Model Railroading > Box car sttorage sheds/flat car bridges

Hello All:

I was wondering if anyone can post some photos of old box cars being used as storage sheds or old flat cars being used as bridges across small creeks. I'd like to see if the box cars are on concrete pads, or are at ground level, etc and if the flat cars are mounted on concrete abutments. I'm posting on here because I'm sure some of you have modeled these items and would have reference photos.

Thanks,

Genevasub

Sorry I can't help you directly; but I invite you to check the Nostalgia & History site until someone sends you a photo of their models. However, from what I observed on this site boxcars used for storage sheds have had the trucks removed and simply placed on the ground. Cabooses used as offices are usually placed on a siding so they can be moved about. I imangine flatcars used for bridges across creeks rest on concrete abutements to prevent sinking or being washed away if the creeks should rise. Please check out this site, you never know what you might find besides trains. Maybe you should submit your request on this site since over a dozen photos are sent daily.

Good luck,

Hal

genevasub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was wondering if anyone can post some photos of
> old box cars being used as storage sheds or old
> flat cars being used as bridges across small
> creeks. I'd like to see if the box cars are on
> concrete pads, or are at ground level, etc and if
> the flat cars are mounted on concrete abutments.

Both of these are something that you can do just about any way your freelance thoughts take you.

My favorite box cars are two Alaska Railroad boxs cars that PF&S Model Railroad Hobby Shop (Distributor) operates out of near Pasco, WA. They are sitting on the ground in a clump of trees.

Flat cars as bridges can be ANYTHING!!! Rick Franklin in Lebanon, OR sells them and will install them however you like. If you want to span a small ditch on your farm, just lay both ends on the ground. He also will sell and install any kind of pier (concrete block) you might need. His yard has stacks of various length flatcars so you can select what you want. The cost depends on the length of the flat and what kind of support is required.

The flats can be anything. From 40' on up. He bought the last Western Pacific Auto racks and scrapped the rack part. What was left were 89' flats that became bridges.

The cities of Arlington and Silverton, Oregon have foot bridges that are flat cars. Both towns have added a "falsie" covered bridge. (Covered bridges were covered to protect the wood structure from the elements. No protection is needed for the steel flat car but the false wooden structure provides a pleasant pedestrian walkway. The one at Arlington is the entry to a park)

jb

All box cars I've seen like this simply look as though the trucks were removed and they were set on the ground... if there is some other means of support, it doesn't show. Some concrete block or wooden steps next to one of the doors might be a nice touch. As stated with flat cars, you can pretty much do whatever you want. The one installation I've looked at had some crudely formed concrete abutments.

Mark

Is this for modeling purposes or are you trying to use a real-life freight car? I would be very cautious with respect to placing a freight car on the ground without some sort of foundation or pad. It would be depend on the soil conditions at the site.

Also, local building codes may dictate what type of foundation to use.

Another creative re-use that I once observed was an old tank car converted into a culvert. I couldn't see exactly how it was done, but an earthen-fill driveway across a swamp to the former Erie mainline near Swain, N.Y., employs at least part of an old riveted tank car -- presumably a cylindrical section from the car -- plopped into the water and then filled over. I suppose two such culverts could be made from one tank car, one from each side of the dome.

For what seemed like years while the Harbor Freeway was being worked on in LA, there was a TTX trailer train flat car spaning the freeway! Yes, it had concrete footings, but it was pretty weird! As to using box cars, figure that RRs did it as cheaply as possible. depending on the era, local building codes probably didn't cover foundations. I don't have pix, but I've seen many box cars and cabeese used truckless just sitting on reasonably leveled ground.

I knew a gent who knew the guy who built the foundation for a big Illinois Bell switch station in downtown Chicago in the 40's-50's. We're talking big heavy electomechanical switches here. To build the foundation pilings (don't know if he went all the way down to bedrock or not) he bought old tank cars, cut the ends off to make "pipes" and then pounded them into the ground. Dug the dirt out and back filled with concrete. Voila, a foundation.
Clarence

genevasub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello All:
>
> I was wondering if anyone can post some photos of
> old box cars being used as storage sheds or old
> flat cars being used as bridges across small
> creeks. I'd like to see if the box cars are on
> concrete pads, or are at ground level, etc and if
> the flat cars are mounted on concrete abutments.
> I'm posting on here because I'm sure some of you
> have modeled these items and would have reference
> photos.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Genevasub


One website I once read stated that some VERY old RR cars had been turned into items used in a Children's Park, but I do not remember just where. HERE ARE SOME WEBLINKS that you may find PHOTOS on, of various types of railroad cars that have been retired and turned into such items as storage sheds, and other alternative uses:

BOXCARS turned into STORAGE SHEDS:

http://crcyc.railfan.net/mow/storage/mwstorage.html

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?t=73898

FLAT CARS turned into BRIDGES:

http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/fall95/p95a2.htm

A LAND DEVELOPMENT website TEXT describes flatcars being used for Bridges:
http://www.landdevelopmenttoday.com/Article330.htm

FROM THE WEBSITE http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/prefab/psbsreport03.cfm COMES THIS EXCERPT:

The Railroad Flatcar System
The concept of using railroad flatcars as temporary bridging was developed by W.H. Wattenbug of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The system, although in use in rural areas for permanent bridging, had never been considered for use as a temporary bridge until 1994. At that point, a conceptual design was created to meet the needs of highway loading. The modular system consisted of a flatcar acting as a foundation and supports the half flatcars that serve as columns, which in turn support a flatcar that acts as a bent cap. The deck system consists of four flatcars, interlocked side by side. Figure 2.25 displays the concept.

Figure 2.25: Railroad Flatcar Modular System

Source: http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/fall95/p95a2.htm

The system has been in use in California and is still being tested for functionality. One drawback to the design is the inherent need for mass amounts of cross bracing and that the substructure is not practical for use in underwater conditions. However, it has been recognized that the flatcar deck proves to be an economical solution to bridge decking requirements for use in temporary structures.