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Re: (erielack) Some additional thoughts on the EL Hot 100

I would like to echo the comments of others and say a big Thank You to Pat
for compiling and sharing this invaluable information. I also acknowledge
the folks who expressed appreciation for my coverage of TT long flats. Over
the years, I have accumulated a vast amount of information about these cars
(including those of other owners) used in TOFC/COFC and autorack service,
but I added to this knowledge while supplementing Pat's comments. For each
class, I used an average of perhaps four references to confirm and clarify
my own data. When you're posting information to a large group, you need to
be sure about your facts. I also like to add some context, explaining why
the fleet evolved the way it did.

While there are large gaps in intermodal model offerings (including an
almost complete vacuum of lo-decks) we've actually, I think, had it pretty
good the past dozen years or so, at least in HO scale. In TOFC/COFC, we've
had four reasonably good sidesill cars and three flush-decks. (Not relevant
to EL, Walthers also did two decent Flexivan designs.) For autoracks we've
had Athearn sidesill and Accurail flush-deck. For TOFC, It would be nice to
have the F89e/F89v and the Phase I F85A/F85C. The many classes of
Flush-decks, notwithstanding their (subtle) variations in sidesill shape,
all look pretty much the same to me. Pat's analysis (backed by TT data)
indicate that if you model EL mainline territory from mid-60's through 1976,
you're going to need at least some F89f and Bsf11 to make your operations
appear prototypical.

Paul B

 

Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2017 01:49:49 +0000 (UTC)

From: Patrick Moore <pat.moore_@_att.net>

Subject: (erielack) Some additional thoughts on the EL Hot 100

 

List...

 

I would like to share a few additional thoughts looking back on the EL "Hot
100", which is actually 117 freight cars because I decided the cutoff would
be at 30 cars.

 

I came up with the list after consulting with the January 1976 issue of the
Official Railway Equipment Register, in other words, the last equipment
register before the end of the EL.  Because I used the ORER, the cars were
grouped according to how the individual railroads shared their information
with the publisher.  Therefore, all the errors and discrepancies with that
publication affect the outcome of my list.  

 

 

In reality, many railroads had more than one group of virtually identical
cars.  Take the D&H Ilmenite Ore hoppers for example.  These cars appear in
the ORER as two different listings, possibly because one batch was delivered
in 1965 and a follow-up order was delivered in 1966.  For all intents and
purposes, both batches of cars are identical, and could be combined.  I
realized this about half-way through the countdown...too late to start over.
Upon further review, I will be sharing a small collection of "honorable
mentions" during the rest of August.  The honorable mention cars will be
small groups of visually identical cars that when summed up would be in the
Top 100, but were not included in the original countdown because no single
group had 30 or more cars.

 

The Hot 100 list is only as representative as the collection of consist
sheets seen on the ELHS web site.  The top ten was dominated by intermodal
cars.  However, this seems reasonable because in the 1972-1976 time frame,
intermodal and finished automobiles were a major source of traffic for the
EL.  Some "artifacts" pop out because of the collection of consist sheets,
which are dominated by mainline trains mainly east of Marion.  The D&H
Ilmenite hoppers are a good example of that.  These cars moved in regular
blocks from Scranton to Lake Jct and we have several SE-98 and ES-99
consists in the database.  If we were to look at other parts of the system,
other cars might be dominant.  For example, if we had more consists from the
S&U or the Cleveland main, we would see numerous examples of rock being
hauled from Jamesville to Solvay, or coal/iron ore going to/from the N&W
connection at Cresson, Ohio.

 

As an HO scale modeler, the most eye-opening finding (and the main reason I
began this endeavor) was to point out how many "common" cars have yet to be
produced in HO scale.  Six of the top ten have not been done.  Almost HALF
of the list (51 out of 117) has no available model!!!  Only 46 cars out of
117 have an available model.  The remaining 20 cars have a good model
available, but not painted properly.  The lack of intermodal cars is
stunning.  We have no model of the third most common car, the Trailer Train
F89e flat.  We only have ONE model of ANY type of 85-foot flat car...the
ancient Athearn Blue Box flat car, which is nominally an F85b (Hot #11).
When will someone make an F85c (Hot #5) or an F85a (Hot #17)?  When will
someone give us a lo-deck auto rack (Hot #4, #16)?

 

Let's talk about EL models.  We still lack a state-of-the-art model of the
most common EL and DL&W freight car...a 12-panel 8' door 40' box (Hot #8,
#26).  We lack models of the two most common EL 50' boxcars, a double-door
car (Hot #15) and a combo-door General American car (Hot #35).  We lack a
model of the most common 60' boxcar, a Greenville 60' box with riveted sides
and a 10' Youngstown door (Hot #50).  We lack a model of the most common EL
gondola, a 52' "modern" P-S car (Hot #37). We still lack a DL&W 18000-series
covered hopper.

 

So here's my top 12 wish list, in no particular order:

Lo-deck Tri-level auto rack (either Plh10 or F89wh or F89ch)

40' 12-panel 8' door box car

Detailed 86' Greenville or Thrall double plug door high cube (aka 4-door)

Detailed 85' flat car (either F85c or F85a)

General American 85' or 89' flat car

D&H Ilmenite ore hopper

Lo-flush-deck tri-level auto rack (Plh21)

Pittsburg & Shawmut 55-ton 8-panel 2-bay open hopper

N&W 50' ACF "Precision Design" double plug door boxcar

EL Pullman-Standard gondola

MHLX 50' insulated boxcar

DL&W 18000-series covered hopper

 

- - -pat

    



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