The Roundhouse line of old-time 36? boxcars has the brake wheel atop a
vertical shaft on the end of the car. However, as designed it only extends
about 12-18? above the roofwalk. Is this accurate for that period? I have
never seen one that short, but am not real familiar with the era of the
1890s. Will anyone tell us how far the brake wheel should be above the
roofwalk for that era boxcar? Of course, it is easily corrected if the
12-18? is not accurate. Just need to know.
On a completely separate matter, is anyone on the list familiar with the
very distinctive precast concrete trestle-type bridges found on the old Q
right-of-way just west of Chillicothe, Missouri. They are fairly numerous
for a stretch of about 10 miles. I have heard that they were colloquially
known as "100 year bridges", and would have lived up to the name had the
line remained viable. I am told that the horizontal portion between bents
was designed with a concave channel in it to accommodate ballast and track
work. These portions contained lift rings, which allowed the entire section
to be easily moved with a crane. Does anyone have any information about this
they would care to share?
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