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Post by fishbelly on Jul 15, 2022 17:15:41 GMT -8
Does anyone know when or what year freight cars started getting their reporting marks and car number stenciled on the truck side frames?
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 15, 2022 17:29:51 GMT -8
As opposed to the truck bolster? I just opened a book and found that info on the truck bolster of B&M 71000, built in 1929.
So, when did it "migrate", I guess.
Good question, for sure.
Ed
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Post by Mr. Trainiac on Jul 15, 2022 17:47:06 GMT -8
I don't think this is universal practice. It's been around since at least the 90's, but not every freight car has it. Looking at product photos on the Trinity or Freightcar America website show some new cars with reporting marks on the trucks, while other cars lack them. It might be a customer option. Would any of this be regulated by the FRA? Maybe there is a spec somewhere that says how the stencils work.
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Post by csxt8400 on Jul 15, 2022 19:54:06 GMT -8
It hasn't been consistent, but Thrall was putting reporting marks on hoppers in the 1978-1981 timeframe. BN and TCAX off the top of my head. Seems BN specified that because FMC and Pullman-Standard applied it as well afaik.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 15, 2022 19:55:55 GMT -8
I've got a book of freight car builder's photos from about 1980, and there were just a few, at that time. Looks to me that the migration started around then. There's some very good freight car books for the SP and the Santa Fe that have builder's photos. You might turn up something there.
Ed
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Post by fishbelly on Jul 15, 2022 20:31:18 GMT -8
It hasn't been consistent, but Thrall was putting reporting marks on hoppers in the 1978-1981 timeframe. BN and TCAX off the top of my head. Seems BN specified that because FMC and Pullman-Standard applied it as well afaik. This is the time frame I was curious about. Another feature to keep an eye out for. Thanks csxt8400! |
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Post by fishbelly on Jul 15, 2022 20:33:40 GMT -8
Now the question is. Would it be stenciled on both sides?
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Post by cemr5396 on Jul 15, 2022 21:14:40 GMT -8
Now the question is. Would it be stenciled on both sides? From what I have seen, if the car has the reporting marks/number stenciled on the trucks, it will be on all four corners of the car. As in, both sides of both trucks. |
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Post by csxt8400 on Jul 15, 2022 21:32:19 GMT -8
Now the question is. Would it be stenciled on both sides? From what I have seen, if the car has the reporting marks/number stenciled on the trucks, it will be on all four corners of the car. As in, both sides of both trucks. Yes. Thrall liked to put the reporting marks to the outside (read: towards the end of the car) of the truck, top corner. |
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Post by lvrr325 on Jul 15, 2022 22:11:19 GMT -8
Were they not cast in at one point? I've seen older friction bearing trucks with reporting marks and number cast into the sideframes.
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Post by markfj on Jul 16, 2022 3:12:29 GMT -8
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Post by fcixdarrell on Jul 18, 2022 17:35:45 GMT -8
Were they not cast in at one point? I've seen older friction bearing trucks with reporting marks and number cast into the sideframes. Actually, "back in the day" a lot of the roads had their reporting marks on the side frames and with some roads (CB&Q and FW&D come to mind) also had their truck model number cast on the compression member on the side frames as well. For example, the 2-51 cast ASF Ride Control truck under CB&Q 19081 was identified as "BARBER S-2 UNIT" and "CB&Q TRUCK NO 61". I doubt that individual car numbers would be applied as that would require a digit change on the mold prior to each pour and you'd have to know that the sideframe that was just removed was good, or you'd end up with gaps in the numbers. Plus at the car builder end, it'd require a lot of manhours making sure that the right trucks (matching numbers) got under the correct car, which hasn't been lettered yet. Then add in to the equation that a lot of car orders had multiple component suppliers and many orders were delivered with two or more different truck types. Logistics nightmare! It was probably the pattern number or the AAR Code Number that looked like the individual car numbers. The latest dates on trucks that I can quickly see from my images with reporting marks are a 8-94 CPRS BARBER S-2-HD (with frame braces) and a 12-94 TTX BARBER S-2. Prior to those outlier dates, there were lots from the 70s, not as many in the 80s (mostly Canadian reporting marks). Problem with printing the reporting marks and numbers on trucks in HO scale is that if the trucks are cast in engineering plastic versus ABS is the engineering plastic makes it tough for paint or ink to adhere. It can obviously be done, but it adds steps to get it to adhere and then they have to get them on the right cars. It's all doable, but with added time and expense. It looks cool when it's done on cars that should have them. |
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Post by lvrr325 on Jul 21, 2022 20:24:19 GMT -8
The car I'm thinking of has "LV 22xxx" in the position indicated to be Manufacturer's Pattern Number. I took a few low-light pictures (IE they're not that great, although the trucks are painted bright red) earlier this year. The car is an LV 50' Automobile Boxcar I believe the same as the Proto 2000 model, with end doors, turned retail shop in Victor NY. The five digit number being a pattern number would make sense since these cars had four digit road numbers (IIRC 8xxx).
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