Reflective Stripes on Freight Cars - When did this become common.?

[BCRail_FSJ]

Hi All.

What is the story behind the reflective safety strips that are now visible on most contemporary freight cars.?  Is there a definitive year at which they started to be applied? (i.e was there a federal act passed in a specific year that mandated them?).   Was it something that individual railroads adopted on their own.?

To cut a long question short I am trying to decide if the new Athearn LPG tank cars (which have reflective striping) would be appropriate for a BC Rail layout set in spring of 2004.   

 I know that since taking over BC Rail operations in summer 2004, Canadian National has retrofitted former BC Rail stock with the reflective striping.  I am just rather unclear as to the history of the striping on LPG tank cars owned/leased by Procor, ACFX etc.

Any input greatly appreciated!

Andy
Calgary,AB

[ljudice]

It started in 2005 and the railroads have 15 years (I believe) to retrofit their cars. It's a FRA regulation - but it was prompted by years of research by the railroads themselves...

A lot of this work is done by contractors and is "uniquely applied" from car to car....

[cv_acr]

There are a couple of previous threads on this subject:

http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,21271.0.html
http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,20090.0.html

Basically, if you're modelling 2004, you're a year early yet for the modern yellow striping, although a lot of cars had small reflective white circles, diamonds and squares for years prior to that.

[BCRail_FSJ]

Great.

Thanks for the info.  I will use it to guide my freight car purchases.

Andy

[Catt]

Andy, if you want to upgrade your cars to modern specs Micro-Scale has the safety stripes in both N and HO.

[BCR 570]

It is unfortunate that Athearn chose to release the PROCOR tank cars only with the stripes, as it really dates the model to 2005 or later. 

I emailed them on this topic and they replied stating that they would consider a model without them if they saw a photograph confirming it!!!

Obviously, if one is producing a car from the 1990s, the stripes were added . . . . .

I wonder how easy they are to take off.


Tim

[ljudice]

I understand the need for these in real life, but, this is a major pain for everyone - even modelling after 2005.

They're just going to get more and more common - and then...

At some point EVERYTHING will have them - which will either make a lot of people angry or happy with every single release of everything.

[TiVoPrince]

Dividing
and marking a point in time conspicuity stripes will identify a layouts timeframe like steam or diesel.  They have become so common so quickly that its hard to remember the time before they appeared wihout photos...

[BCRail_FSJ]

I am going to pick one up from the hobby shop and see if I can remove the stripes.   I recall a trick using MicroSol and a pencil eraser to gently remove manufacturer decals.   Will see if it works on the Athearn cars.   

[BCRail_FSJ]

Well.. good news to anyone wanting an Athearn Procor tank car without conspicuity stripes.   It is possible to remove the yellow reflective stripes with a little bit of delicate work.    Here is how to do it:

I brushed over the stripes with Micro Sol and used the edge of a small pencil eraser to rub over the yellow stripes You have to rub the stripes while the Micro Sol is still wet.   You also have to go through several cycles of applying Micro Sol and rubbing.  Eventually the striping starts to come off.   Care must be taken to avoid erasing any neighbouring decals.

Here is a picture snapped half way through the process.  

[BCR 570]

Andy:

Well done - that will be useful to know for modellers.  I happened to be in White Rock this afternoon and watched a BN train go past with a fair number of these cars in the consist.  I would say that all of all the freight cars in the consist, probably 95% had the stripes.

Another item which dates these cars, and other tank car models, is the large consolidated table at the right hand end of the car.  I believe those came into vogue somewhere around 1999.  I recall seeing them on a few BC Rail tank cars during my first trips north in 2000 and 2002.


Tim

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Awesome.

While skulking around B'more's industrial areas yesterday, I could not believe how many Procor cars I saw. It seems like they were everywhere!

[Philip H]

Awesome.

While skulking around B'more's industrial areas yesterday, I could not believe how many Procor cars I saw. It seems like they were everywhere!

I think they breed like bunnies, or road construction barrels in the south . . .

[Catt]

I think they breed like bunnies, or road construction barrels in the south . . . 

Phil, if you think they are bad in the south come up to Michigan.Here they multiply right in front of you.The only thing in Michigan that multiplies faster road construction barrels here are the pot holes.Some of our roads are so bad the pot holes have pot holes.