Van Dorn "Target" boxcar ends
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This was covered in the article Dennis linked. Very nice read.
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Brian J. Carlson On Oct 14, 2022, at 4:53 PM, Todd Horton via groups.io <toddchorton@...> wrote:
-- Brian J. Carlson, P.E. Cheektowaga NY |
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Dennis Storzek
Did you read the article in the Rail & Wire? there are photos of the 500 C of GA cars, and one offs from several other roads, even a 'never was' made in the darkroom by grafting one of those oval panels onto a photo of a composite gon. By the way, the issue number is really 264, but incorrectly identified as 254 on the index page. It is properly identified as Winter 2020.
Dennis Storzek |
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Ray Breyer
Nobody actually knows just how many of the Van Dorn target ends were made. The IC had a bunch: 300 auto cars of the group below, plus an unknown quantity of all-wood cars rebuilt with steel roofs, ends, and center sills. Several photos show strings of rebuilt Rock Island cars with the ends, but zero in-service shots have popped up. Ray Breyer Elgin, IL
On Friday, October 14, 2022 at 01:21:41 PM CDT, Bob Chaparro via groups.io <chiefbobbb@...> wrote:
Photo: IC Furniture Boxcar 162101 Photo courtesy of Ray Breyer on the Facebook Pre-Depression Era Railroad Modelers group. Note the Van Dorn “Target” end. Comments from a source I no longer can recall: “Recognizing that formed ribs would make a car end stronger while saving weight, Van Dorn eschewed the straight ribs that every other car builder ever used and instead used a series of concentric circular ribs. The design was developed around 1910 and several railroads tested out handfuls of sample cars. These included, at a minimum, the Rock Island, Illinois Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Southern Pacific. The only railroad to order a large number of cars with Van Dorn ends was the Central of Georgia, which ordered 500 boxcars that had "double target" ends that were slightly less striking.” The stencil on the left door reads “This Car Not To Be Loaded With Grain”. Photo taken 1913 or later. Location unknown. Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA |
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Todd Horton
How many variations of the Van Dorn end were there? The C of Ga had a group of boxcars with Van Dorn ends but they were more oval shaped. Todd Horton
On Friday, October 14, 2022 at 02:21:41 PM EDT, Bob Chaparro via groups.io <chiefbobbb@...> wrote:
Photo: IC Furniture Boxcar 162101 Photo courtesy of Ray Breyer on the Facebook Pre-Depression Era Railroad Modelers group. Note the Van Dorn “Target” end. Comments from a source I no longer can recall: “Recognizing that formed ribs would make a car end stronger while saving weight, Van Dorn eschewed the straight ribs that every other car builder ever used and instead used a series of concentric circular ribs. The design was developed around 1910 and several railroads tested out handfuls of sample cars. These included, at a minimum, the Rock Island, Illinois Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Southern Pacific. The only railroad to order a large number of cars with Van Dorn ends was the Central of Georgia, which ordered 500 boxcars that had "double target" ends that were slightly less striking.” The stencil on the left door reads “This Car Not To Be Loaded With Grain”. Photo taken 1913 or later. Location unknown. Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA |
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Photo: IC Furniture Boxcar 162101 Photo courtesy of Ray Breyer on the Facebook Pre-Depression Era Railroad Modelers group. Note the Van Dorn “Target” end. Comments from a source I no longer can recall: “Recognizing that formed ribs would make a car end stronger while saving weight, Van Dorn eschewed the straight ribs that every other car builder ever used and instead used a series of concentric circular ribs. The design was developed around 1910 and several railroads tested out handfuls of sample cars. These included, at a minimum, the Rock Island, Illinois Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Southern Pacific. The only railroad to order a large number of cars with Van Dorn ends was the Central of Georgia, which ordered 500 boxcars that had "double target" ends that were slightly less striking.” The stencil on the left door reads “This Car Not To Be Loaded With Grain”. Photo taken 1913 or later. Location unknown. Bob Chaparro Hemet, CA |
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Hudson Leighton
Hicks Car Works has some photos and other Van Dorn information in a couple of posts.
https://hickscarworks.blogspot.com/ -Hudson |
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Claus Schlund \(HGM\)
Hi Dennis and List members,
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Thanks Dennis, I enjoyed reading that Claus Schlund On 13-Oct-22 20:51, Dennis Storzek via groups.io wrote:
Illinois Railway Museum has most of the issues of their publication, Rail & Wire, on their web site, so I can share it with you. Go to https://www.irm.org/current-rail-wire-issues/ and click on Issue 254 Winter 2020 |
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Dennis Storzek
We occasionally get questions here about these strange pattern steel ends, known to modelers as "bullseye" ends. Here is what appears to be the definitive history of this little known product. I missed this the first time around, it must have come while I was moving. Luckily the Illinois Railway Museum has most of the issues of their publication, Rail & Wire, on their web site, so I can share it with you. Go to https://www.irm.org/current-rail-wire-issues/ and click on Issue 254 Winter 2020. The article begins on page 30. Enjoy.
Dennis Storzek |
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