New Atlas N 40' Rebuilt Well Car

[transitionalman]

I personally would LOVE to see the non-rebuilt 48' versions!  LOVING THE GP39-2s though!!!

[Missaberoad]

See lots of these cars on CP IMS trains... should be a good addition for modern modelers

[jagged ben]

I personally would LOVE to see the non-rebuilt 48' versions!  LOVING THE GP39-2s though!!!

You can always get the Con-Cor version of that.  And the Gold Medal Models etched detail set.

...

As far as dating the cars, not sure about this exact prototype but the rebuilding of 48ft cars to 40ft cars goes back to at least 2008.  There used to be more info out on the web about this but now this is the best contemporary info I could find: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1680486.   (There used to be a website call 'Chad's Pics' that posted updates of new rebuildings happening.  Try googling that website name nowadays.    )

[James Costello]

When exactly (Year? Month?) were those well cars first used? Which railroad/leasing company? Which paintscheme?

In the big scheme of things, TTX began shortening 48' wells to 40' in 2003, with the Thrall 5 car sets (TWG52). This was quickly expanded to the Gunderson Maxi-III 5 car sets and then onto drawbarred connected stand alone cars (confirmed in 2004), and finally the AP Husky Stacks (in 09).   

Here's some quotes from the modelintermodal list regarding the AP cut-downs:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsPicture.aspx?id=221245

Chad Hewitt - 7 May 2007

> Northwest Oklahoma RR NOKL 230442 3-unit 40ft all-purpose well car

Good catch. I saw three this week myself; 230045, 230252, and 230413.
Still trying to determine where these are coming from, but they were cut
down from 48' AP 3pk wells during April 2007. NOKL (nee-MCER) and KCS units are
likely candidates for the shortening process, but the numbers wouldn't
appear to add up.

It is interesting to note that they are still AP cars after the cut down,
but are stenciled to be for trailer loading up to 42' in length only... I
don't think two 28's will fit in the 40' well.

Chad Hewitt - 28 June 2009

On MFCL Peter wrote:
> TTX was still cutting down 48' cars in the fall of 2008 at its CA
> works, as seen by NMRA members on their visit in July 2008.

Calpro was closed in Dec 2008.

> I believe that the NOKL cars were cut down from 48' AP 3car wells
> from NOKL and KCS units.

The cars were largely from BNSF or KCS marks, only 34 came from NOKL
(nee-MCER). I'll also note that about 30 KCS cars remain un-cut as of
today, so the conversions have not been through the full series as expected.

> Are these NOKL units the only 40' cars cut down from the 48AP units?

TTX has begun cutting down their 48' AP's wells. Their shortened cars have
the hitches removed.

Chad

And just because I miss Genstar and the older style 40' HiCube container:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1183074

[GaryHinshaw]

Good research James.  Do you know if all of the NOKL sets are drawbar-coupled?

[basementcalling]

ISO cans need love too...

I Strongly Object?

[Missaberoad]

I Strongly Object?

International Standards Organization

http://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/material_handling_packaging_equipment/material_handling_equipment/iso_containers

[jagged ben]

...

And just because I miss Genstar and the older style 40' HiCube container:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1183074

Wow, a dual logo-panel box in 2008.    

I thought for a bit that the Atlas Genstar boxes might be foobs because they are not logo-panel boxes, but it seems I'm wrong about that, and I will have to buy some.   

[James Costello]

Good research James.  Do you know if all of the NOKL sets are drawbar-coupled?

No idea Gary, it "had" been outside my primary era, so I haven't paid too much attention to these details.

However, railcarphotos shows NOKL 230554 - 230617 as being all 3 car drawbar connected sets.

The proposed NOKL numbers on the Atlas announcement, 210050 - 210058 don't appear to be drawbarred based on the photos at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/rsList.aspx?id=NOKL&cid=9 

[Specter3]

OK for us older era modelers(75 for me, more pigs than cans by far) why would you cut down a 48ft well car to a 40ft well car?

[GaryHinshaw]

Good question: it was mainly driven by a changing truck market and an opportunity to cut down on tare weight.   

When these wells first appeared, domestic trailers were commonly 48' long due to the US DOT's regulation that states must allow 48' trailers to operate on all federal highways.  When that minimum was increased to 53'  (in the 80's or 90's? - I'm not sure when) 53' trailers and containers quickly became the de facto standard for domestic shipping.  This gave rise to a need for 53' intermodal platforms - a need that was largely filled by new cars.  (A small number of 48' platforms were lengthened to 53', but they are structurally weak.)

At about the same time, international shipping - mainly to/from China - was growing significantly, and 40' containers became the ISO standard. As the 48' intermodal platforms aged and needed service, TTX decided it made sense to cut them down to 40' (without loss of structural integrity) for use with these ISO containers.  The 48' platforms can still be used as is for hauling 40' cans - and many still are - but chopping them cuts down on tare weight and un-used train length.

[James Costello]

I thought for a bit that the Atlas Genstar boxes might be foobs because they are not logo-panel boxes, but it seems I'm wrong about that, and I will have to buy some.   

Those iconic orange GSTUs were delivered well into the "modern" steel container era mate, last deliveries in late 1997 (so predominately US 4310 codes but some 42G1 era too).

In May 1998, Genstar (850,000 TEUs) and Sea Containers (270,000 TEUs) merged to form GE SeaCo.

[Atlanticflier]

Those iconic orange GSTUs were delivered well into the "modern" steel container era mate, last deliveries in late 1997 (so predominately US 4310 codes but some 42G1 era too).

In May 1998, Genstar (850,000 TEUs) and Sea Containers (270,000 TEUs) merged to form GE SeaCo.

The GENSTAR logo has adorned 40' corrugated HI-cubes also, in two logo versions,.... and many other container types as well.  .  See Matt's site and rrpicturesarchive for photos.

[u18b]

When I saw these announced a while back.... I didn't think about it much.  Glad am intermodal car was being done.

But then I saw the test sample in Orlando.

Here's a fuzzy photo.



What I missed was the pads on the ends for a trailer.

I remember railfanning years ago when I saw a trailer being carried inside a well car on CSX..... and I thought... WHAT?!?!

So I'm jazzed about this car.

Point.  It carries containers or trailers. 

[u18b]

How about this for variety on your roster.

This is what you can do with these cars....

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~diggle01/inter/int02.jpeg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/98/ac/9e/98ac9eeb376af048c4faae58bac3cfdc.jpg


I think they are pretty cool.