Ship Propeller Well Flat Car Load

[dougnelson]

This was an old topic, but if you are interested in ship propeller loads here is a great source for a variety of brass propellers available now on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/str/joejack76?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

And here is the catalog from the manufacturer:
http://www.raboeschmodels.com/images/stories/virtuemart/catalog/catalog-02.pdf

I believe the best sizes for N scale are the 20mm, 25mm, or maybe the 30mm diameter four-blade props.

And for prototype blocking and rigging:

[bbussey]

Four blades version?  Doug, which one are you getting for your F25 load?

[dougnelson]

Four blades version?  Doug, which one are you getting for your F25 load?

I actually got all three sizes 20mm, 25mm, and 30mm. The 25 or 30mm sizes should be right for the F25. The 20mm props might work laying flat on a flat car.

[bbussey]

I just ordered the 25mm 4-blade.  The 30mm looks closer to the prototype photo, but I will have catenary to worry about so an extra 0.2" of clearance is better for me.

[nkalanaga]

I wonder how the prototype would have dealt with the larger prop and catenary?

[propmeup1]

four blade on depressed cars

[Lemosteam]

four blade on depressed cars

That's a nice picture @propmeup1 .

[John]

https://www.dcma.mil/Portals/31/Documents/NPP/prop_transportation.pdf

[sd45elect2000]

I just ordered the 25mm 4-blade.  The 30mm looks closer to the prototype photo, but I will have catenary to worry about so an extra 0.2" of clearance is better for me.

As info the clearance on NH lines and todays Metro North is 15'4".


Randy

[propmeup1]

That's a nice picture @propmeup1 .

Thank you

[bbussey]

As info the clearance on NH lines and todays Metro North is 15'4".

That would make transporting the 30mm propeller problematic. The scale diameter of the propeller alone is 15’ 9”, plus the additional ~2’ to the top of the well floor. Positioning the blades at 45 degrees maybe buys another scale foot. The 25mm propeller scales out to 13’ 2”, which will be tight but does fit under the wires.

[Lemosteam]

That would make transporting the 30mm propeller problematic. The scale diameter of the propeller alone is 15’ 9”, plus the additional ~2’ to the top of the well floor. Positioning the blades at 45 degrees maybe buys another scale foot. The 25mm propeller scales out to 13’ 2”, which will be tight but does fit under the wires.

But you won't be resting on the prop full radius, you will be resting on the tangent of the blades themselves and at a tilt, which will lower the prop in the car quite a bit. So I would say the 25mm should work:

[nkalanaga]

Randy:  No wonder the Eastern roads were later buying Plate C boxcars - they wouldn't fit. 

The MILW's normal minimum wire height was 18'9", but the pantographs were designed to work as low as 17 feet.  There was nowhere on their mainline that wouldn't clear a loaded (open) tri-level autorack.  Some yard and industrial tracks wouldn't clear them, and many tunnels and bridges barely cleared.

[sd45elect2000]

Every time I bought locomotives for the P&W it was a fight to get them to clear. GE advertises the C40-8 at 15 4 1/2 but they were a bit taller so we had to lower or relocate the horns, modify the radiator hatch, relocate all the antennae etc...

We put some new wheels under a B40-8 CW and got wire hits. I was a very constricting railroad. I don't even think a plate C boxcar would clear some of the underpasses.

[propmeup1]

If your doing WWll time frame our largest combatant ships were the Iowa class battleships. They had four props, two five blade at 17' and two four blade at 18' 3". As for the carriers the Essex class had four 15' dia. The lone surrvivor USS Enterprise had four 13' 3" props.  Everything else was smaller or equal. Now some of the tankers etc had 18'. Many of those that were built at Sun Ship Building just down the river from the Philly Navy Yard. If there wasn't any low wires , bridges etc they may have been shipped on well cars but many were put on a barge and towed down river.
    Just a note with a little info some may use. Hope this helps a little to someone.