Bonjour! Is someone here can tell what mean "plate C", "Plate H" (and so on) painted on the side of almost every car? I know it's about some measurements... If you can either give me a good explanation here or the adress of a good web page, it would be appreciated Yvan-Martin
There are a number of clearance diagrams for North American railroads, and corresponding "plates" for railroad locomotives and cars. The smallest in use is Plate "B", which allows unlimited operation on all standard gauge track in North America. Plate "C" is about 6 inches higher than "B", with some tunnels and buildings unable to clear. Plate "F" is the largest, with a height 5 feet above that of Plate "B". These dimensions are all shown in the Official Railway Equipment Register, which is a copyrighted publication. Since they are promulgated by the AAR, you might check its website www.aar.org but the AAR is not in the habit of giving away anything it thinks it can sell these days, so probably charges a fee for access to this information.
Bonjour! Yvan-Martin, try Roger Hensley's site for an overview of the ARR Plate dimensions referenced to the NMRA Gauge. This will give you an insight to the dimensions. Gary.
