[timmuir]

http://www.elvastowe...eenshot&id=1520
File Name: 1898 CM&StP 46-Ft Furniture Cars
File Submitter: timmuir
File Submitted: 04 Nov 2012
File Category: Multi Car Packs Std Gauge

MSTS/ORTS CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & St.PAUL RY. 46-FT FURNITURE CARS, 1896
EQUIPPED WITH KNUCKLE (MCB) COUPLERS
**MEDIUM-HIGH DETAIL**
MODEL MESH BY TIM MUIR
TEXTURES BY TIM MUIR, WAYNE CAMPBELL (WHEEL FACES) AND CGTEXTURES.COM (weathering source materials).

Prototype's General Background.

These models represent three of the 168 46-foot, 30-ton furniture box cars the CM&StP acquired in the late 1890's, designed in 1895 by by J.N. Barr. Road numbers ranged from 23150 to 23498, all in even numbers only. Built low and tall for light but bulky furniture, the frame, bolsters and trucks were specially built to keep the height within acceptable limits. It featured double iron bolsters that shared a common center bearing plate, mounted low between the two. The truck bolster was flat on top with inverted steel truss work built up in plates below with stiffeners. The car frame featured intermediate sills that were offset 10" from the side sills and over 18" from the center sills, giving space for the wheels. Draft sills of white oak were spliced into the inside center sills. There were six 4-1/2"x9" yellow pine center sills in two groups of three bolted together. Body posts, truss works, and furring strips were of white oak, as were the end plates. The 19 carlines were of red oak. The interiors were fully lined to help in stiffening the body. The cars were still tall, measuring just over 14' at the running board. Aside from carrying furniture they were also used to haul grain, but because of the cars' greater bulk, permissible levels of the various grains were lower than with a regular box car.

I do not know how long the service life was with these cars, but they are listed in the 1913 Official Equipment Register, which is where I found the road numbers.


Model Background and Data:

The models were built using Train Sim Modeler Pro by Abacus. They are detailed with just over 10000 polygons. I have given these models 4 levels of detail, or LODs.

These cars are equipped with KNUCKLE couplers, to go with early 20th century power.

There are empty (_mt) and loaded (_ld) wag files for each car.


I wish to thank the following folks for their assistance along the way:

Jim Bebenroth, for testing the cars, and suggestions.

John H. White, Jr, author of "The American Railroad Freight Car- From the Wood Car Era to the Coming of Steel". This very large volume is chocked full of history, drawings, photos and data covering this subject. It was within the section on general merchandise type cars I found the high quality plans for this box car.

Thank you.

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