--- In STMFC@..., "laramielarry" <ostresh@...> wrote:

While exporing the data in the Excel version of the July 1950 ORER,

I

noticed the following:
All boxcars with IL greater than or equal to 40' 10" and less than
49' 9", for which I know the siding type, were double sheathed. We
aren't talking a lot of cars: 203 total, 141 DS (69%), all of them
type XM with a nominal capacity of 80,000 lbs. They were in 20
series and 6 railroads; 17 of the series had "short" doors of 5'

6",

but these 17 series contained only a little over half (108) of all
the cars. The ORER described 17 of the series as "Steel

Underframe"

or "Steel Center Sill" (no description for the other 3 series).

The

longest of these cars was 41' 7"; there are no box/auto cars longer
than this but shorter than 49' 9" in the 1950 ORER (among cars

owned

by U.S. railroads and in interchange service). I only have build
dates for 28 of the "long" 40' cars, all 1909, all MILW.

Is there some reason why most (all???) the "long" 40 foot boxcars
were double sheathed? Or is it just a coincidence?

(I'll be happy to post a listing of all 20 series if anyone wants

it.)

Best wishes,
Larry Ostresh
Laramie, Wyoming

Larry -

Is it possible that these cars were all old furniture cars? The
80,000 lbs capy would seem to indicate this. Dennis may also be
correct as to replacement of the original double sheathed ends with
steel ends; however, a 9" addition to each end's inside length is a
little much! Perhaps there was an earlier standard IL for furniture
cars that was a little greater than 40'-0". Just my two bits.

A.T. Kott