I always wonder about the railroad's philosophy of ever stronger ends to deal with shifting loads. It's as if auto makers worried about making ever stronger windshields rather than sitbelts and air bags, but it was about four decades between the first steel ends and load restraining devices. By the way, what is the earliest the Dreadnaught end was seen? I have a date of 1925, but maybe someone can beat that? - John
....what is the earliest the Dreadnaught end was seen? I have a date of 1925, but maybe someone can beat that?
That's the earliest date I've seen for cars with Dreadnaught ends. And it seems significant that they're not shown in the 1925 Car Builders' Cyclopedia, where they would surely have been included if they had been developed earlier than that.
