Can we blame it on the Romans?



Al Kresse

Maybe not the particular "Why?" you were looking for, but the analysis of contact stresses between two objects favors two flat surfaces touching each other. Failing that, with one surface flat (the rail) and the other not (the wheel), stresses are minimized and the load carrying capability maximized when the wheel is as large as possible. Rolling resistance is also reduced with larger wheels. The standard size nowadays is 36 inches, I think, but many double stack cars - like depressed center cars in the steam era - use 28 inch wheels to gain extra room for cargo under the clearance limits.

Why 33 rather than 32 or 34? I dunno, but they seem to have settled on that number very early on.

KL

Why and when did the use of 33 inch wheels become standard on freight cars?

Lee

Tim O'C. expresses a need for protective devices, i.e. protective of ham-handedness, that will screw into bolster holes during kit construction. An easy device that will at least partly serve this purpose is the routine install of a pair of empty plastic truck frames. I keep a cup full of these discards around for just such purposes.

Denny

Denny S. Anspach MD
Okoboji, IA

Richard,

Dave passed me on to you. I'm lookint for a romate. I have the room
reserved. Are you intedresterd stoill?

Joe Lofland

On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 6:58 PM, Richard Hendrickson <
rhendrickson@...> wrote:

On Sep 3, 2009, at 4:26 PM, up4884114152002 wrote:

My name is Dave Friedman and I am looking for someone
to share a 2 bedroom room at the Meet. I am arriving
on Thursday afternoon and have a room already reserved. 2 double beds.
i am staying til Sunday morning so I am looking for someone to
share the 3 nights charges. the room is $94/night plus tax. I need
someone
who is a non-snorer please. i am 65 years old and from New York
City where I am an attorney and model railroader. Please email me
at work so we can work out the details.dlfriedman@...<details.dlfriedman%40legal-aid.org>

Dave, I've been out of town for three days, so I'm late responding,
and you probably have a roommate lined up by now. But if not, I'll
be arriving Thursday night, leaving Sunday, and would be pleased to
share a room with you. (PS: I don't snore).

Richard Hendrickson

Full versions of the 2/1913 & 6/1917 Official Railway Equipment Registers
are on-line at Google Books:
http://books.google.com/books?q=%22official+railway+equipment+register%22&as
_brr=1

__________
Mark Mathu
Whitefish Bay, Wis.
The Green Bay Route: http://www.greenbayroute.com/

Yes, noticed that, but to be honest, if the model is on the track no one
notices. I'll have my Protowest car and the IM car with me at Naperville, as
a side by side comparison.

Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY

--- In STMFC@..., "Brian Carlson" <brian@...> wrote:

I agree with you Bruce, My B&O car is complete, much in the same way

you did

it, except I managed to not break any stirrups or the air hoses. I did

sand

two fingernails though. Maybe the next runs will compensate for the

tape

thickness. I used Barge cement to reattach my deck. I have had too

many

issues with ACC popping due to different shrinkage and expansion

rates.

Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY

Bruce and Brian,

Thanks for the advice about removing the wood deck.

Have other also noticed that the InterMountain AAR flat car model lacks
the "floor stringers". The resin model from ProtoWest Models does model
them as they appear on the drawing of the flat car designed for the ERIE
RR.

Bob Witt
Indianapolis, Indiana

Be careful with these. I "pressed" one into a bolster and on removal it
broke, causing me to have to re-drill and tap the screw hole. I modified
them by inserting longer 2-56 screws from the bottom and screwing them into
the bolsters now when I use them.

Brian J. Carlson, P.E.
Cheektowaga NY

On Sep 3, 2009, at 4:26 PM, up4884114152002 wrote:

My name is Dave Friedman and I am looking for someone
to share a 2 bedroom room at the Meet. I am arriving
on Thursday afternoon and have a room already reserved. 2 double beds.
i am staying til Sunday morning so I am looking for someone to
share the 3 nights charges. the room is $94/night plus tax. I need
someone
who is a non-snorer please. i am 65 years old and from New York
City where I am an attorney and model railroader. Please email me
at work so we can work out the details.dlfriedman@...

Dave, I've been out of town for three days, so I'm late responding,
and you probably have a roommate lined up by now. But if not, I'll
be arriving Thursday night, leaving Sunday, and would be pleased to
share a room with you. (PS: I don't snore).

Richard Hendrickson

I think Tichy includes a pair of small T shaped plastic parts in the USRA SS kit that would work to protect some of the underbody. They press fit into the bolsters until the trucks are ready to be applied. I do not see a reason you couldn't insert them (without glue of course) and then glue their bases to some .06" styrene sheet cut a little wider than the outline of the car (looking from the track up). It wouldn't stop every ding, but most of them.

Rob Kirkham

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Tim O'Connor" <timboconnor@...>
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 10:54 AM
To: <STMFC@...>
Subject: Re: [STMFC] Update - IM Santa Fe Ft-V flat car

All this handling has resulted in two more repairs. Both the air hoses
and the stirrup steps did not survive my ham handed work, so they will
have to be replaced. In addition, I have replaced the wheels with 0.088
tread wheels from Branchline and the #5 clones with Kadee #58 couplers.
Regards
Bruce Smith

Bruce, I need a tool item as follows: a device that screws into
the truck bolster (remove trucks first) and that projects outwards
creating a protective "box" around the sill steps. With one of these
devices screwed into each bolster, I could work on virtually any
freight car -- painting, details, repairs, decaling -- without any
danger to the delicate sill steps, brake hoses, cut levers etc.

I have such an item for painting -- a metal jig with two metal
"handles" that screw into the car and into the jig, so the car can
be painted easily without having to touch the car body. But when
working on the car one wants to handle the car, lay it down, etc
and this always involves risk to the small details.

I can't tell you how many brake hoses and sill steps I've broken and
had to replace by now. I'm sure it numbers in the dozens. Usually I have
replacement parts, but not always. I'd much rather not break them in the
first place.

Tim O'Connor






------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

--- In STMFC@..., Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:

Bruce, I need a tool item as follows: a device that screws into
the truck bolster (remove trucks first) and that projects outwards
creating a protective "box" around the sill steps.

Tim, I can't exactly picture what this "tool" would look like, but I understand your goal. Couldn't something be cobbled up from relatively thick (.060, maybe?) styrene?

Walt Lankenau

All this handling has resulted in two more repairs. Both the air hoses
and the stirrup steps did not survive my ham handed work, so they will
have to be replaced. In addition, I have replaced the wheels with 0.088
tread wheels from Branchline and the #5 clones with Kadee #58 couplers.
Regards
Bruce Smith

Bruce, I need a tool item as follows: a device that screws into
the truck bolster (remove trucks first) and that projects outwards
creating a protective "box" around the sill steps. With one of these
devices screwed into each bolster, I could work on virtually any
freight car -- painting, details, repairs, decaling -- without any
danger to the delicate sill steps, brake hoses, cut levers etc.

I have such an item for painting -- a metal jig with two metal
"handles" that screw into the car and into the jig, so the car can
be painted easily without having to touch the car body. But when
working on the car one wants to handle the car, lay it down, etc
and this always involves risk to the small details.

I can't tell you how many brake hoses and sill steps I've broken and
had to replace by now. I'm sure it numbers in the dozens. Usually I have
replacement parts, but not always. I'd much rather not break them in the
first place.

Tim O'Connor

Yes, that's right Brian. That's why I didn't write "ex-PRR X31c". :-)

Tim

Isn't there a website with photos of the various Details West track
related details over which our freight cars (manditory content) travel?
Bill Welch

Bill, there are some parts illustrations on the Walthers web site. But if
you want to find prototype photos, I would Google for it...

http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=&scale=H&manu=235&item=&keywords=rails+bolt+brace&words=extend&instock=Q&split=30&Submit=Search

The Central Valley site might help too

http://www.cvmw.com/cvtswitch/index.htm

Tim O'Connor

--- In STMFC@..., Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:

DTI 12128

From series 12000-12399 built 1937, these are PRR X31c round roof
box cars

I think these were just clones of Pennsy round roof box cars, and never owned by PRR. The trucks under these cars were Self-Aligning Double Truss Spring Plankless with Coil-Elliptic spring package (a favorite truck of DT&I's) and not PRR's 2D-F12 coil-elliptic truck.

Tahoe Model Works's new Coil-Elliptic truck is a close match, if you don't mind the spring plank detail.

Brian Leppert
Tahoe Model Works
Carson City, NV

Thanks Al, I'd missed that.

To anyone who will pay the shipping, a large pad of dispatcher's sheets, 24"x14.5", and a large quantity of blank car cars and waybills for the early McClelland method. - Al Westerfield

Pat - It's 16 lbs. by UPS, cost depending on where you live. - Al

I will pay shipping, how much