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Centerbeam cars & wrapped lumber,date first used.....


sunshine coast

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The first ones seem to have been products of the 1970s (see the BN and WP 60' opera cars that Exactrail have done - both have late 1970s build dates) - given they would have needed a different unloading area to a bulkhead flat or a boxcar (they must be unloaded from both sides at the same time) it probably took a while to catch on.

 

I think late 80s/early 90s feels right as a good handle for widespread use.

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As I understand it, wrapped lumber has been in common use for kiln-dried lumber, and you can see loads of wrapped lumber on ordinary flats in videos from the 1960s onward. (Jaeger makes passable wrapped lumber loads for all styles of flat car.) The most common types of centerbeam cars date from the early 1980s. The Atlas version appears to be the most common current type, but the Walthers is much less expensive (some roads currently on sale) and much easier to find. Be aware that both wrapped and unwrapped loads are common.

post-8839-0-74082600-1351345003.jpg

But also note the many differences in load.

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They go back at least to the 1980s if not before. I have pictures given to me by CP Rail in 1985 when I was involved in building the centenary diorama for Glenfiddich. BC Rail had a batch or two that were made as kits in the Far East and assembled in Canada. There are at least two body styles - one with a 'lightweight' truss girder arrangement and another with a plate spine with oval holes cut in it. From memory both types arrived around the same time. The little drawing showing what happens if you unload the car from one side is priceless! Some of the warnings have a little figure running away as the car falls over!

CHRIS LEIGH

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