About a week ago Chris made a request to start a new thread on this topic during a discussion of the boxcar thread: Frisco boxcars 7050-7099. I made a reference to applying crossover platforms to the Frisco box cars I am working on, and he asked if I would discuss what I knew. Disclaimer: I only know a very limited amount on this subject, and I am hoping others will join in and give us more information to make the thread helpful from both the historical and modeling aspects. From my observation while still employed at the railroad, I noticed different styles of treads on the crossover platforms (cps from now on in this post), and it was my plan to model these as accurately as possible. I don't know when cps were required, but my guess from studying the cars in Nick's book pages 56-84, is that sometime in the late 50s or early 60s they began to be applied. My guess is that it had to do with cushion drawbars being introduced. It would be quite dangerous for someone to be crossing over and step on the top of the draft gear and have it decompress at that time. I noticed that cars shopped after the application of cps did not have them retrofitted (40586 on page 65). The first car pictured with cps is 8051 on page 66. I also noticed that the non-cushioned car 42149 on page 71 has cps. Some one here may know the timing and rationale of cps being applied. I went to the Planomodelproducts site: http://www.planomodelproducts.com/ to find out what they had available and learned more here than I had known before hand. There may be more tread patterns, but the three I was most interested in were: 1. Morton, a round tread pattern, 2. Apex, a slotted or rectangular pattern, and 3. Gypsum a diamond pattern. Most of the pictures of box cars I have seen are too low to tell which pattern was used, but there are some hints. Look at the shadow of 8051 on page 67 and the pattern is clearly the Apex pattern. I would say that the 8129 on this same page also has the Apex pattern. I think the 42149 on page 71 is different, but I can't determine which it is. Determining the exact tread pattern would be good to know, and maybe others on this site would have that knowledge. The 86-foot boxcars had full width cps as can be seen on page 76. Planomodelproducts also has those for sale. As I said earlier, my knowledge is far from complete and hopefully, we can get more info as more knowledge is added. Terry
Re: Box car crossover platforms Railway Prototype Cyclopedia No 16 has some nice articles about types of running boards and brake steps. Seems I remember big stock piles of the crossover treads in the mid 70's, could be for the cars built at the car shops but, most likely the FRA, required them at some point. They normally adopted standards from the railroad and then made them manditory. As with most all the safety appliances, required.
Re: Box car crossover platforms http://www.railcarphotos.com/PhotoDetails.php?PhotoID=64924 shows a car with what seems to be an Apex-pattern crossover platform (judging by the shadow).
Re: Box car crossover platforms I agree, Colin. I wish we had more views of the platforms, but a shadow can be helpful, especially if the tread pattern is of the Apex style. Terry
Re: Box car crossover platforms Terry, the crossover platforms were only applied to cars with cushioning. Either COCC centre of car cushioning or EOCC end of car cushioning. It had nothing to do with the years built or rebuilt, like your examples. One caveat to this basic theory is later on when brake wheels were lowered a safety requirement also came into affect for newly purchased cars, like the 42000 series ACF built cars and the 13500 and 44000 series PS built cars. In reality ALL cars have some form of cushioning since all have some rubber or rubber/steel buffer material built into the draft gear, so they all move albeit only 2" or so. Another reason for the safety equipment. Nick Molo
Re: Box car crossover platforms Thanks, Nick. I suspected that cushioning was the reason. I have seen draw bars actually move (readjust) on cushioned cars we had spotted and tied down with the hand brake as we pulled the engine away. That movement could be dangerous to someone standing on or near the draft gear. What threw me a curve was the non-cushioned cars as noted above. Your explanation answers that question I had. As has been noted by Colin and me in earlier posts, all of the Frisco cars identified have the Apex style crossover platform. Would you know if Frisco designated that style, or could other styles have been used on cars purchased by the Frisco. I bought three styles of patterns in case I ever identify cps with any of the three styles mentioned. Thanks, again for your input. I actually was hoping you would weigh in on this topic. Terry
Re: Box car crossover platforms In my early years, I ran equipment for the Frisco, it gave me a chance to get all over the yard. I worked the motor grader many times. I saw them lowering the brake wheels at the east rip. Stopped in many times, they always had the coffee pot on, course I had to have some welding on the grader. Stacks of these treads on hand, when a car went through the rip. I was told several times about the cushion underframes, they would get a foot, if you was not watching. Stacks of these at the store house also and at the car shop. I also built the road going over the west end and helped with building the area where the welding plant moved. I seen this lone photo on Condren's site, thats the Dumpster I ran, was a strappin young guy, way too serious. Dynamite Brown, came in one time to blow some rock formations for the earth work, the B&B guy's put two torpedoes on the springs and when I dumped the Dumpster they exploded, scared me to death. Those guy's were all laughing, while I thought I blew it up. That old piece of junk, moved a lot of dirt for the road and where the welding plant was.
Re: Box car crossover platforms Terry, It's not so easy to answer. There were almost identical styles to Apex, Knox and Blaw comes to mind. But a lot of factors come into the decision for which type. Car builder's preference or design. Cost or salesperson. I don't know if Frisco had a preference or cared, but it did seem to favour Apex or Apex like platforms for a long time. As you both pointed out it sometimes, ...well most of the time it is hard to tell which were used or used as replacements, which comes into it as well. The original equipment used can be gleaned from the diagram sheets for each car, it's usually listed. Nick
Re: Box car crossover platforms Thanks, Nick. Maybe I can learn from those diagram sheets. Otherwise, I may just mix it up on the types used--just for variety. Terry
