Sixteen wheel flat car

[richG]

I showed a photo of this HO scale car in another thread so I decided to start a new thread. It is nearly finished. Needs coupler lift bars, four truss rods, decals which may be the hardest part to obtain. I have checked the on line decal companies but cannot find the sets I need. It will be one letter and number at a time.



The span bolsters are not prototypical. The under side of the car will not be seen. Yampa Bob has a rule that covers this issue.
I used Kadee arch bar trucks with metal Reboxx wheel sets for added weight.
Tichy parts, bass wood frame. There is a weight under the wood frame also.
The plastic air hoses at the couplers may have to be replace by brass hoses. The plastic ones are very delicate.
The couplers are Kadee #711 old time couplers. Kadee #5 look very out of place on old time cars. My choice.



Fun project but I have to order a lot of patience along with parts.

Rich

[jettrainfan]

Looks great! i think the car would look great behind a steamer! That would be fun!

[Yampa Bob]

Looks good Rich,   

Most loads are tied or strapped down. May I suggest simulated log chains or straps and boomer tie downs for a touch of realism?

[richG]

The wood frame is bolted into the tender floor by long bolts, I can just see them on top of the beams.
I did the same thing.
This is 1900. Just possibly, chains were added after the photo was taken in the White's book where I found the photo. We can only guess. I would guess the crank shaft is quite heavy.
In the photo, the one in front of the factory, the crank shaft looks like it fits rigidly into the frame work of beams so maybe no forward/backward movement.
The crank shaft in mine I purchased about ten years ago as a kit and has a fair amount of space which would allow movement if the locomotive started with a jerk or had to stop rapidly. Realized a few weeks ago, mine is longer than the prototype crank shaft.
I am thinking about these ideas. Plus there was no OSHA in 1900. Still a lot to consider. Thanks.

Rich

[richG]

If you get bored, here is a little info concerning the large crank shaft being carried on the flat car.

The Wabash Railroad had two cars like this built around 1897. This one was 37', 6" long at 60 ton capacity with a build date of 1897. The second was two feet longer but rated at 55 tons. They were used to haul large rolls of cable for building street car lines. White says he doubt cars like this were used in interchange. Quite a few railroads built twelve wheel flat cars for heavy loads at the time. Many were of wood construction though steel versions were beginning to be built.

The crank shaft is for a large stationary steam engine, probably 2000 to 4000 HP power plant. There would have been a high pressure and low pressure cylinder. There were many power plants like this being built around 1900. Some vertical engines were nearly fifty feet high.

I have a photo from 1901 showing the car and load outside an Allis & Chalmers factory in White's, The American Railroad Freight Car, page 386.

I have an article describing building this car written by Gordon Odegard in MR magazine, June 1960, page 52.

In 1869, the PRR has a sixteen wheel flat car, but with 26 inch wheels for hauling massive naval guns. It had a lower of center gravity.

Here is a link to an old two cylinder power plant.

www.todengine.org/home

http://news.webshots.com/photo/2417008210033749120xGEzdh

Sometimes the engines were used to power huge blowers for iron mills at the time.

They were used to power huge pumps for cities who were developing piped water at the time.

Many powered plants for producing electrical power.

I believe New Orleans use to have one that was huge.

Rich