Bowser just announced HO 70 Ton Wood Chip Hopper Car Kits due July 15th. Included is the following offering. 70T Offset Wood Chip Smooth Ext SLSF #60213 Road #5902 #60214 Road #5913 #60215 Road #5934 Did such a character really exist?
Looks like it's a probable match for the drawing on page 120 of the following: Freight Car Diagram Book 1907 - 1966 There's also a poor photocopy of a picture that I'd uploaded ages and ages ago; I'm not sure of the original source, but I think I copied it from a bunch of stuff that Tim Cannon loaned me when I was still living in Chaffee! Rolling Stock Note to self, I really need to work on moving some of these to the correct subforums when I'm administering around the site. Best Regards,
Yep, very busy with model railroad stuff; helping others, decoders, building switches. Hope to get on some benchwork after the holiday; I have enough switches built to get started.
I've been scratching my head regarding the prototype for this newly announced Bowser SLSF wood chip hopper series, SLSF 5900-5934. Looks like a typical well done Bowser model, though it is hard to tell if it is dead on with what the SLSF obtained. The SLSF did have these cars. I have a more legible diagram than the one posted above, and the diagram is also included in the Frisco Museum hopper car diagram book - about a third of the way in (no page numbers). These cars were obtained in Jan, 1960. Also included in both diagram books is a diagram for the next series of SLSF wood chip hoppers, SLSF 5800-5819, obtained in 1962 from Ortner. These Ortners were serious wood chip hoppers - big four-bay, 52ft, 70-ton cars. The mystery to me is the source of the first series - the one Bowser is modeling. The diagram for SLSF 5900-5934 does not show much detail as to the heritage of these cars, except to say they were rebuilds, January 1960. I'm wondering who rebuilt them, and from what - where did the 3-bay hopper cars come from? No data. Molo's book makes note of this first series of cars briefly, but then shows pics and good descriptions of the Ortner cars and a subsequent series. See page 97. Anybody have any additional info on SLSF 5900-5934? K
If I were to guess, I'd say that is from the old TM (Train Miniature) molds. To me, the giveaway is the less-than-tall-enough top "add-on" portion. Whether it reflects an obscure prototype is anyone's guess, but an overwhelming number of actual hoppers modified thusly by the prototypes stood much taller. Still, I had many of the TM woodchip cars "back in the day".
I'd like to enter a discussion as to how these cars were unloaded? What would keep the wood chips from settling and then not dumping out when the bays were opened. I know that from shoveling sawdust from piles that it compacts down and you could make a tunnel through a pile; after setting for some time and possibly getting wet, it becomes quite compact.
meteor910: You're probably right. Could be the "lower height" is a bit of an optical illusion to my eyes in view of the car may be longer than the old TM car.
Coonskin - True, I had one of the TM cars done up as a wood chip hopper - lettered for GM&O. The basic TM hopper body was well on the short side vs. a correct length 3-bay hopper car. Looked good though - I used a shortened Bowser hopper car coal load as a base, rubbed Elmer's glue all over it, and then covered it with some big pine wood sawdust from a rip saw I had collected. Very realistic. Sherrel - Good point, I don't think the wood chip hoppers would have worked with fine material in the size range of sawdust. I think the wood chips are much bigger particles, like an inch or more and above. They likely do not set up like the sawdust will. If they are reluctant to flow out when the gates are opened, the old sledge hammer to the sides of the hoppers routine comes into play! K
