Regarding Grain doors: shippers preferred the 6' doors found on many box
cars, it was less area to close with a grain door and less chance of loss of
grain. Double Door box cars would sometimes have the 2nd door sealed shut
for grain service. It later years, at the very least the door would be
sealed on the inside with paper to prevent leakage. It is reported flax seed
was the worst to ship, as it was so small it would find every hole
imaginable to leak through.
Grain doors came basically in two varieties: Wood and paper. Wood grain
doors were usually 12-16" wide boards tacked to the inside of the door
opening. Railroads had specific rules like "use one 10-12p nail per board
per end". The weight of the grain load held the door against the opening.
The wood grain door would be a double layer of boards, the boards
overlapping so no seams to let grain leak. The cracks around the door
opening and the entire interior of the car would be "coopered" that is
someone filled every crack, opening and crevice with something like oakum,
thick rope, pieces of wood etc. When paper doors came into being the cars
were sometimes lined with paper for this purpose. Paper doors were easier to
open for unloading, just cut through with a knife or shovel. Wood doors had
to be dismantled, or kicked in while the grain was pressing against the
door.
Paper grain doors where constructed of a double layer of heavy brown "kraft"
paper with metal bands or strapping run between the layers to give strength
and a place to nail the door to the interior car sides. You could sometimes
see this paper sticking out around a door that had been sealed, as it was
also used to stuff the cracks. Paper doors were quit common by the 60's, I
believe. Wood grain doors had to be saved, collected and returned to the RR
that owned them. Though some made it into the basements of RR and Elevator
employees to build coal bins, play houses, shelving, etc.
Study photo's of box cars sitting in yards with open doors and you will soon
learn to notice the remains of paper grain doors and metal strapping hanging
out. Also photos of cars at grain elevators will sometimes show piles of
wood grain doors in the foreground, or remains of paper doors laying about
the tracks. Note also that most boxcars, esp wood cars, had lines marked on
the interior near the door openings. These lines were the max load limits
for various kinds of grains. Depending on the load you knew how high to
build the grain door. Grain various in weight, oats being among the
lightest.
Paper grain doors are another great reason not to stand close to trackside
when a freight train is passing. An open door with graindoor strapping
flapping in the breeze can literally slip a body in two from up to six feet
away.
There was clinic on Grain Doors at Naperville this year, and the subject has
been discussed on the Steam Freight car and Op Sig lists at length. These
are the major sources of my information.
Doug Harding
Iowa Central Railroad
www.iowatelecom.net/~dharding/
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