NP Typical Transition era freight cars

I want to build a 20-30 car NP freight consist for the WWII - Transition era and I could use some help identifiying frt cars that fit that era - that would be on the road during the 30's into early 50's . I know 40's were the norm but the wood cars starting being replaced by steel some time ? TIA !
Paul

 

The most common car type on almost all railroads into the 1950s were plain old 40 ft. boxcars in every shade and variety of "boxcar brown" or "red" that you can imagine. There were very few cars painted in lighter or brighter shades. There were some 50 footers But they were outnumbered by their shorter brethren by 5 or 10 fortys for each 50 footer.

The difference in box car heights was much more notable. Many wood-sheathed cars from the 1920s and 30s were running out their final days and many were 8'-6" vs 9 foot plus. These contrasted with the 10 foot (10'; 10'-4"; 10'-6") steel cars of the 1940s and 50s. Don't remember when K-type brakes were outlawed from interchange (1950 I think) but even older cars refitted with A-B (modern) brakes didn't get power hand brakes, especially privately owned wood reefers.

During the late 40s early 50s many former wood cars had their sides and ends replaced with steel (Atlas makes an especially attractive rebuilt car in both HO and N). These cars normally stood out in a train at a lower height than their younger built new steel box cars.

Need to go now be back later with some of the other car types.

 

Another common car type was the ice-cooled refrigerator car. As the 50s wore on these became more likely to be steel cars. Northern Pacific ran their own refrigerator cars so most of your reefers should be N.P. Still, even into the 60s wood reefers were common. This was especially so in the case of meat packers who in many cases continued to run 35 to 39 footers based on door spacings from the early 1900s.

Hopper cars, except for the heavy coal haulers (N&W, PRR, C&O) tended to be 2 bay, but with 3-bay becoming more common. Covered hoppers during this period were almost all 2-bay and used to transport primarily cement or other lading that needed moisture protection.

Tank cars were primarily of the single dome 10,000 -12,000 gallon variety. There was some transport of other liquids and chemicals by rail but nowhere as common as today.

Flat cars normally maxed out at 53-55 feet. Longer flats (60 plus ft.) didn't become common until piggy back which was basically the late 50s.

I'm certain that others (especially someone with a lot o N.P. knowledge) could amend or modify some of the above but it is based on personal observation (1948 - 1960) and many hours spent with a magnifying glass and period photos. Myself, I model 1957-1967.

 

Thanks Dave , this is what I was looking for . On my logging road ( is situated in Sandpoint Idaho area around lake Pend d'Orielle ) , I have three roads that run thru frt and pax NP,GN,UP and possible SP&S. I could most likely apply that rule of thumb to what you have laid out to all roads?

 

Never been to Idaho but you could probably mix a few Milwaukee Road box cars into your train - especially those "rib-side" box cars. In the 1950s Idaho would have been "house car" (i.e. box and reefer car) heaven. Until the early/mid 1960s, grain was shipped in your plain old 40 foot box car fitted with grain doors. And from my understanding Idaho is/was a big exporter of grains.

Ditto lumber. The use of flat/bulkhead cars was not as common then as now. An awful lot of finished lumber was shipped in box cars in and out a stick at a time.

Well that pretty much exhausts what I know on the matter but if there any questions you need answered, this is the forum to place them on = a lot of helpful people.

p.s. Boxcab you're exactly right. Seem to remember that that the 8000 gal. cars were mostly for heavier fuels and the 10,000 or so were for gasoline. But in any case, single dome small tanks definitely predominated.

 

And to think, we've just scratched the surface. Didn't think to ask Paperkite - eastbound or westbound? Manifest freight ("red ball") or a drag freight of empties? Possibly what used to be called a long distance local? As far as I know every movement on the rails served a purpose - hopefully an economically useful purpose.

A big advantage as modellers is that we can run whatever we want to run and either have them serve a bigger layout goal or not! After all, some modellers run beer trains with a collection of billboard reefers never seen this side or the other of their putative era with this year's edition of the latest techo-toaster and - they love it!

Not so much for me. I'm a "representational" type modeller and realize that most of what I do is reminiscent of, not an exact duplication of what was/is. But as close as I can manage please. I had a friend who attempted to model just one siding off a main line, weed for weed from photos he had taken. Years in the attempt and yet he was never satisfied - ouch!

And there's every variation and permutation in between.

 

I agree, I would like to run something that is mostly accurate , does not have to be the rivet counting kind but I want to run what was used during that era WWII . Not too keen on the bill board stuff . These frt and pax trains are just what may have run thru the funnel here in Sandpoint going to Seattle/ Portland west bound and east to the mid west ( I emphisize MAY have run thru here ) . My focus is a logging road reminiscent of what was the NorthWest in the late '30's to the early '50's - from steam to internal combustion power. I do appreacitate the time you guys took to answer me , it sure helps one enjoy the hobby knowing I am not gonna run an intermodal thru here 25 yrs before it happened followed by a string of box cars made in the 70's .... .. I'll be saving that for the HO layout sometime next year .... If I can talk my CFO in to using the spare bed room !
Thanks again
Happy Trails !!
Paul