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 Posted - April 05 2014 : 8:38:31 PM
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Bought this Mantua Metal Refrigerator Car on eBay. Was advertised as a box car. So . . . no big deal. I could see what it was and had some plans in mind to use it as a refrigerator car. Mostly I wanted the car to have the wooden [cast] ends as opposed to the rolled steel that the box car has.
After I got it, though, and had the chance to really examine it, I'm thinking it might have been a model put together for display. Be interesting to know why the builder used the box car "sides"; maybe just needed something Great Northern? I'm a bit confused as to why there is such nice added detail on the end (aside from the brake wheel, there is what I believe to be a hydraulic line?; see above photo), and then the underside of the car is painted this gloss black with very evident dust specs trapped.
I don't believe this car was ever run; the couplers are pretty much locked in position (e.g., the old Mantua instructions where they tell you to file notches to allow for lateral coupler motion) and the wheels have likely never been oiled.
The shot of the roof, below, shows that it is the refrigerator car roof.
Bottom line, I think it's a pretty fair example of what might have been displayed in a hobby shop.
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Posted - April 06 2014 : 12:10:34 AM
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quote:I'm a bit confused as to why there is such nice added detail on the end (aside from the brake wheel, there is what I believe to be a hydraulic line?
Originally posted by Barry - April 05 2014 : 8:38:31 PM
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The piping next to the brake staff probably represents a brake retainer line. On the prototype, there would be a valve next to the brake wheel that controls the retainers. Retainers are used for long downhill runs. Brakes are set when the air pressure drops in the brake line and released when the air pressure increases.
If you set the air brakes lightly so as to control speed rather than stop, then air leaks out, the brakes will be set harder and the train will stop. It is necessary to let air into the train line to keep that from happening and to refill the air brake reservoirs in the car without releasing the brakes. Setting the retainers delays the release of the brakes so you can refill the reservoirs before the brakes release.
With retainers set, the engineer moves the brake control as if to release brakes and lets air into the lines to refill the reservoirs, then sets the brakes again. Without retainers set, the reservoirs will be depleted and the train will run away. I was on a train once when the conductor forgot to set retainers and the engineer noticed just in time to get the train stopped. Then, the crew had to set hand brakes so the air brakes could be recharged then release the hand brakes.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - April 06 2014 : 12:14:55 AM
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Interesting to see a "sliding door" instead of the hinged ones.
John
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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Posted - April 06 2014 : 6:41:57 PM
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| Thanks for the explanation of the braking system Don. John, I am ignorant of box car details; are you thinking the doors should be hinged (to swing out?) because it's theoretically a wood sided car (because of the ends), or because it's a Great Northern car?
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Posted - April 07 2014 : 04:14:33 AM
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Mechanical reefers had sliding doors... Ice reefers, up to 50' still had hinged doors. I'd say your car is a bit of a kit-bash. But, I'm not about to "bash" your kit!
I like it 'cuz it's a GN and I've a collection of all kinds of reefers.
There are ice reefers that are wood sided with wood ends...
...ice reefers with wood sides and steel ends...
...wood side, steel ends, steel side bracing...
...then there are steel sided reefers...
But, steel sided with wood ends... that's a first for me.
You've a collectors item, for sure!
Perhaps like my DSSA GP-9!
John
I don't have a one track mind. It depends on the turn-out.
"I love your catenary!"
Is that a power-trip or just another pick-up line?
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