“ROUTE OF THE SHORTYS”

[Traintresta]

Interestingly I have come across examples of what could almost be considered ‘shorty’ locomotives that actually existed in the real world. 
 

The first is a switcher that was converted for use at some plant, I can’t recall the details but it looks like a GP that was shrunk in the wash!

 

Then there is the similar in appearance GE narrow gauge units for South Africa. I believe it’s a GE U9B. 

 

The more recent industrial genset concept using a single HT-C bogie as a frame. 

 

GE 65 ton switcher I believe, short hood and long hood concept like a road switcher. 

 

The similar in appearance GE-Ingersoll Rand switchers originally sold to the New Haven. Again has a short hood, which in this case houses the radiator section, something Alco revived in the C415 but with slightly more balanced look. 

Finally my favourite (albeit the nose looks far too short) is the MLW RSC-24 built for CN, using reconditioned and down rated 244 engines out of FA’s. 

This isn't an exhaustive list but a small selection of what I can remember off the top of my head. 

Edited June 7 by Traintresta

[F-UnitMad]

7 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

so why are Conductors left to bounce around in bobber cabooses at the end of trains,

As per TT above, Bobbers barely made it into the 20th Century even in secondary service. I think they're more popular with modellers 😁

For about the last 30-ish years the Conductor has shared the loco cab anyway, Cabooses are only rarely used in certain circumstances, like long shoving moves. They are no longer the 'home from home' they used to be.

[F-UnitMad]

4 hours ago, Traintresta said:

This isn't an exhaustive list but a small selection of what I can remember off the top of my head. 

You did mention the Milwaukee Road's SDL39 on the previous page, which of course went to the Soo Line & got the "Bandit" black patch paint treatment, but at least a few (if not all 10?) of the class then went to Wisconsin Central, and were repainted properly. So in honour & memory of a classic livery that seemed to enhance any loco it was applied to.....

 

👍👍👍👍😁😁😁

[Keith Addenbrooke]

3 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said:

You did mention the Milwaukee Road's SDL39 on the previous page, which of course went to the Soo Line & got the "Bandit" black patch paint treatment, but at least a few (if not all 10?) of the class then went to Wisconsin Central, and were repainted properly. So in honour & memory of a classic livery that seemed to enhance any loco it was applied to.....

 

👍👍👍👍😁😁😁

 

Stupid question - is there a particular reason for this being a six-axle rather than a four-axle locomotive?  Just wondered, Keith.

[alastairq]

9 minutes ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

 

Stupid question - is there a particular reason for this being a six-axle rather than a four-axle locomotive?  Just wondered, Keith.

Not so stoopid either..

 

Probably something to do with axle loadings?

 

{I once looked at doing a typical prairie line..elevators, etc..These lines were lightly laid, so six axle doyzels were used in preference to four axle types [SD7 & 9 rather than Geeps.]

[alastairq]

The cheapoh AHM/Whoever tank cars make up into excellent beercan tanks.....

 

[F-UnitMad]

1 hour ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

 

Stupid question - is there a particular reason for this being a six-axle rather than a four-axle locomotive?  Just wondered, Keith.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SDL39

The unit was built on a short 55-foot-2-inch (16.81 m) frame with C-C export trucks, barely tipping the scales at 250,000 pounds (110,000 kg) and managing a light-footed axle-loading of just 20.8 short tons (18.6 long tons; 18.9 t) per axle.

 

They were built with particular routes# in mind that the MILW had, which needed short but powerful locos with a light* axle loading.

 

*Edit 1 - "light" in American terms, of course. 😁

#Edit 2 - I think I have more specific info about the route/s concerned, in one of my books, somewhere...!! 🤔🤷‍♂️😁😉

Edited June 7 by F-UnitMad

[Keith Addenbrooke]

Thank you @alastairq and @F-UnitMad, my own North American diesels reference book has been packed for moving house, Keith.

[Northroader]

B&O didn’t scrap the last of their bobber cabooses until 1952:

 

https://designbuildop.hansmanns.org/2020/08/17/bo-k-class-bobber-caboose/

Reading, 1950:

 

https://www.facebook.com/rrmuseumpa/photos/a.10150153450265574/10161941168120574/?type=3&locale=hi_IN&_rdr

 

PRR, 1950s:

 

https://www.irm.org/player/prr476199/

 

 

 

Edited June 7 by Northroader

[F-UnitMad]

56 minutes ago, Northroader said:

B&O didn’t scrap the last of their bobber cabooses until 1952: ....

Reading, 1950:....

PRR, 1950s:...

Well, just shows I was wrong.... yet again! 🙄 Fancy that!!! 🤣😉🤦‍♂️

Thanks though, Bob, I didn't know bobbers lasted quite so long on some big systems. 👍

[Donw]

Wow a lot of good info there Bob. No excuse for not having one.

 

Don

[Dava]

It’s good to know that Bobber cabooses lasted until the 1950s on Class 1 lines. Maybe longer on shortlines? Grand Lake RR, set in the late ‘50’s, has three, but the ex-Reading one is destined for just static use. 

[Northroader]

It seems the North Eastern “Anthracite Roads” were most likely places where the bobbers lingered on. Short lines? There’s always the Ma & Pa:

 

Edited June 8 by Northroader

[Traintresta]

On 07/06/2024 at 18:38, F-UnitMad said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SDL39

The unit was built on a short 55-foot-2-inch (16.81 m) frame with C-C export trucks, barely tipping the scales at 250,000 pounds (110,000 kg) and managing a light-footed axle-loading of just 20.8 short tons (18.6 long tons; 18.9 t) per axle.

 

They were built with particular routes# in mind that the MILW had, which needed short but powerful locos with a light* axle loading.

 

*Edit 1 - "light" in American terms, of course. 😁

#Edit 2 - I think I have more specific info about the route/s concerned, in one of my books, somewhere...!! 🤔🤷‍♂️😁😉

They replaced the Milwaukee’s RSC-2’s on branchlines with lighter rail and bridges. They used the turbocharged 12 cylinder 645 to help reduce the weight, lightweight export trucks and a custom chassis that was shorter than a regular GP7/9 by a few inches.

 

I often wondered if the RS1325 or GMD-1 would have been light enough on the A1A trucks that CN used but they weren’t as powerful so that may have had something to do with it. 
 

Perhaps that more specific info might fill in the blanks? I wonder also if these were the same branches that Milwaukee used lash-ups of SW1’s on?  Seeing 4 or 5 of those in as akin to seeing a lash-up of shorty locos!

[Traintresta]

On 07/06/2024 at 18:08, alastairq said:

The cheapoh AHM/Whoever tank cars make up into excellent beercan tanks.....

 

I love the beer can tank cars but they are like rocking horse poo over this side of the pond!

[alastairq]

37 minutes ago, Traintresta said:

I love the beer can tank cars but they are like rocking horse poo over this side of the pond!

The conversion came about as a result of reading an article in one of the mainstream railroader mags. [cannot recall which?}

 

Back in the last century, the AHM/Tyco/Cheapoh freight cars could be had 2nd hand, cheap as chips. Nobody wanted the truck-mounted couplers, etc..preferring proper Athearn, Roundhouse, etc cars instead.

I picked up a few tank cars as above [but longer, obviously!] for a pound or two the lot...Also picked up the outside framed gondolas too...

Not forgetting the various cheapy hoppers.

So chopping up a full length tank car into a beer can-type was a pleasant afternoon's modelling.

 

I believe the real beercans had more domed ends...or even, recessed ends?

 

I wouldn't have felt happy butchering an Athearn  or whatever tank car, given I might have paid a fiver or more for one of those?

 

Still worth looking in the boxes under stalls at exhibitions....for those worthless tank cars.

 

{I used to have a Hershey's car...Penn Line, was it?}

 

[doctor quinn]

1 hour ago, alastairq said:

I believe the real beercans had more domed ends...or even, recessed ends?

 

Still worth looking in the boxes under stalls at exhibitions....for those worthless tank cars.

 

{I used to have a Hershey's car...Penn Line, was it?}

 

Nice conversion, really looks the part. I recall an article in RMC outlining a conversion of the AHM modern tank car to a Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas sulphur  car.  I've seen Hersheys versions of the AHM car in under-stall boxes at shows.

 

The design of tank car end varies by builder and insulation status, A-Line has a handy guide on their end kit  https://ppw-aline.com/products/29400-modern-tank-car-ends

[alastairq]

2 hours ago, doctor quinn said:

A-Line has a handy guide on their end kit

Aaah, but that means, spending munny......something  I,  as a pensioneer, haven't got [in any sort of abundance]

 

Plus, I've just sent 5 minutes trying to delete what turns out to be a dead thunderbug off my monitor....

[doctor quinn]

2 hours ago, alastairq said:

Aaah, but that means, spending munny......something  I,  as a pensioneer, haven't got [in any sort of abundance]

I don't think A-Line ship to the UK, but I thought the info would be handy for kitbashing. (Or if anyone drops lucky at a swapmeet 😃)

Edited June 9 by doctor quinn
Additional

[Traintresta]

1 hour ago, doctor quinn said:

I don't think A-Line ship to the UK, but I thought the info would be handy for kitbashing. (Or if anyone drops lucky at a swapmeet 😃)

They don’t, which is frustrating because I could easily spend a fortune with them! 😅

that said I do have a set of tank ends in my bits box. 
 

might keep an eye out for some kitbash fodder though. 

 

 

[Traintresta]

I have come across this unusual freight car which qualifies as a shorty but I do not know what it is for, can anybody help identify it?

 

It was on a video of the Green Bay & Western, I have found a listing on that popular auction site for a pair of these in Z scale,t hey were labelled as single bay hopper cars.  They are akin to the 26' ore hopper next to it but of a more conventional hopper design.  I have also seen one in videos of Lake Superior & Ishpeming ore trains, mixed in with ore hoppers.  When I paused it the 'single bay hopper' was marked up as a scale test car, so I assumed this is what it was but the GB&W hoppers do not appear to be labelled as such.

 

Edited June 11 by Traintresta

[Northroader]

 

caption lists it as maintenance of way equipment, carrying track ballast. Probably it had a previous life as carrying wood chips to a paper mill, a low density cargo allowing the high sides.

[Keith Addenbrooke]

The thought that came to my mind was the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Rly (DMIR) which specialised in shipping Taconite pellets to the Great Lakes using single bay hopper cars.  If memory serves me correctly, these ore pellets were lighter, so could be piled higher (70tons in short hoppers) but I don't know enough myself to know all the details (such as why short hoppers were used, or how high the sides could be), sorry.  Hope it helps a bit though, Keith.

[Traintresta]

On 11/06/2024 at 14:57, Northroader said:

 

caption lists it as maintenance of way equipment, carrying track ballast. Probably it had a previous life as carrying wood chips to a paper mill, a low density cargo allowing the high sides.

I see the connection to wood chips but that is such a low density cargo that I’ve never known something this small carry them, it’s usually converted hoppers or the modern purpose made types which are huge. 

[Northroader]

Now, if you’re running shortys, you really ought to have shorty depot for them. This lot is 54”, 1370mm, long overall, and 13”, 330mm, wide. When I can lay my hands on more sleeper strip, I’ll finish off the tracklaying, there’s a siding to go in front, two cars long. Depot to do, scenery (upstate New York) to paint, etc.

 

 

Edited July 16 by Northroader