roll-type, side doors. They were unsuccessful and were replaced with a plug style door.
Pullman Standard then built a couple of batches of them (?); something over 100 of them; those had conventional style sliding side doors. Using a forty year life, they would have lasted, slightly, into the early 2000's.(?)
Here's a link to a photo of one of the original Sou Built, roll doors:
@ https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/fileSendAction/fcType/0/fcOid/48593297337798460/filePointer/48593297339326212/fodoid/48593297339326207/imageType/LARGE/inlineImage/true/Hogshead1.jpg
and this link shows a MR article with photos of three conventional door tobacco Hogshead sevice cars: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/index.php?attachments/morehogs-jpg.272/
Here is a link to 'Blog spot' and some more information on these large capacity 10,000 cu. ft. boxcars: @http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com/2016/07/ns-85-foot-excess-height-boxcars.html
The longest non-articulated cars I have seen are some CN and TTX flatcars, which are 93 feet according to our lists. The same lists show autoracks as 89'.
Herzog has some rail and ballast trains composed of 20 or 30 carbodies that are either articulated or connected by drawbars entirely. I can't remember if each carbody carries a separate number, but for switching purposes the set must be treated as one car.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
I saw a schnabel car with a nuclear reactor vessel as a load. It was headed down to the San Onofrie nuclear power plant near Santa Barbara. Well over 100 feet long. It was the Westinghouse schnabel car.
The longest I've ever seen was last year, a car for hauling molten iron or steel in a steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario. A long taper on both ends with a somewhat flat area in the middle where it is filled and then rotated and drained, it looked to be made of concrete. It does not leave the plant property and go on "public" rails. Had to be over 100 feet long.
Just out of interest, I was in the plant where the huge buckets of molten steel are dumped out into moulds. Spectacular!
54light15The longest I've ever seen was last year, a car for hauling molten iron or steel in a steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario. A long taper on both ends with a somewhat flat area in the middle where it is filled and then rotated and drained, it looked to be made of concrete. It does not leave the plant property and go on "public" rails. Had to be over 100 feet long. Just out of interest, I was in the plant where the huge buckets of molten steel are dumped out into moulds. Spectacular!
Hot Bottle cars - not really all that long, but loaded or empty they are all that heavy.
Bottle cars can be deceptive because of the taper and the number of axles required because of the weight involved. They are about 60-70 feet long and there is a well-known bottle car train that operates on the IHB between Arcelor Mittal's ex-Inland Steel plant in Indiana Harbor and the ex-Interlake finishing mill in Riverdale.
Maybe not the longest, but how long were those huge GT autoparts boxcars?
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...
tree68Maybe not the longest, but how long were those huge GT autoparts boxcars?
Hi-Cube boxes GTW and everybody elses were 89 feet and some inches.
My fathers time spent at Yardmaster in Bayview Yard in Baltimore with 36 & 40 foot cars he felt he had more than enough room to accompish the mission. My time there with 60 box cars being the smallest cars and hi-cube box cars and bi and tri-levels filling out the rest of the yard, made it feel like a way too small band box of a yard.
The 36 axle Schnabel cars ABB, CEBX and WEBX are 236 feet 8 inches empty with maximum length of 345 feet. So each section of an empty Schmabel car is 118 feet 4 inches.
does any other RR in the world have anything like a Schnabel car ? Maybe Russia ?
caldreamer The 36 axle Schnabel cars ABB, CEBX and WEBX are 236 feet 8 inches empty with maximum length of 345 feet. So each section of an empty Schmabel car is 118 feet 4 inches.
Herer is a photo linked: @ http://www.drgw.net/trips/trips/hydro-NDH-[apr-2005]/chapter.1/cebx-800-trinidad_co-[9-apr-2005]-003-600x400.jpg
Photo shows a load being 'shifted left' to avoid a problem while making a turn.
Photo link was: Posted by edblysard on Saturday, December 03, 2005 5:28 PM
[from a photo essay] @ http://www.drgw.net/trips/report.php?tr=HYD1.1
From a Forum Thread @ http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/51102.aspx
Referencing Schnabel Car and load in Duluth, Mn.
That bottle car that I saw was similar but a lot longer and thinner in diameter.
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