[PRR-talk] Coal drags

[Ryan Hoover]

Mixed consists. I grew up two blocks from the Columbus-Sandusky branch in
Worthington, OH; 1947-62 were the years I watched most closely. Coal drags I
remember seldom had solid trains or even huge blocks of identical cars such
as you see in unit trains today.
Solid trains of PRR hoppers were rare, here, but were seen occasionally. I
remember mixes of GL, GLa, GLca, GLd, H21a-e, H25, H31, H31c, and -- in
later years, H35, H36, H37, H39 and N&W-leased H2. I even remember a Pennsy
H22a once -- hard to miss.

More common on Sandusky line were solid trains of C&O and L&N and N&W and,
sometimes, Virginian coal. Within these solid single road trains, hoppers
were mixed, as well. C&O had the most variety with some old USRA and other
outside-ribbed twins, 'USRA' triples, 1928 offset-side quads, many 1935+
offset twins both flat end and with every end arch/heap shield design C&O
ever applied, 1929 "baby triple" 50-ton offsets, 1948 ACF welded triples,
1950+ ACF riveted triples, offset-side roller-bearing triples, coal-hauling
gondolas, etc.

L&N trains were all twin hoppers with roughly even numbers of USRA & clones
plus later offset-side flat ends and angled full-width and notched end heap
shields ("peaked ends"). There were usually one or more WWII emergency
hoppers with wood sides well into the '50's. Old 1920-era drop and solid
bottom 50-ton gondolas were common, as well.

N&W coal drags on Pennsy also had mixes of twins (H1, H5, H7, H8, H9 and HL;
H9s were replacing H1s and HLs through the early '50's)  and triples (H2,
H3, H2a and sometimes, an H4 or two (steel-sided war emergency cars), plus
50-55-ton gondolas. All N&W cars had angled heap shields/end arches except
for the H4 and the low-sided gons.

VGN trains were mostly 55-ton outside-rib cars (H3, H6, H8, H8a war
emergency, H11, H12 and H13). H14 triples and H15 twins began appearing in
the mid-'50's. 105-ton "battleship" G3 and G4 gons were fairly common until
N&W takeover; sometimes blocks of 20-25 were seen in a Pennsy drag. All
Virginian cars were without end heap shields.

Every once in a while, there would be coal trains with cars from every
conceivable coal road, short line and private owner all mixed together. I
remember a Southern Seley wood-composite hopper in 1949-50. Once in a while,
hoppers from Burlington, MoPac, KCS, UP, IC, etc, would appear. Coal drags
around here were not boring in the transition years. They'd be powered by
I1, J1, N2, and in 1950, 4 N&W Y6b and one A. And everyone knows about Santa
Fe 2-10-4's in 1956. Diesels were EMD F3, F7, GP7, GP9, BLW Sharks and road
switchers, Alco PA's in Tuscan and dulux, FM Eries and C-Liners

-----Original Message-----
From: prr-talk-bounces at dsop.com [mailto:prr-talk-bounces at dsop.com] On Behalf
Of robert netzlof
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 12:09 AM
To: 'Prr-Talk'; Andy Miller
Subject: Re: [PRR-talk] Coal drags

--- On Sun, 5/11/08, Andy Miller <aslmmiller at rcn.com> wrote:

> The PRR had both 50t hoppers (GL, GLA, H31, etc), and 70t
> hoppers (H21, H22).

You forgot H25.

> Would coal drags have mixed them
> randomly,

Have I mentioned lately that I lived about 50 feet from the main line in
Latrobe, 1938 to 1948? 

As I recall those distant days, coal trains tended to consist of 2 bay
hoppers or 4 bay hoppers. I'll not say they were never mixed but I'm tempted
to.

I suggest that a train having both would likely have a block of 4 bay cars
and a block of 2 bay cars, but not a random mix. 

The 2 bay cars did tend to be mixed helter-skelter among themselves. That
is, one would see any and all classes intermixed. 

Bear in mind too that trains then tended to be shorter than trains now. 

> ...or were they blocked from a particular mine or to
> a particular customer who requested one or the other size?

I have no knowlege as to why things were as they were.

Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob


 
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