Tim Barney wrote:

It was advanced for it's time, being all-welded when most cars (even of similar type) were
riveted construction.

As Bruce Smith observed, this comment about welding is way wrong. The first extensively welded freight cars were covered hoppers in the mid-1930s. Because of all the welding done during WW II, it was a fully accepted construction method after the war. Freight cars, certainly by 1950, were being extensively welded, INCLUDING flat cars of several types (though maybe not so much on the PRR). Not to take anything away from the "Queen Mary," which was quite a project--just that welding isn't really part of its eminence.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

The KCS built their own all welded hopper gondolas in 1932. They mounted them on the then new National B trucks. Innovative for a railroad.

Phil Marcus

Anthony Thompson <thompson@...> wrote: Tim Barney wrote:
> It was advanced for it's time, being all-welded when most cars (even
> of similar type) were
> riveted construction.

As Bruce Smith observed, this comment about welding is way wrong.
The first extensively welded freight cars were covered hoppers in the
mid-1930s. Because of all the welding done during WW II, it was a
fully accepted construction method after the war. Freight cars,
certainly by 1950, were being extensively welded, INCLUDING flat cars
of several types (though maybe not so much on the PRR). Not to take
anything away from the "Queen Mary," which was quite a project--just
that welding isn't really part of its eminence.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

PHIL MARCUS wrote:

The KCS built their own all welded hopper gondolas in 1932. They mounted them on the then new National B trucks. Innovative for a railroad.

Phil, there were numerous experimental and prototype cars like this. I was speaking of larger scale commercial production. Probably the biggest contributor was Milwaukee Road with their own welded designs, although it is noteworthy that no one really copied them.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

Tim Barney wrote:

It was advanced for its time, being all-welded when most cars (even
of similar type) were
riveted construction.

As Bruce Smith observed, this comment about welding is way wrong.
The first extensively welded freight cars were covered hoppers in the
mid-1930s. Because of all the welding done during WW II, it was a
fully accepted construction method after the war. Freight cars,
certainly by 1950, were being extensively welded, INCLUDING flat cars
of several types (though maybe not so much on the PRR). Not to take
anything away from the "Queen Mary," which was quite a project--just
that welding isn't really part of its eminence.

Tony Thompson

Just to pile on a little, the ERIE had one thousand fully welded hoppers built in 1949. 29000-29999
series

SGL