Re: Auto loading on flats:

In John White's "American Railroad Freight Car" (p394, Fig 6.17) there is a full side-on photo of what appears to be a nearly identical loading arrangement.
There are 9 circa-1923 Buick soft-tops loaded on a long Grand Trunk flat. 8 of the cars are loaded 2-high using the metal ladder-type supports on each wheel of the upper auto. There is also a wood brace in some of the supports, presumably to prevent side sway. The 9th car is loaded at a 45-degree angle, nose down, and I can't see any reason to do this other than to save a couple of feet of clearance at the end of the car.

Hope this helps....

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Richard Brennan - San Leandro CA
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In STMFC Schuyler Larrabee wrote:
Being very careful with my terminology (Mr Thompson) I can see that on the nearest flat car, there
appears to be at least two ladder-shaped vertical frames which appear may be put into the stake
pockets on the flat car. They >might be< spaced so as to support the wheels of the automobiles in
the top row. These appear on the further flat cars as well.

Nobody's supplied any guesses about the make of automobiles shown. I'm far from being any sort of
expert, but the one suspended from the gantry MIGHT be a Hupmobile. There was an antique car
collector who lived in my area when I was a kid who had a BRIGHT yellow-painted Hupmobile with solid
disk wheels; I know that not all Hupmobiles had those solid wheels, though, but the body shape
reminds me of that car. This is probably an erroneous guess.

SGL

Any more photos of this subject. Very interesting. How were the top
rwo of cars secured ?

thks

Charlie Harris

Here is another interesting photo.

http://tinyurl.com/6jx22g

--- End forwarded message ---

Being very careful with my terminology (Mr Thompson) I can see that on the nearest flat car, there
appears to be at least two ladder-shaped vertical frames which appear may be put into the stake
pockets on the flat car. They >might be< spaced so as to support the wheels of the automobiles in
the top row. These appear on the further flat cars as well.

Nobody's supplied any guesses about the make of automobiles shown. I'm far from being any sort of
expert, but the one suspended from the gantry MIGHT be a Hupmobile. There was an antique car
collector who lived in my area when I was a kid who had a BRIGHT yellow-painted Hupmobile with solid
disk wheels; I know that not all Hupmobiles had those solid wheels, though, but the body shape
reminds me of that car. This is probably an erroneous guess.

SGL

Schuyler Larrabee wrote:

Anybody hazard a guess at what kind of cars those are?

They sure look like flat cars to me. Or isn't that the question?

Tony Thompson Editor

Ba-dump-bump!

OK wise guy, I meant the AUTOMOBILES!!

SGL

Schuyler Larrabee wrote:

Anybody hazard a guess at what kind of cars those are?

They sure look like flat cars to me. Or isn't that the question?

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

Anybody hazard a guess at what kind of cars those are?

SGL

Any more photos of this subject. Very intereting. How were the top
rwo of cars secured ?

thks

Charlie Harris

Here is another interesting photo.

http://tinyurl.com/6jx22g

http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm-desmo/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/imlsmohai&CISOPTR=2284&CISOBOX=1&REC=5

Paul
Seattle, WA