01-29-2012, 10:32 AM
Dr Wayne, one detail you might want to investigate on cars marked for automobile service is the white stripes painted on the doors for cars that had racks. I've added this to several of mine:
The racks had a more or less visible feature on their floors, pipes that held the chains when the racks were stowed:
Cars that didn't have racks didn't have the stripes. Some 40 foot cars in particular were converted away from auto service during the Depression, so they either didn't get racks at all or had them removed. Other 50 foot cars in auto parts service had specialized wooden structures inside, but not racks, so they didn't have stripes. Some auto cars that did carry autos had wooden double-deck supports inside, but also not racks, so you more or less have to seek out each prototype. By the mid-50s, auto traffic had almost completely left the rails, so you didn't see the white stripes after that -- 50 foot cars had become popular for lumber shipments by then, anyhow. But my guess is that your SP car marked for auto service may well have had racks and thus the stripes on the doors.
I notice, inspired by your work, that I need to replace the cast on stirrups on my MKT car with A-Line and also it needs some weathering.
The racks had a more or less visible feature on their floors, pipes that held the chains when the racks were stowed:
Cars that didn't have racks didn't have the stripes. Some 40 foot cars in particular were converted away from auto service during the Depression, so they either didn't get racks at all or had them removed. Other 50 foot cars in auto parts service had specialized wooden structures inside, but not racks, so they didn't have stripes. Some auto cars that did carry autos had wooden double-deck supports inside, but also not racks, so you more or less have to seek out each prototype. By the mid-50s, auto traffic had almost completely left the rails, so you didn't see the white stripes after that -- 50 foot cars had become popular for lumber shipments by then, anyhow. But my guess is that your SP car marked for auto service may well have had racks and thus the stripes on the doors.
I notice, inspired by your work, that I need to replace the cast on stirrups on my MKT car with A-Line and also it needs some weathering.