SEICO

Dear Kirk,

The IC car basis looks awfully like a SEICO bulkhead pulpwood flat?
(See Walthers for HO example)

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

Inspirational

Thanks for sharing! 
I could use some pulpwood flatcars of the 50’ variety, I might have to have another look at the TYCO flats again.

Yes, Prof.

I know it's not the same. 

I just thought it was kinda close and in a train, especially in an operations environment where you are looking more at car numbers and so forth, I thought it would be plausable to use these cars? I still would like opinions about this. 

It just seemed to work

Hey Pat, 

I was going to use flatcars with log racks from Details West. In fact, I was never going to use these Tyco cars, but realizing that the real logging railroads used a variety of commercial manufacturers combined with things they cobbled together in their shops, I think it would be hard to say these were never real. 

My understanding is that 40' cars or so were much more common. After turning the bulkheads around, the actual length of the cargo area is only a little over 40'. So, I am not sure what dictated car length. Was it tight radius track or was it ensuring a 40' log couldn't shift too much? 

"Free" freight cars

This is excellent use of existing materials. High rolling stock prices has been a recent subject on the boards and converting the unwanted into the useful is a great idea.

The kitbash looks promising to me and quite similar to the proto photo. The IC car has the vertical racks more evenly spaced, without the slightly wider center gap you've modeled, but you've really captured the overall impression.

40' Pulpwood cars

40' was kind of the standard freight car size.

In a lot of cases, standard flatcar frames were modified with bulkheads and risers, and that was the standard size for flatcars.

When purpose built flats with V-decks were built, I'm sure they followed the general sizing of other cars in service at the time.

Bulkheads and Pulpwood Car Design

I don't know whether the TYCO car is based on anything specific, but "wraparound" end racks for this type of car aren't *necessarily* un-realistic. (Athearn had a similar 40' pulpwood car with similar ends, so they must have based at least the concept on something.)

Also, note that these weren't intended for 40' logs, but 4' logs, loaded crosswise in two rows. The raised edge at the side of the car serves the slant the logs into the middle of the car making a V-shaped load. Later pulpwood cars were built with V-shaped sloped decks.

My railroad shipped logs in ~8' lengths, not 4', but converted a number of old 40' flats with similar ends and plain decks:

http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=ac2343&o=ac

http://vanderheide.ca/blog/2014/09/04/ac-2300-series-flatcars/

If you're going to cut off the ends and reverse them for bulkhead ends, I'd throw them out completely and scratchbuild new ones. The reason to slant the bulkheads the other way is to have a solid end on the car to prevent shifting loads, with a solid face and heavy reinforcing brackets in behind it to absorb impacts.

Logs loaded crosswise don't really shift end to end in a car, since they completely fill the loading area of the car.

Putting obsolete flat cars back to work

The main reason for using ~40-foot flatcars is they had them and they'd been superceded by larger cars.  The UP also converted 42-foot gons into log cars for the same reason.

The old Athearn "pulpwood flat" is said to be based on a small series of Mopac cars.  Every pulpwood flat I've seen has a V-shaped floor to keep the logs from falling off.  The IC car pictured started life as a traditional pulpwood flat.  NS converted many of theirs the same way to haul longer sticks.  KCS converted some to haul coil steel.

I'd say the best way to make the Tyco bulkheads look more realistic would be to add sloped bracing up the middle.

Scott Chatfield 

...

Another great use of the Tyco fleet!

There's a lot of good mileage left in these cars, with an upgrade here and there.  Trucks, couplers and weight.  The rest is a matter of process.

I'll have to make myself some bunks here soon...

I think it's a very plausible

I think it's a very plausible looking car. Personally I would have kept the pulpwood bulkheads the normal way and I would have used the details west log poles. Or made my own that were closer to the DW castings in size.

The poles you have look sized for a longer flat. Portland and Western has a series of bulkhead flats converted to Log cars that they acquired. They are based on a more modern bulkhead flat design. I personally am looking assorted MDC Bulkhead flats purchased at Trainshows as the basis for my more modern fleet. Not correct for what PNWR runs, but it will look reasonable enough.