Chuck Peck wrote: "I am a bit perplexed. There is obviously something I don't know. My understanding of the Duryea frame is that it protects cargo by reducing shocks from slack running in and out on the train. What cargo would be carried in a hopper car that needs that protection? Would not the Duryea frame add weight and reduce the capacity of the hopper? Further, the F&C link indicates this was a war emergency design. Does war emergency not indicate minimum use of steel for the war effort?
If so, again, why Duryea with it's extra weight?"
We've discussed this ad nauseum, and this seems to come up as often as old and equally unfunny "helium cars weigh lighter loaded" joke. The value of the Duryea cushion underframe for hoppers wasn't to prevent damage to cargo, but to improve train handling. Roads that invested heavily in Duryea cushion underframes for hoppers included the RDG, B&O, and WM.
