Hi Can someone please advice me if the SP hoppers by ATHEARN set n.94988 94943 and 94944 are prototopically correct for the period 1955 to 1960 ? thanks very much for your reply stefano
I guess I could go look at the Athearn web site to figure out what the models are. I have a 1954 Official Railway Equipment Register which lists the car numbers, tyupes and dimensions of every real car used by the real SP (and all other Us railroads too!) in interchange service. Could you describe the models? Road numbers. Open hopper or covered hopper? How many bays? transverse hoppers (across the width of the bottom of the car) or selective dischange ballast dump hopper? Car length? Flat end, peaked end? Composite wood body with steel frame? Steel ribbed side? Steel offset side?
Hi Kenneth Thanks for your reply This are steel ore cars class U-29 very small size similar to H-100 number 467526 series brown colour with Southern Pacific logo on sides I am not sure but i think i read NEW 11-43 Sorry i cannot provide you with a link but i dont know how to thanks again stefano
I finally got around to checking my April 1954 Official Railway Equipment Register. Southern Pacific had series 94305-94404 steel coivered hoppers, 35 foot outside length, capacity 1958 cubic feet . Your cars numbered 94988, 94943 and 94944 would probably be from a similar design added a few years later. I would think if these cars numbers were not in service in the 1955-1960 period, they were very similar to some that were. These would be two-bay covered hoppers, primarily used for heavy commodities needing protection from elements, such as Portland cement. NOT used much for grain, as the longer 3 bay hoppers came to be in the late 1950s.
Are these the cars you're looking for info on? Athearn If that's the case, they're actually gondolas; hoppers have bottom discharge gates for unloading, whereas gondolas such as these have solid bottoms, and must be unloaded by tipping them over, clamshell scoop, vacuum, or similar means. They're SP class H-100-1, and were built in-house by SP in 1958. They were designed and assigned to iron ore service. More info on the prototype here: http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/spcars/byclass/gon/g100-01.htm
Hi SP 8299 \Thanks for your reply and link This are the correct ore cars i was looking for thanks for the informations Is mentioned that this cars went to a modification in the mid 1960s to unable them to get more load the side were made higher Athearn models are represented with low and high sides Does anybody know if the modification process took long of was short ? I would like to know which one would be prototopical for the time period of 1965 LOW HIGH or Both ? thanks very much for your reply stefano
Depending on your exact timeframe, likely a mix of both, Stefano. I don't have my Espee freight car books in front of me, but a fleet modification like that likely didn't happen overnight, but over a period of weeks or likely months as the cars were rotated through the shops for routine servicing.
