On Thu, Dec 17, 2020 at 2:28 PM, Gatwood, Elden J SAD

<elden.j.gatwood@...> wrote:

Group;

 

To add to Jim:

 

There was a group of these cars I remember well, serving the powdered dolomite trade to USSteel’s mills in the Monongahela River Valley. 

 

They were received by the Union RR of Pittsburgh, in singles, pairs and groups, then routed to the mills by URR. 

 

The open hearths in particular, gobbled enormous amounts of powdered dolomite, for lining the floor of the furnace. 

 

It was dumped on the charging floor, where it was then routed to the pile in front of each furnace for shoveling in.

 

Those cars were in that trade for a long time.

 

Elden Gatwood

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jim Mischke
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2020 1:15 AM
To: Ed Hawkins <hawk0621@...>; atkott@...; main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: [Non-DoD Source] Re: [RealSTMFC] B&O wagon top covered hoppers

 

 

 

 

Answers to questions....

 

 

1.  All B&O N-34 wagontop covered hoppers seem to have all been built with wood running boards.

 

2.  No hardware differences between two lots.   There were shop and lettering differences.

 

630300-399 built at Keyser lettered in wartime Kuhler scheme, dome herald on right.  

630400-499 built at Dubois lettered in transition Kuhler scheme, dome herald on left over reporting marks.

 

3.  All my photos, all eras, show wood running boards, even into the 1960's.  No information on metal running boards.   It would not surprise me if there were none.

 

4.  All N-34 had Duryea underframes.   All B&O Duryea underframes were different.  The Duryea designs evolved as each B&O freight car program specified them.   I have little information on these, no knowledge of surviving drawings..

 

 

Your N-34 model with wood running boards is good for 1948.

 

 

Many N-34 were in a pool for steelmaking dolomite (limestone) from the Shendoah Valley line, cars based out of Brunswick, Md.   My 1952 assignment sheet puts 53 of 200 N-34 in this pool alone.   This quality dolomite was sought after by eastern steel mills some distance away, so N-34 got around the rust belt before it rusted, and were interchanged with other railroads.

 

 

Atttached is a lettering scorecard for offset side twin hoppers, valid for the N-34 schemes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: "proto48er" <atkott@...>

Subject: [RealSTMFC] B&O wagon top covered hoppers

Date: December 16, 2020 at 6:36:26 PM CST

To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io

Reply-To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io

 

I have four questions about the B&O class N-34 wagon top covered hoppers:

#1  -  When the 200 cars in class N-34 were new in 1940, did they all have wood roofwalks?

#2  -  What was the difference in construction or features, if any, between cars numbered 630300-630399 and 630400-630499?

#3  -  When did the N-34 class start receiving Apex roofwalks?

#4  -  Did all of these cars have Duryea underframes?  If so, is there a diagram for the particular type of Duryea underframe that might have been under these cars?

The reason for these questions is that I am trying to decide whether to keep my O Scale I&I Models N-34 with wood roofwalks - is it appropriate for the time frame of April, 1948, or had all of the prototype cars been fitted with metal roofwalks by then? (I&I imported the same brass model with Apex roofwalks.)
I have not been able to find any information or freight car diagrams for these cars.

Thank you very much for your help!

 

Elden -

Thank you very much for your reply!  (I was away from my computer yesterday, so am late in thanking you!)

I am down in south Texas.  There is a photo in a 1943 issue of Oil & Gas Journal that shows one of these covered hoppers at a petroleum refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas.  So they did come to south Texas!  It was carrying catalyst for the fluid catalytic cracking unit at the refinery.  My I&I model has the wood runningboards and is painted in accordance with Jim's painting instructions for the car number that was factory painted on it.  I had looked in vain for prototype photos of these cars (only found one of the N-31 test car).

Thanks again!!

A.T. Kott