Loads.. or my gons and flat cars look completely empty!

[ljudice]

Speaking of pipe loads, anyone tackle those massive pipe loads on unit flatcar trains - I think they came from Oregon Steel in Napa, CA area....  ???   Greenish pipes.....  on 89' flats???

Would be cool...

[wm3798]

Coffee straws and spray paint, Lou.

[Dave Schneider]

Soda straws and paint. I tightened the tie-down cables after seeing how bad they looked in the photo. I put a nail with the head cut off inside the three bottom pipes for weight. The Milwaukee Road had hundreds of these peak-a-boo gondolas to ship gas line pipe from a location along the Beer Line to projects all over the country in the 1960s-70s.





I found the perfect sized straw in a collection of leftovers from a local restaurant, and then couldn't find out where it came from. I had to go to a bunch of places before I found the correct size. It is amazing how many subtle varieties there are.

Best wishes, Dave

[unclepete2013]

Coffee straws and spray paint, Lou.

I think mc donalds straws might work

[Bob Bufkin]

One load I've done is made from leftover tubing used in fish tanks. It's already black so no painting required except for a little rust.

[ljudice]

Cool models... but...  Not the same pipe...

I'll look for some pics....  These would take big straws!  I actually sized it out on Evergreen tubing...
 
They are for 42" or whatver gas mains.....


- Lou

[unclepete2013]

Actually 1/4 dowels might work....

Sand the crap out of it, use a quality enamel to give it that really shiny finish.  maybe bore the end out a little or just use some black paint... might be close enough.

[chuck geiger]

When I lived in The Lehigh Valley, there was a guy from Columbus who would
sell his wares at all the shows, built the coolest loads for gons and flats. He
might have wondered to Timomnium too.

[milw156]

Cool models... but...  Not the same pipe...

I'll look for some pics....  These would take big straws!  I actually sized it out on Evergreen tubing...
 
They are for 42" or whatver gas mains.....
- Lou

something more like this??? WSOR unloaded a lot of these  a few years ago for a pipeline project near here a few years ago and had stored some flats on the Avalon siding near Janesville which allowed me to take some pics, but they are on film rather than digital, so this is the best I could find. IIRC, the loading pattern was essentially the same, 3-3-3-2

Rick

[ljudice]

That's more like it!   Used to be seen on SP and Golden West painted cars too....

[GaryHinshaw]

I love those pipe loads.  I'm planning to repurpose most of my 89' flats to PTTX service.  Some more examples:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1490551
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1011258
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2139939
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=418079

The Starbucks crappuccino straws are not too bad for the larger pipes - and they're already (dark) green.

[ljudice]

That's what I'm talking about! 

There used to be solid unit trains over Donner then east over the DRGW - but I think the plant in Napa closed.


- Lou

[milw156]

I love those pipe loads.  I'm planning to repurpose most of my 89' flats to PTTX service.

With the BLMA & Trainworx models coming out, I was also thinking about using some of my Microtrains flats for pipeline transport, and putting my custom trailers on the newer models instead.
Rick

[unclepete2013]

Those unit trains are pretty out outrageous. Just make sure you have a buffer car at each end!

Oh and I did see a military unit train... I think may have to push some 89' flats into multiple service... pipe, intermodal and military. It wont be perfect but for a little hunk of metal with some wheels... they are pricy!