I saw an add recently for a new C liner which has two 4 wheel trucks..What's going on? Weren't they fitted with (is it ?) 4 in front and a six wheel truck in rear ? Was this something the LIRR had and no others ? Or am I just WAY OFF in my mind ? !! The add is for a Pennsy to boot (owned LIRR)..
The frieght version of the C-Liners had 4 wheel, 2 axle trucks front and rear. The passenger version had the 6 wheel, 3 axle trucks in the rear to handle the extra weight of the steam generator equipment. Only 2 of the 3 axle were actualy powered. The third (I believe it was the middle axle) was not powered and only for weight distribution.
JD, Excellent !! I knew my instincts were OK...I'd plumb forgotten the idea of frieght vs Passenger..and do recall now the 3 axle for the steam Gen. on Pass..Ad is in latest RMC mag and is a green frieghter...not tuscan red Pass. nor, gray & orange LIRR., where I grew up in 1950s... Tanks, Mark
FM C-Liners roster F and P in the model designation mean freight and passenger. 4 and 5 at the end are the number of axles. Note that there were 4-axle passenger units as well, owned by CP. Long Island, New Haven, NYC and CN all had 5-axle passenger units.
Guys, thanx again..BTW, it wasn't an Ad after all..It's a detailing project I saw in RMC for this Pennsy C liner..Not to open up Pandora's box (cab) again but I must admit that I thought the 'C' stood for a 3 axle truck, as opposed to a 'B' for a 2 axle..I do wonder what the 'C' IS from...Then again, in my thinking it'd then have to be a B-C (2 front,3 rear) unit to be exact...Replies welcome but not necessary.
"Consolidation [or was it Consolidated?] Line", their marketing term. The rear truck on the 5-axle C-Liner is an A1A truck, not a C. There was an FM 6-axle (A1A-A1A) cab unit that came before the C-Liner. If it had an official model designation, I've never seen it. Everyone just calls it the Erie-Built.
Yes,I do recall all that terminology now, and C meaning Consolidated-line..I guess that meant that they were lighter and more fuel efficient. But then again who'd really care then (1950-60s) compared to NOW !!
