--- In STMFC@..., "al_brown03" <abrown@...> wrote:

Dennis,

How does one tell the difference?

Al Brown, Melbourne, Fla.

Considering the small number of Vulcan ends Chicago-Cleveland seemed to sell, assume they are Murphy unless something says differently :-)

There are illustrations (photos) of both horizontal and vertical Vulcan ends in the 1922 Car Builder's Cyc., and possibly older editions that are now available from Google Books. Interestingly, there is no illustration specifically of a Murphy end in that volume, but there is no shortage of photos of those elsewhere. To my eye, the tips of the tapers seem to come to a sharper point on the Vulcan end, which would indicate that the radius of the crest of the ribs is smaller, and the resulting flats on the flanks of the ribs wider, but since very few of the commercially produces model ends get these right, that's not much to compare. The Vulcan ribs also seem to be a bit wider, but a three panel end still has five ribs per, so they can't be much wider. I've never found a sectional drawing of a Vulcan end (mostly because I never looked for one), nor have I had the opportunity to get up close and personal with one, so photos is about all I can offer.

Dennis