Hi list,

I am preparing a bunch of Intermountain kits of these cars. Since the included running board is far from great, I intend to use some replacement parts from Plano - just which ones ? Plano offers Apex, Morton, US Gypsum and Transco.

I couldn�t find a reference in the PFE book and the article in RMJ 10/94 mentions "Morton or US Gypsum" without further details.


thanks for any help

Bernd Schroeder
Adelsdorf, Germany

Bernd, here are the R-40-23 "specialties" for the R-40-23.
These are from a Dick Harley email. If you search the STMFC
archive for the word "specialties" you will find a number
of conversations about PFE and NP PC&F ice reefers.

Perhaps we could beg Dick to compile this information for
us for the R-40-10 and R-40-25??? :-)

Running Boards & Brake Steps -

4000 - Morton, car numbers: 6001-8000, 46703-48702
1000 - U.S.Gypsum, car numbers: 5001-6000

Hand Brakes -

1250 - Ajax, car numbers: 5001-5250, 7501-8000, 48203-48702
1250 - Equipco, car numbers: 6001-6500, 6751-7000, 46703-47202
1250 - Universal, car numbers: 5751-6000, 7001-7500, 47703-48202
750 - Miner, car numbers: 5251-5750, 47203-47452
500 - Superior, car numbers: 6501-6750, 47453-47702

Air Brakes -

3500 - New York, car numbers: 5500-5999, 6001-7500, 46703-48202
1500 - Westinghouse, car numbers: 5001-5499, 6000, 7501-8000, 48203-48702

Door Fasteners -

2500 - Miner, car numbers: 5001-7000, 46703-47202
2500 - Universal, car numbers: 7001-8000, 47203-48702

Tim O'Connor

Tim O'Connor wrote:

Bernd, here are the R-40-23 "specialties" for the R-40-23. These are from a Dick Harley email . . . Perhaps we could beg Dick to compile this information for us for the R-40-10 and R-40-25??? :-)

The R-40-10 cars were built with wood running boards. The rest of specialties are in the PFE book, page 435 (in the 2nd edition). Photos showing retrofitted R-40-10 cars with steel running boards definitely are Apex, but I don't know whether this was applied across the whole class. Unfortunately, the car cards for the class have not survived AFAIK. which would be the only way to be sure about replacements. But since the following class, R-40-14, got Apex, I personally would guess that Apex is a good bet for many if not all of the R-40-10 cars.
The reason we did not include more tabulations of specialties in the PFE book is that one of the co-authors, Bruce Jones, was firmly determined to issue the PFE diagram book as a separate item. This never got done.
The diagram for the R-40-25 class just says "Running Board -- Apex, Morton, U.S. Gypsum." There are some order summaries at CSRM for SOME classes, but I don't recall whether the -25 cars are among them. If so, they would probably spell out which car numbers got which boards. Photos of the "Class Car," PFE 2600, appear to show Gypsum running boards.

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

Bernd,

Specifically check out message 26025 from the SMTC archives. It has some specialties listings for R-40-23. The R-40-10's had wood running boards when delivered, although some did get steel experimentally a couple of years later. In general, a search of the message archives turns up 50 hits for "PFE running boards."

Good Luck,
Steve Hile

Tim,

Dick Harley doe not have the Specialty Appruence List for the R-40-25's. I am attempting to get it from the UP Museum, and if successful I will certainly share it with the group.

Paul Lyons

Steve, Tim, et al.

it sure helps to search the archives with the correct terms...thanks for all
the hints as my questions have mostly been adressed (including the article
on the R40-25 in RMJ 09-2000)


thanks

Bernd

On Sat May 2, 2009 Tim O'Connor wrote me and the STMFC list about
specialties for early PFE steel ice reefers. Tim reposted info I had
created from drawing 283-C-8962 on the R-40-23 class. Tony Thompson
noted that some specialty info for the R-40-10 class was available on
page 435 of the 2nd edition of the PFE Book.

I have created a folder titled "PFE Info from CSRM" in the Files
section of this list that contains scans of Form 78-1 info. You can
use that info to create your own lists of Specialties that are of
interest. If this information is of value to you, I request that you
please send a donation that is designated for the CSRM Library to the
CSRM Foundation. http://www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org/
doc.asp?id=10 You can tell them that I sent you.

As you can see, starting with the R-40-23 class, the Form 78-1 no
longer listed the Specialties, but it does list the drawing number
for the Allocation of Specialties drawing. I do not yet have copies
of those drawings for ice reefer classes above R-40-23, and I don't
know that they will ever be retrievable from UP again. That is a
long story. I see that Paul Lyons is trying to get the R-40-25
Allocation of Specialties drawing.

The issue of replacement metal running boards on the R-40-10 class
was mentioned by Tony and others. In fact, many of the Form 78-1
cards for the R-40-10 class do exist at the CSRM Library (or at least
they did a few years ago), and Dan Smith and I have copies of several
hundred of them. The metal running boards and brake steps were
installed as part of a large "General Repair" program that also
included stage icing, electric fans and many other items. The Form
78-1 for R-40-10 #41250 is shown on page 435 of the 2nd edition of
the PFE Book. Judging from the card copies I have, that program
happened between 1951 and 1954 at many locations. By the early
1950s, PFE was using running boards and brake steps from many
different manufacturers. Dan Smith has done some tabulation work
with the R-40-10 copies we have. While Apex is used on about 50% of
the cars, the others are divided among the following: Gypsum,
Kerrigan, Morton, Transco, and Weigman. The last of those I had
never heard of before.

The definitive article on freight car running boards and brake steps
by Ed Hawkins is in the Railway Prototype Cyclopedia volume 16.

Hope this helps,
Dick Harley

On May 3, 2009, at 2:41 PM, Dick Harley wrote:

<SNIP>

Dan Smith has done some tabulation work
with the R-40-10 copies we have. While Apex is used on about 50% of
the cars, the others are divided among the following: Gypsum,
Kerrigan, Morton, Transco, and Weigman. The last of those I had
never heard of before.

The definitive article on freight car running boards and brake steps
by Ed Hawkins is in the Railway Prototype Cyclopedia volume 16.

Dick,
Thank you for making the PDF list of R-40-10 specialty items available.
Also thanks for the RP CYC plug. Weigman is one I've haven't heard of
either. When writing the article I wondered how many rarely used
running boards would surface after it was published. Weigman is the
first. It wouldn't surprise me if there were more.
Regards,
Ed Hawkins