Reflective Tape For Freight Cars
|
thecitrusbelt@...
I understand that this material, known by a variety of names such as Scotchlite, reflective tape, reflective delineators, etc., has been in general use on freight cars and locomotives since the mid-1950s.
Can anyone confirm that Scotchlight delineators were introduced on Great Northern box cars in 1944?
Thanks.
Bob Chaparro
Hemet, CA
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Robert Heninger
Bob,
According to my photo collection, the first GN boxcars with 3M Company Scotchlight delineators (the dots or rectangles along the sill) was the 10900-11375 series built by the GN at its St. Cloud Shops in early 1948. The delineators on this series were small circular dots. Later, the GN changed to larger circles, before finally settling on the 5"x8" rectangular delineators later in the 1950s. However, this was not the first use of Scotchlight on GN boxcars. Scotchlight was used for the "See America First - Glacier National Park" slogan in the herald, and possibly the road name as well, on plywood boxcars in the 10500-10899 series and 38700-38799 series, built in 1947, and before that on express boxcar 2500, (one of the first, if not the first, of the postwar experimental aluminum cars) and perhaps the 2501-2524 series plywood express boxcars built in 1945. I believe 2500 was the first car to get the Scotchlight treatment, but there is uncertainty as to when and what color. 2500 was built in November 1944, but was apparently repainted/relettered sometime in 1945. Can any of the other GN fans on the list add to this or correct me? I'm also not sure this was the first use of reflective lettering or delineators on boxcars. I know the ACL favored Prismo, which were reflective glass beads applied to wet paint, much like road markings are done today. I don't know when the practice started, though. Regards, Bob Heninger Minot, ND |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Staffan Ehnbom
Scotchlight was introduced on the GN aluminum box car 2500 in 1944 as described in Railway Age 12/9/44 in the road name, reporting marks and the goat (silver) and background to the goat (red). The photo does not show delineators att his time. But a photo of the 2500 with a 8-45 service date shows small circular images along the bottom of the side indicating that delineators had been applied at that time. Staffan Ehnbom On Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 2:34 AM, thecitrusbelt@... [STMFC] <STMFC@...> wrote:
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Staffan Ehnbom
The GN 10500-10899 single door series and the 38700-38799 series dbl door, both 40' plywood construction in 1947, recieved Scotchlight lettering and herald components and diamond shape delineators described in Railway Age 11/15/47. Staffan Ehnbom On Wed, Mar 22, 2017 at 6:25 AM, gn2059@... [STMFC] <STMFC@...> wrote:
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Roger Perkins
The correct name is SCOTCHLITE brand versus SCOTCHLIGHT. I retired from 3M in 2005 after 28 years; during that time I consulted with the divisions that manufactured this product line. During that time, the 3M employee newspaper printed a photo of a 3M boxcar with this reflective sheeting on it. As an n-scale modeler and fan of MTL, I sent a copy to them and suggested they rerun the 3M boxcar that had been released previously. MTL did a rerun of a similar car. The 3M car in question was double sheath style. |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Roger Perkins
The original 3M car from MTL was released in February 1975 and the re-release was November 1999.
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Roger Perkins
"For over 50 years, Scothlite lettering has been a hallmark of the Union Pacific paint scheme. It is believed that the first use of Scotchlite by the UP on rolling equipment was on some diesel yard switchers in mid-1951. By 1953, UP was also applying Scotchlite to road diesels and turbines, passenger cars and new cabooses. At least up until 1980, UP did not apply Scotchlite to their freight cars. It has been over 65 years since the 3M Company (Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co.) of St. Paul, Minnesota, developed the light reflective material Scotchlite. That material has found nighttime safety uses on items ranging from shoes, jackets, raincoats and hardhats to highway signs and safety cones to life rafts to school buses and truck chassis to railroad cars and locomotives. Initial development work at 3M started in the latter 1930s as a search for a way to make highway lane divider stripes more visible at night. First, they had to figure out how to make the tiny glass spheres to be used as reflectors, and then they searched for a way to adhere them to the highway surface. That second problem resulted in several failures. But in the midst of trying, it was suggested that the material would more easily stick to signs. And thus, Scotchlite reflective sheeting was commercially born in 1938. The first traffic sign using Scotchlite went up in 1939 in Minneapolis." Found online by Google search article from 2015. |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Garth Groff <sarahsan@...>
Roger, Train Miniature also offered a double-sheathed version of the 3M car in HO, and I think a wood kit was available in the Silver Streak line at one time. My own model, now long gone, was done on a TM body with Champ decals. Some of the 3M cars ended up on blocks as storage sheds. I have an undated photo of some of these, I think taken near San Bernardino. Can you tell us what product they carried, and over what routes they usually ran? Yours Aye,
Garth Groff On 3/28/17 6:26 AM,
roger39perkins@... [STMFC] wrote:
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Stuart Forsyth
Hi Garth, Any chance you could post or share these photos? I'm particularly interested in any in-service shots and the one near San Bernadino. On Mar 28, 2017, at 5:00 AM, Garth Groff sarahsan@... [STMFC] <STMFC@...> wrote:
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Garth Groff <sarahsan@...>
|
|||||||||
|
|