For those who care - Jones cars

[Fred W. Schneider III]

Bob:

The stuff exists.  I just didn't bother to make a print of that
particular blue print for myself.  And I don't expect to be back there
until the week of March 12th.  I suspect that the wheelbase is pretty
much the same but the thickness of the steel would change to support
heavier loads.

There was also a T series trucks (T apparently meaning trailer and M
meaning motor).  I have a hunch that the four converted or motorized
trailers kept their original trucks.  But I have no idea what was
originally under the 4200s .... perhaps a revised trailer truck.  

Fred


Bob Schmidt wrote:
> 
> Interesting tidbits for those of us endeared to the older equipment.
> Thanks for sharing.
> 
> One can note subtle differences relative to the archbar design
> throughout the various series of cars. One can pick up on this when
> viewing photos of the cars  Not being an authority on the archbar
> designs used by the PRC, I can only assume the "M" series archbar
> identification numbering system has to do with wheelbase dimension,
> (axle-to-axle within the same truck frame)...and/or the diameter of the
> wheels themselves.
> 
> M541...(a Clark dump-to-rail-flat conversion), had a set of large
> archbar frames with huge wheels....a classic example of one of the
> largest of the archbar frames and wheels.
> The F-series Freight Motors no doubt shared  a very similar frame and
> wheel size. M210, 283, and other Diffco issues were relatively smaller
> by comparison.
> 
> It would be interesting, as an additional technical tidbit, knowing the
> specifications for the frames 'n wheels assigned the various "M"
> numbered archbars.
> Always a joy having another small piece of the overall, complex, PRC
> picture.
> 
> Bob.
> 
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Subject: For those who care - Jones cars
> Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 18:42:18 -0500
> From: "Fred W. Schneider III" <fschnei at supernet.com>
> Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> To: "pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org" <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> 
> I've never found a lot on the conversion of Jones control cars to
> K-control in Pittsburgh, but I found blue prints in the files at PTM
> this week which provided a few insights that might be worth passing
> along
> 
> Cars with M25 arch bar trucks:  3750, 4200, 4250, 4300, 4350, 4400,
> 4700, 4800, 4900, 5000, 5100, 5200, 5400, 5500, B300 trailers.
> 
> Cars with M24 arch bar trucks:  4250 and 4300.  Note that the previous
> line shows these same cars with M25 trucks.  Are we to believe that a
> few were altered?  What were the changes? DamfIknow.  But maybe this is
> a clue to why most of the 4250s and 4300s were scrapped before the 4200s
> and 4300s.
> 
> Cars with M26 arch bar trucks:  3700s.
> 
> Cars with M27 arch bar trucks:  3800s.
> 
> There were two other arch bar designs shown on drawings: M30 and M245,
> and I have no idea which cars had them.  But we know that M283 and the
> dump cars had much heavier arch bar trucks, presumably made by Diffco.
> I have no idea what was under the 6000s either.
> 
> And when were the 4300 Jones cars converted to K-control?  I found a
> shop drawing showing the revised motorman's platform with K-control and
> an M-20A brake valve.  The drawing was dated August 11, 1928.
> 
> When did the 3700s get K control?  Don't know but I found a drawing for
> a revised detent plate for the controller for series-parallel control
> that was drawn in 1918.