Great builders photos of 1870's freight cars

[randgust]

This just surfaced in some of my historical resource postings.   Wow!

http://www.library.upenn.edu/collections/rbm/photos/harrisburgcar/

They aren't dated, but it looks to me like mid 1870's.  Company went out of business in 1880, so certainly before that.

These are some of the coolest freight car shots I've ever seen in my life.   Most cars like this are just fuzzy background shots.  You don't realize how prehistoric things were - just look for information like dimensional data.... or even year built.

[C855B]

... These are some of the coolest freight car shots I've ever seen in my life. ...

I concur. What a reference treasure trove.

[tom mann]

Cool stuff. 

[up1950s]

Thanks Randy .

[randgust]

I had to ask as I didn't know, now I'll post it as a challenge.   If you look at several of the cars you'll see a rather conspicuous "B T" stencil on the frame.  Considering the complete lack of other dimensional, age, or capacity data, what does "B T" mean?   We'll see if I can stump this crowd.

[Tom L]

Well, one  of the photos has a car with "broad tread" spelled out on it, so maybe that's the BT. Not sure exactly what that means though.

Maybe wide gauge?

Tom L.

[randgust]

Yup, that's what I was told - Broad Tread, which apparently was a compromise wheel between 4' 8 1/2" and 5', although I find that hard to believe.

I can't find any online references to that marking anywhere.   I can't get over the light-colored cars, and what was probably more color than we can imagine on these for things like the 'blue line'.... do you think, maybe?

[wcfn100]

Yup, that's what I was told - Broad Tread, which apparently was a compromise wheel between 4' 8 1/2" and 5', although I find that hard to believe.

Wouldn't 'tread' be the wheel?

If you had a wide enough wheel tread, you could cover a 3" gauge difference.

edit: There's some reference to 'Broad Tread' here.

https://books.google.com/books?id=HuY1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA521&lpg=PA521&dq=%27broad+tread%27+freight+car+wheel+railroad&source=bl&ots=T2QtjWR0x-&sig=S2jm2zC1_gZ00GMwKWzZ1Oubqbs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRmNqbgsDPAhVJ-2MKHTgxBksQ6AEIMzAB#v=onepage&q='broad%20tread'%20freight%20car%20wheel%20railroad&f=false

Jason

[rodsup9000]

Wouldn't 'tread' be the wheel?

If you had a wide enough wheel tread, you could cover a 3" gauge difference.

edit: There's some reference to 'Broad Tread' here.

https://books.google.com/books?id=HuY1AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA521&lpg=PA521&dq=%27broad+tread%27+freight+car+wheel+railroad&source=bl&ots=T2QtjWR0x-&sig=S2jm2zC1_gZ00GMwKWzZ1Oubqbs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRmNqbgsDPAhVJ-2MKHTgxBksQ6AEIMzAB#v=onepage&q='broad%20tread'%20freight%20car%20wheel%20railroad&f=false

Jason

 Great find, Jason
 
 That explains the reason very well.

[Bob Bufkin]

Looks like mostly NYC lines.  Would like to know the history about all those lines - Blue Line, White Line, etc.   Also noticed some still have line and pin and others no couples yet.

[narrowminded]

Quite excellent.  The Burden Iron Works car struck me as it was the employer of several of my Irish ancestors, including the fact that they died young (40 +/-) from silicosis working the foundries in Troy NY, as well as the Burden Mansion being directly across the street from the home where my mother grew up, West Sunnyside.  This railroad modelling is so much more than trains with wheels that go around.

[Chris333]

Ohio gauge 

[wcfn100]

Ohio gauge 

Time for a new layout. 


Jason

[peteski]

Very interesting info, but why in the N & Z forum?   

[learmoia]

 

LIONEL Tin Plate makes more sense now...

It's hard to believe they had a car for every commodity that you think could be intermixed.. Lumber Car, Hay Car.

Anyone know the significance of NYC Red Line, White Line, Blue Line Boxcars?

I now have a better appreciation of the danger in coupling cars.

~ian