Bridge plates for open autoracks

[locochris]

I noticed in the Walthers Mainline open autoracks, the "bridge plates" are optional, included in a bag.  For the prototype, were bridge plates only used during a certain time period?  Or was this just more of Walthers trying to save money?

[Mr. Trainiac]

Bridge plates were removed some time in the 70's. I model past the era of bridge plates, but my understanding is that once overhead cranes started loading trailers, they came off. I have some Genesis F89s that still have the old TT logo, but no bridge plates.

[keystonefarm]

Jan 17, 2024 13:51:31 GMT -8 Mr. Trainiac said:

Bridge plates were removed some time in the 70's. I model past the era of bridge plates, but my understanding is that once overhead cranes started loading trailers, they came off. I have some Genesis F89s that still have the old TT logo, but no bridge plates.

He is asking about bi and tri levels not piggyback flats. ------Ken

[cemr5396]

Jan 17, 2024 13:40:35 GMT -8 locochris said:

I noticed in the Walthers Mainline open autoracks, the "bridge plates" are optional, included in a bag.  For the prototype, were bridge plates only used during a certain time period?  Or was this just more of Walthers trying to save money?

Simply put Walthers could not be bothered to install them.

Even enclosed autoracks today use bridge plates, as the vehicles are still loaded 'circus style' from the furthest to the closest and one deck at a time. Whether the bridge plates are actually built into the cars or not I can't remember. I've seen interior photos of autoracks before but it was some time ago.

[locochris]

Jan 17, 2024 15:31:14 GMT -8 cemr5396 said:

Jan 17, 2024 13:40:35 GMT -8 locochris said:

I noticed in the Walthers Mainline open autoracks, the "bridge plates" are optional, included in a bag.  For the prototype, were bridge plates only used during a certain time period?  Or was this just more of Walthers trying to save money?

Simply put Walthers could not be bothered to install them.

Even enclosed autoracks today use bridge plates, as the vehicles are still loaded 'circus style' from the furthest to the closest and one deck at a time. Whether the bridge plates are actually built into the cars or not I can't remember. I've seen interior photos of autoracks before but it was some time ago.

Ok.  Walthers made a video about the newest release and they said they were "optional" which got me thinking why someone wouldn't want to install them.

[onequiknova]

If Walthers glued the bridge plates in place, then how would you load the lower decks with vehicles? It makes sense to leave them for the modeler to install. The Genesis racks are the same way.

[surlyknuckle]

I know now-a-days, the bridge plates are items that are stored at the location which the auto racks are loaded and unloaded, not on the cars themselves.

I can't remember for sure, but I think I remember reading some place that there was a move from bridge plates being part of the racks themselves to something stowed at the loading/unloading location during the 1970s(?) I went through my handful of auto rack slides that date to the early 70s a none of them show bridge plates on the car. Not to say they didn't exist, but none appear on my 6 or 7 slides.

TTKX 802623 by Freight Engineer, on Flickr

[onequiknova]

I have been working on resin casting mid 70's Chevy's to fill some autoracks, and have been saving a ton of pictures from that era to my phone as reference material. I honestly hadn't noticed the lack of bridge plates, but in 40+ pictures from as early as 73, none of the car still had their bridge plates.

I asked Mike Budde about their removal and he says they started removing them in the late 60s to early 70s.

Mike told me,

"They kept portable aluminum bridge plates at the loading facilities. I still remember seeing many of the rack mounted bridge plates bent from coupling cars when the plates had fallen down so they would get crushed between railcars. I even modeled some like that as a kid."

"By the early ‘70s you would see mismatched bridge plates on racks…red, yellow or PC green on brown racks. Then they disappeared completely by 1975."

[ChessieFan1978]

For anyone who's ever watched them load AutoRacks it's quite a feat, those drivers are like maniacs (At least they were in Moraine, Ohio at the GM Plant) It was like the Indianapolis 500 loading those Chevy Blazers and GMC Envoy's. Surprised that they didn't have a lot of dents and scratches.

[lvrr325]

When UP dumped a couple of racks at Tower 55 last year, they dragged them to the side, made a gravel ballast ramp and drove the bottom deck cars off. The upper deck cars they brought in a lift with a flat deck on the forks, drove the cars on the deck and lowered them to the ground. No bridge plates at all.

[locochris]

Thanks for the great information guys. I guess I am leaning towards not putting bridge plates on based on that information. When do you think most of these 85' open racks entered service, around 1965ish?

[elfan]

I posted a similar question in a different thread a few weeks ago, and this thread seems like a suitable one to ask again. Other than the Details West metal ones, and those made by and available from Accurail, are there any other aftermarket sources of these bridge plates, as well as the ones used on piggyback flatcars from the 60s-70s era? The ones used on the piggyback flats are different as they had ribs on the underside, when lowered, to stiffen them for the heavier weights of trucks as opposed to a lighter auto.

Tom

[unittrain]

We really need the flatcars that are in the picture of the Southern rack, it's similar to an F89J but shallower. Autoracks with these flats would be great.