Were There Any Hydra-Cushion Equipped 40' Box Cars.

[Kisatchie]

I don't recall ever seeing Hydra-Cushion equipped 40' box cars. Then I saw this on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cotton-Belt-40-Box-Car-sliding-Door-N-scale-Hydra-Cushion-Atlas-/381095237446?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item58bb0bd746

Is the Atlas car a foob? Thanks for any info.


Hmm... is Kiz a foob...?

[bbussey]

The paint scheme is legitimate for a 40' plug door prototype.  I don't know if it is appropriate for the specific Atlas model.  MTL also did a limited run of this scheme on their 40' plug-door boxcar for one of the NSE conventions a few years back.

SP/SSW 40' appliance cars also had Hydra-Cushion underframes.  There probably were others.

[wcfn100]

http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/sswcars/by_number/30025-30049.htm

Jason

[Kisatchie]

Wow, thanks for the replies. I learn something new on The Railwire every day.


Hmm... I sure hope Kiz
remembered to buy
champagne for New
Year's Eve...

[Spikre]

 
   Kiz,
    Greenville built 25 40' Cushioned Plug doors for GAEX about
   1955,all were leased to Rock Island.
   they may have had Duryea,or early Evans Cushioning units ?
   they also had the Center seam like many of the 50' GAEX cars
   had,see the Branchline/Atlas  HO 50' cars for the side detailas.
    Great Northern had a number of 40' Sliding door cars with a
   Cushioned Underframe,they even extended the roofwalks over
   the extended coupler pockets.not sure what underfame they
   used ?
   there  are others where the roads rebuilt a few cars for certain
   shippers/products  and gave the 40' cars a cushion underframe.
   some had enlarged sliding doors ,8' or 9', a few even 10' doors.
    but You need to really search the cars out if Your not familiar
   with the road.
   MDT and WM had some rebuilt 40' plug door cars,but not sure
   if they had Cushioned Undeframes.
   will add to this if more turn up.
       Spikre
       

[nkalanaga]

The GN's 39400-39414, the PS-1s coming from Atlas, had cushion underframes, although I don't know what kind.  Did PS have a favorite?  Unfortunately the only pictures I have were taken after the roofwalks were removed, so the extensions don't show.  That also means I'll have to remove the roofwalks from the models when they arrive...

Their 39700-39749 series, from PC&F, had Waugh cushion underframes.  Again, my pictures are all after the roofwalks were gone.

[bbussey]

The prototypes for the NYC Pacemaker and the PRR cars from the last PS-1 release had cushioned underframes. There were many 40' prototypes that had cushioned underframes, but it would require some research to learn which of these specifically used the Hydra-Cushion version.

[Spikre]

 
  N,
   am thinking the GN car seen was in the Mainline Modeler GN Homebuilt Steel 40' cars article.
  built about 62,painted Jade Green with Rocky on the side.
   will look for that article next year.
   Brian,
    all 100 cars in P-S lot 8160 were identicle,only the roadname and paint was different.
   they may have had P-S Cushion units,but P-S would put whatever the customer wanted
   on/in a car order.
    another search for next year.
      Spikre
       

[nkalanaga]

The 39400s were built in 1961, but they weren't typical GN home-built cars.  They're "standard" 10-panel cars, not the GN's preferred 12 panel, for one thing.  They did have a small partial Rocky, but not the entire goat.  Four Ways West's freight car book says PC&F, and they're usually, but not always, reliable.

And, to correct my last post, one of the three pictures DOES show a roofwalk.  It was taken on a dreary 1974 day, and the roofwalk blends into the background, but it is there, and does extend farther than usual.  These cars don't have real long extended draft gear, but it is longer than a standard boxcar.

[Spikre]

 
   Kiz,
   found a couple of interesting Rebuilt 40' cars in "Classic Freight
  Cars,the Series,vol-7,More 40' Boxcars".
  page 35,L&N PS-1 rebuilt 10/65,46244,series 46200-399.
  Dark Blue,"Cushioned Cargo" logo.
  10' reversed Youngstown Plug Door.
  Cushioned Unit sticks out about 36" from car end.
  not sure if all 200 cars in the series were rebuilt similarly ?
    page 59,Southern 32287,rebuilt 12/66,series 32050-32303.
   centered double 7'6" Improved Youngstown sliding doors.
  Cushioned Unit sticks out about 30" from car end.
   roofwalk removed.
   70 ton Barber S-2 roller bearing trucks added.
   car has early Dreadnaught "W" Ends,likely built about 1941/42.
   some cars in these series may show up on Fallen Flags site.
         Spikre
         

[Spikre]

 
  Brian,
   according to the Erie/DL&W Paint guide,Erie 84002 had a P-S Cushion Underframe.
   so unless new info shows up will trust that to be correct for all 100 LOT 8160 cars.
       Spikre
       

[Spikre]

 
    N,
    found one of the GN articles - Mainline Modeler September 1985,
   part is on page 26-29,with a Modeling Article on page 35-39.
   Steffan Ehnbom,,Stan Townsend Authors.
   page 26 shows GN 21947,prt of a 10 car order,,21940-21949,
   blt 1953,painted Orange and Green,8' door,equiped with P-S
   Compartmentizers.
   rebuilt and renumbered about 1961 to 39990-39999,Cushion
   Underframe added,long roof walk added,Roller Bearing trucks
   added,painted Jade Green with "Rocky" on the right side.
    picture of an HO model by Steffan shown on page 39.
   on page 27 is a picture of GN 2543 on "Chrysler"-Gould FR-5
   swing hanger hi-speed trucks that were tested by many roads
   in the late 40s,early 50s.
   only GAEX was a large user of the FR-5 trucks,used under at
  least 900 50' boxcars and RBLs.
   GN 2543 shown at Seattle during august 1957.
   Mainline Modeler had at least 10 other GN boxcar articles ranging
  from 40' Truss Rod Woodies,to 50' Cushioned cars of the mid to late 60s.
           Spikre
           

[nkalanaga]

Oh yes, MM had a lot of GN articles, partly because they were based in the Northwest, GN country.  In my case it's more a matter of finding the articles.  I'd have to dig through boxes of old magazines, and it would take a long time to find much.

The problem here is that both the 39990-39999 and the 39400-39414 series were in service at the time of the merger, so they couldn't be the same cars.  The original PS-1s were 21950-21964, so what were the 21940-21947 cars to start with?