MTL Bogusness test: N&W 48' Trailer

[Mark5]

Hmmm, been trying to learn a little about intermodal history ... wasn't paying much attention when I bought one of these a while back ...



Apparently 45' trailers were approved for highway use in the early 1980s, with 48' and 53' coming even later ... (please correct me or provide more info as needed)

So N&W became NS in summer of 1982, the odds of a 48' trailer in this scheme are not good.

Oops?

Mark
(sorry Joe, I know this predates you )

[bbussey]

I shortened mine to a 40-footer years ago when it first came out by taking eight feet off the front.

[MichaelWinicki]

Around 1970, our house was located right next to a warehouse and I was a little bit of a "semi-bug".   I literally kept track of the different carriers who did business there along with what sort of tractors they used and the size of the trailers.  I'm pretty sure that 45' trailers did exist in 1970... Not anywhere as numerous as the 40' but they did show up.  That doesn't mean this trailer isn't inaccurate, but I think 48' trailers were around earlier than what you may have initially thought.

[John]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/tswstud ... apter3.pdf



http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/publica ... final_rpt/

[Mark5]

Thanks John, so the 45 footer was introduced in 1970:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/tswstudy/Vol2-Chapter3.pdf

48ers in the 80s (?)

[Mark5]

Here's a proto photo of one from the 203,000 series:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/ttx/ttx152006ags.jpg

I guess it's supposed to be a 40 footer - MTL has a 40 footer right?

[bbussey]

... MTL has a 40 footer right?

The have a Freuhauf 40 footer, but they've never offered an N&W scheme on it.

[ai5629]

I always thought that 45' trailers came about in 1982 and 48' trailers in 1989.  At least Conrail introduced 45' Trailvans in 1982 and 48' Conrail Mercury trailers in 1989.  Anyway, the only trailer that MT has done that is more of a foobie than that N&W 48' one is the Erie Lackawanna 48' one.  Thanks.

Jeff

[Mark5]

I always thought that 45' trailers came about in 1982 and 48' trailers in 1989.  At least Conrail introduced 45' Trailvans in 1982 and 48' Conrail Mercury trailers in 1989. 

Apparently for RR service the 45's started being used in mass in 1982 - according to the TT history they began modifying 20,000 cars in 1982 to handle 45 foot trailers.

http://www.ttx.com/aboutttx/history.aspx/

Mark

[Robbman]

As of 1979, the NWZ 205xxx series didn't exist... nor did any NWZ 45' or 48' trailer.

NWZ 1776 is a 1969 built Theurer 40' trailer... pulled from the NWZ 207000-207299 series

NWZ 203018 is a 1973 built Theurer 40' trailer

[Dave V]

I always thought that 45' trailers came about in 1982 and 48' trailers in 1989.  At least Conrail introduced 45' Trailvans in 1982 and 48' Conrail Mercury trailers in 1989.  Anyway, the only trailer that MT has done that is more of a foobie than that N&W 48' one is the Erie Lackawanna 48' one.  Thanks.

Jeff

Thanks for that tidbit.  I was perilously close to bidding on an MTL 45' Trailvan based on earlier posts, but it would have ended up being incorrect for my 1980 era.

[Mark5]

I shortened mine to a 40-footer years ago when it first came out by taking eight feet off the front.

Bryan,

I was looking at your EL one on your site - nice work! As a bonus you've laid out the "how to" in the description.

Thanks!

Mark

[bbussey]

Bryan,

I was looking at your EL one on your site - nice work! As a bonus you've laid out the "how to" in the description.

Thanks!

Mark,

I'll send you photos of the N&W tonight.  The EL (and the others I shortened) were all cut directly in front of the rear frame.  Because of the graphics the N&W was cut at the front, I believe directly behind the first vertical seam after the front curvature.

Maybe I'll add it to my website.  The last update there was the Erie bay window caboose.

[bbussey]

Here's the modified trailer: