7mm Richards P48 US Thread
- Thread starter richard carr
- Start date
don't tell everyone!!! 
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I'm in Chicago again this week, so at lunchtime today I went down to the Bloomer Chocolate factory and found this by the factory.
and then 3 more hiding on the other side of the under pass.
They all look to be empty so they must be making a lot of chocolate.
This is the first time I have seen more than one on site at the same time.
and then 3 more hiding on the other side of the under pass.
They all look to be empty so they must be making a lot of chocolate.
This is the first time I have seen more than one on site at the same time.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
The first is still reasonably full, the last is all but empty.
I doubt tank cars ever run anything other than full or empty, just not an economical flow pattern if they're semi loaded. The only reason might be weight restrictions but then you just run smaller full tanks cars that weight less.
I doubt tank cars ever run anything other than full or empty, just not an economical flow pattern if they're semi loaded. The only reason might be weight restrictions but then you just run smaller full tanks cars that weight less.
Big Train James
Western Thunderer
Tank cars are just like any other (NA outline) freight car. They are sized to hold a volume of lading weighing 110 tons (in the current GRL era) while minimizing the tare weight of the car itself. Higher density ladings like cement, sand, iron ore, and sulfuric acid utilize smaller volume cars, lower density ladings like plastic pellets, auto parts stampings, cars, or LP gas utilize larger volume cars.
There will almost always be some level of wasted utilization, at least for generic cars that handle a wide variety of ladings. Cars will be designed with some flexibility of use in mind. But the goal is always to maximize the use of any given car, to the highest degree possible.
The other anomaly will be second hand cars utilized for something other than their original purpose. A lot of these cars will be older lower GRL cars that have been supplanted by newer high GRL cars, but still have service time left. Things like 4750/4650 cu. ft. covered hoppers for grain that were as common as dirt in class 1 service 25 or 30 years ago are now largely owned by second hand private owners or lessors, hauling lots of things besides grain. Another example are fairly modern aluminum coal hoppers hauling stone instead of coal because the US energy industry has largely moved to natural gas and renewables. Many of these cars are only ten or fifteen years old. Anyway, none of these types of cars are being fully loaded to their original design intents.
Besides all that, I just like to think about the idea of 29,400 US gallons of liquid chocolate
. I know that's not what's in those tank cars, but one can dream!
Jim
There will almost always be some level of wasted utilization, at least for generic cars that handle a wide variety of ladings. Cars will be designed with some flexibility of use in mind. But the goal is always to maximize the use of any given car, to the highest degree possible.
The other anomaly will be second hand cars utilized for something other than their original purpose. A lot of these cars will be older lower GRL cars that have been supplanted by newer high GRL cars, but still have service time left. Things like 4750/4650 cu. ft. covered hoppers for grain that were as common as dirt in class 1 service 25 or 30 years ago are now largely owned by second hand private owners or lessors, hauling lots of things besides grain. Another example are fairly modern aluminum coal hoppers hauling stone instead of coal because the US energy industry has largely moved to natural gas and renewables. Many of these cars are only ten or fifteen years old. Anyway, none of these types of cars are being fully loaded to their original design intents.
Besides all that, I just like to think about the idea of 29,400 US gallons of liquid chocolate
. I know that's not what's in those tank cars, but one can dream!Jim
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
Plus you don't want the load to have space to slosh about & unbalance the tank*.
Yes a lot of tankers will have anti-slosh baffles fitted, but not milk tankers (road tankers only in UK these days, probably the same in the USA, too, don't think I've heard of rail milk tankers there?).
The reason milk tankers don't have baffles should be obvious.....
* Beyond the designated amount of 'ullage' space - the space allowed for the liquid to expand due to temperature changes.
Brian McKenzie
Western Thunderer
The strength of some aluminium coal hopper designs can be compromised when the wagon is not loaded to its full volumetric capacity.
Paper bag analogy: The bag will last longer if it is full, rather than just having the same weight lying in the bottom.
A new (stainless steel) design in New Zealand had the equivalent of a small garden shed built inside to ensure the wagon's volume was filled, ahead of a track axle loading upgrade.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I have been doing quite a bit of track building over the summer, the first 6 switches are now almost complete, so it was time for some testing.
Here's a short video of a Sunset Models GP9 running through the switches with a few freight cars, then round the 5 foot radius curve.
It then pushes them all back to the start.
Here's a short video of a Sunset Models GP9 running through the switches with a few freight cars, then round the 5 foot radius curve.
It then pushes them all back to the start.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Now that the top end of the layout is moving along nicely it's time to turn some attention to the other end.
The plan is go back to single track and then turn into the shed on a 6 foot radius curve, cross the UK layout on a an appropriate UK style girder bridge and then carry on across to the other side, then have a fiddle yard down the other side partially above the UK layout.
So something like this.
It will then cross this gap on a baseboard
and then a bridge over the UK layout
Richard
The plan is go back to single track and then turn into the shed on a 6 foot radius curve, cross the UK layout on a an appropriate UK style girder bridge and then carry on across to the other side, then have a fiddle yard down the other side partially above the UK layout.
So something like this.
It will then cross this gap on a baseboard
and then a bridge over the UK layout
Richard
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Yesterday was the first day of the Stafford Weekend and 7 of us turned up at Arry Dodds layout at 11 for a chat. It was really good to put a face to a few names. Jordan even worked out how to run round on the layout without cheating !
Apart from that, there wasn't a lot to interest anyone in US outline, but I did find these on the bring buy stall, all 3 are weaver ultra line freight cars, the box car and the white tank are now P48 by changing the wheels, the trucks are just a little over width but I can live with half a millimetre.
Apart from that, there wasn't a lot to interest anyone in US outline, but I did find these on the bring buy stall, all 3 are weaver ultra line freight cars, the box car and the white tank are now P48 by changing the wheels, the trucks are just a little over width but I can live with half a millimetre.
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
Once I'd been shown where the run-round was!! (Cunning use of the traverser, D'oh!!
)Weaver 57ft mechanical reefers are quite rare, apparently, well done on that find!!
Stephen
Western Thunderer
The bring and buy stand really did need a pair of eyes on it at all times, each time I went back I seemed to have missed anything remotely interesting US O scale, with a few boxes of ‘purchased’ items in the centre of the table.
Guess that’s the fun of attending both days, there could have been a hoard of US o scale on the stand today……guess I’ll never know!
Cheers,
Stephen
Guess that’s the fun of attending both days, there could have been a hoard of US o scale on the stand today……guess I’ll never know!
Cheers,
Stephen
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
I did see some US stuff on there yesterday, but all far too early Era for me, such as 'Billboard' Reefers. There was a very nice Atlas 'NE'-style Caboose, NH I think, but it wasn't priced sufficiently temptingly.
richard carr
Western Thunderer
I finally got back from Chicago on Tuesday after BA cancelled the Sunday night flight due to engine problems with the plane in London.
This little beauty came back with me.
This is a GE Dash 9 40CW built in 1997 and upgraded to a D9 44CW in 2014 and renumbered but I don't know what to.
The model is an Overland made in 1997 in a batch of 35.
This one has the more recent 3mm axles and Right O way does make replacement wheels so converting this to P48 should be relatively easy.
Richard
This little beauty came back with me.
This is a GE Dash 9 40CW built in 1997 and upgraded to a D9 44CW in 2014 and renumbered but I don't know what to.
The model is an Overland made in 1997 in a batch of 35.
This one has the more recent 3mm axles and Right O way does make replacement wheels so converting this to P48 should be relatively easy.
Richard
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
richard carr
Western Thunderer
It is a lot smaller than the real thingAh! This is a new definition of 'little' I was previously unaware of...
Richard
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
JasonD
Western Thunderer
Hi Richard, do the roller-bearing journals rotate?
Waffle follows: why oh why do MTH handrail stanchions have the ridiculous 'Pastor's Hat' cross-section rather than the correct, square U as on your luverly Dash 9.
You don't throw any, ANY Ow5 wheels or wheelsets away DO YOU?!!
I won't rely on any lifts next Stafford. I should've indulged my train-spotting years memories and gone to Temple Meads from Westbury, then direct train from TM to Stafford.
Nag: Winchester is not too far from Essex. Sat Oct 21. But you know that already, bring something to run on the large roundy-roundy...!
Favourite TV comedy, Jordan.
ATB
Jason
Waffle follows: why oh why do MTH handrail stanchions have the ridiculous 'Pastor's Hat' cross-section rather than the correct, square U as on your luverly Dash 9.
You don't throw any, ANY Ow5 wheels or wheelsets away DO YOU?!!
I won't rely on any lifts next Stafford. I should've indulged my train-spotting years memories and gone to Temple Meads from Westbury, then direct train from TM to Stafford.
Nag: Winchester is not too far from Essex. Sat Oct 21. But you know that already, bring something to run on the large roundy-roundy...!
Favourite TV comedy, Jordan.
ATB
Jason
richard carr
Western Thunderer
Hi Jason
I thought it might be, I do have plenty of stock that still needs converting so I can bring some of that along.
I'll bring a pair of the Kadee trucks of course.
Richard
I thought it might be, I do have plenty of stock that still needs converting so I can bring some of that along.
I'll bring a pair of the Kadee trucks of course.
Richard