A KETTLE VALLEY FREIGHT CAR FLEET

Choosing which freight cars to buy and build and in what proportion to successfully represent a particular railroad or even a particular subdivision is a problem that not a few of us prototype modelers have wrestled with for the last 20 years or so.  I first became aware of it through reading the publications of Robert Schleicher: Railmodel Journal and its predecessor, Model Railroading which contained many good articles on the subject.  And of course, it just made sense to think about it before spending the meagre funds allocated to our hobby budget.  As I became more and more focused on modeling the CPR and later the Kettle Valley, it was natural to buy and build representative car kits for the era that I was more specifically considering.  When I acquired a roster book for the CPR which listed all its equipment for my era, I hit on the idea of compiling a roster of freight cars in a strict proportion to the listings for the whole of the CPR system.  This book was called an M.P. 14 for short and its cover is reproduced here.  Photocopies of the books are available at train shows and I acquired a set covering 1938 to 1956.

Another valuable resource for freight car rosters is The Official Railway Equipment Register (ORER).  This particular issue is a complete reproduction by the NMRA of the book published in January 1953.  It contains a comprehensive listing of all freight cars traveling in revenue service throughout North America.  In it are listed the equipment of railroads such as the 191,639 freight cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and that of private car owners such as the 2 tank cars owned by Canadian Breweries Limited (C.B.X.).  It has other interesting sections.  This 1953 issue has 826 pages.
One or the other book is valuable but having both is better to work from.  For example, the M.P. 14 contains build dates for each group of cars which are not to be found in the other.  Perhaps more importantly, the M.P. 14 contains a listing of all the CPR locomotives, passenger equipment and service cars that the ORER does not.  Sometimes photocopies of specific pages - such as the rosters of CPR or CNR or PGE - for various years are also available at train shows.

From these resources, I compiled a table of freight car rosters for the CPR from 1938 to 1972 which is presented here.  The highlighted row is that of my chosen era.  The percentages reflect the number of a specific class of cars out of the total fleet.  This is an interesting study in its own right - at least to a few of us fanatics.

YEAR	TOTAL	BOX		AUTO		REEFER		STOCK		FLAT		GONDOLA		HOPPER		BALLAST		ORE		TANK
1938	82,491	59,582	72%	1,980	2%	3,827	5%	3,816	5%	4,345	5%	5,101	6%	400		1,954	2%	1,038	1%	240
1941	75,180	54,126	72%	2,081	3%	3,600	5%	2,274	3%	4,243	6%	3,665	5%	900	1%	1,933	3%	1,062	1%	217
1944	76,126	53,741	71%	2,143	3%	3,627	5%	2,932	4%	4,193	6%	4,583	6%	1,401	2%	1,919	3%	1,203	2%	188
1947	77,233	53,133	69%	2,682	4%	3,626	5%	3,051	4%	4,175	5%	4,724	6%	2,252	3%	1,908	3%	1,190	2%	188
1950	78,563	51,782	66%	2,753	4%	4,056	5%	3,332	4%	4,165	5%	5,723	7%	3,151	4%	1,879	2%	1,246	2%	181
1952	87,667	58,222	66%	3,321	4%	4,999	6%	3,164	4%	4,263	5%	6,109	7%	4,073	5%	1,818	2%	1,190	1%	200
1956	83,465	52,726	63%	2,187	3%	5,096	6%	2,646	3%	4,373	5%	7,330	9%	5,689	7%	1,684	2%	1,170	1%	297
1965	82,609	49,396	60%	3,042	4%	3,325	4%	1,854	2%	5,756	7%	7,981	10%	5,781	7%	819	1%	1,131	1%	290
1972	80,404	44,236	55%	n a		932	1%	1,247	2%	7,931	10%	8,501	11%	5,207	7%	143		1,238	2%	196

It is strikingly apparent that box cars are dominant in the national fleet at 66% for my era and the years following.  There were proportionally even more box cars in the fleet in the years prior.  After some thought and looking at some prototype statistics and photographs, I realized that it would be better to try a different tack.  So, I looked at the car spots on the layout and placed appropriate cars on them, trying to fill them to the maximum and then removing some to come up with a sort of typical average for each spot.  The result is that in the current configuration of the layout, there are 69 car spots and on average, 45 of them are filled.  Then I assessed numbers of each car type for the average distribution of cars on the layout.

Here is the list:
  

BOX REFR STOCK FLAT LOG FL MILL GON COAL GON HOPPER BALLAST TANK TOTAL 13 1 1 2 9 3 2 7 2 5 45

I reasoned that these cars would need doubles as they would in an average operating session be switched out and replaced with a similar car.  There was one exception to this: only one of the two log spurs would see 4 cars switched out in a session.  On the other hand, Merritt town and its industries were located off the layout in staging with on average, 9 cars traded in a session.  So in the end, I needed 94 cars with box cars comprising 31% of the total - less than half the national fleet.  Here is the sum of cars needed for on- line and off-layout industries.

BOX	REFR	STOCK	FLAT	LOG FL	MILL GON	COAL GON	HOPPER	BALLAST	TANK	TOTAL
29	3	5	5	13	6	4	14	4	11	94

Eventually, I realized that this part of the roster reflected the specifics of the British Columbia scene with its proportions matched to our resource industries.  Flat cars for logs; flats and box cars for lumber; hoppers and gondolas for coal and other minerals; stock cars for cattle; and reefers of fresh fruits and vegetables.  And then tank cars for importing the much needed oil products to grease the wheels of the provincial economy.

I reasoned on.  The total number of freight cars needed for the layout was about 164.  This included:

•  the 45 industrial car spots
• an average 9 cars in Merritt staging
• an average of 80 cars in Penticton & Ruby Creek staging 
• an average of 30 cars in Brookmere yard in transit.

Subtract the 94 cars calculated above from the 164 grand total and we get 70 cars for through trains.  Weight these toward Box cars, Hoppers and "Oilcans" with a few others and we get an interesting fleet.  To date, we have a fleet that is a bit low on the box car end and heavy on foreign road cars.  But we are getting there. 

The calculations outlined above are complemented by more than a few observations and comments and info I picked up from various sources: veteran railroaders over the years, photo evidence and some company documents including Penticton scale reports for the entire year of 1961 and Train Sheets for the 1950's.  The KVR was a unique railroad in many respects and quite different from US roads.  It was even different from the parent company I think due to its being primarily a resource railroad and not serving a large metropolitan city such as Vancouver.  Rather it served numerous smaller cities and towns scattered along its lengthy mainline. 

For further reading may I direct your attention to a most excellent and interesting blog site, that of Tony Thompson: http://modelingthesp.blogspot.ca  where he deals with the subject in more detail but geared towards his beloved Southern Pacific.  His excellent series of posts can be accessed by typing in: choosing a freight car fleet in the search box at the top right.  Or you can start here: http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2010/12/choosing-model-car-fleet.html



We will continue with one or two more posts (with pictures) on the specifics of the freight car fleet as it is modeled on the Kettle Valley Model Railway.

Coquihalla Man

THE PASSENGER TRAINS OF DAVE HANAS: Nos. 45 & 46

Train Nos. 45 & 46 ran daily between Penticton and Vancouver.  They first appeared in the April 27, 1947 Timetable but were discontinued when the September 1954 Timetable was issued.  These trains were always steam powered.  Engine 5212 was the last steamer to run in scheduled service on the Kettle Valley railway.  It ran Penticton to Vancouver as No. 45 on September 26, 1954.  The typical consist of the Penticton trains to 1949 is presented here with a note on changes in 1950.

No. 45, the Westbound is drifting downgrade past the Coquihalla Mileboard with a 5200 on the point.

The 5200's were very new in 1949 having been converted from N2 class Consolidations and many were assigned to the southern route.  This model was not rebuilt out of an N2 Consolidation but from a USRA Mikado by Athearn with extensive modifications to the superstructure, a snowplow added and a new tender.  A Tsunammi sound decoder was installed.  Some further details are still to be added because this locomotive was rushed into service before completion for an impending operating session.  And we will have to tone down those flashy side rods a tad.

We begin again with mention of the head-end express boxcars which were used for  "PASSENGER MERCHANDISE SERVICE" in passenger trains in the 40's and 50's.  As described in the previous post, they carried express lcl freight to and from customers in the major towns across Canada.  Each car in a train could be destined for a particular city or two such as Nelson, Cranbrook, or Penticton.  They were boxcars randomly taken out of the series 226000-228799.  They were originally built in 1937 and when selected for the new service were assigned a number in series 29019-29094.  They were "EQUIPPED FOR PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE" with passenger-style cut levers, steam and signal lines.  Their paint scheme was modified by painting the roofs and ends black.  They retained the flat panel roof and square corners, 5/5 dreadnaught ends, Canadian ladders and wood roof-walks.  The basis for this model was an Intermountain Railway Co. model kit (40799) with these specific features added.  I believe Red Caboose once offered this model kit.

On the trains originating in Penticton, there were various ways of shipping the seasonal fruit.  Here is a wooden baggage car adapted to carry fruit (in addition to express & baggage?) with roof mounted vents for circulating fresh air through the car from end to end.  It was often referred to by the railway men as a "Blower Car" .  Express reefers and freight reefers would also carry the fruit.  This one was exquisitely crafted by Andy W Scale Models: http://www.readytrain.com/catalog/index.html  

Here is a Heavy Weight Baggage Car built and finished by The BGR Group: http://home.cogeco.ca/~bgrgroup/  This car was often run on Nos. 45 & 46 and sometimes on Nos. 11 & 12 in late steam years. 

The next car in the Penticton trains were the coaches.  Sometimes a smooth sided 2100 series coach was assigned but often it was a heavyweight as pictured here.  Number 1436 was built in the mid 1920's and there were 45 cars in its class.  It had seating for 72 passengers in the main room with seats in the smoking room for 8.  Model built and finished by BGR.

There was a sleeper assigned and it was usually a 12 & 1 as described in the last post.  This model carries the old-style lettering in gold.  This was eventually changed to the so-called "dulux gold" which contrasted more strongly and nicely with the deep maroon body colour.  Another BGR-built car.

For the first years of its existence, Nos. 45 & 46 advertised a Sleeper with 1 Drawing Room and 4 Compartments.  In the M.P.-14 for 1950, it was called a Buffet Lounge Compartment Sleeping Car and was named after Canadian Lakes such as our "Lake Windermere".  At the non-vestibule end of the car was a Buffet Kitchen and 3 or 4 dining tables as well as a few lounge chairs, hence the long name.  They seemed to vary somewhat in layout and there is one preserved in the museum at Squamish, "Lake Megantic".

The Lake car and the 12 & 1 sleeper were the last cars in the train and either could bring up the rear.  If the Lake were last, I presume that it was oriented such that its vestibule end would carry the markers.

In September 1950, the Penticton trains no longer listed dining or buffet cars in the Public Timetable and I cannot say what passengers did for meals.  Along with that change there was another: the "N" or "S" 12 & 1 sleepers were replaced with "R" sleepers of an 8, 1 & 2 configuration which means 8 sections, 1 Drawing room & 2 Compartments.  These were usually the "modernized" versions with wide windows, the interiors being decorated with plastic laminate, chrome, and painted - so 50's.  No more of that dreary Mahogany stain with gold inlay!  One day we will produce an "R" such as Ravenscrag, Ripples or Ruby Creek but it will be the original body style with paired windows and antique interior.

Occasionally, a unique car may have appeared in the consists of any of the K V passenger trains we are discussing.  It shows up in diesel days for certain.  It was called a Baggage and Express Car in the M.P. -14, but I believe it is also called a "Through Baggage" at least informally.  It was converted from a "Silk Car" after the CPR no longer needed them for transporting that commodity in the speedy trains across the continent.  They were 45 feet long, of all steel construction and were built in 1925-27.  Specific Nos. are 4447, 4452, & 4457.  Usual position was at the head end right after the PMS cars and reefers.  This superb model was built in a limited run by Andy W scale models. http://www.readytrain.com/pages/intro.html

Another passenger coach that was commonly seen on the Kettle is a Combine which ran for many years on the "Jitney", a mixed train on the Merritt Subdivision, Nos. 805 & 806.  It also ran weekly in a mixed train on the Coquihalla Sub prior to September 1949.  This very nice model was again built by Andy W Scale Models.  Early Gold Lettering.

This concludes the memorial tribute to the inestimable Dave Hanas who will be buried from Saint Peter's Church in New Westminster on Friday.  Goodbye my friend.  Your models will continually remind us of your passion, your humour and your goodness.


Coquihalla Man

THE PASSENGER TRAINS OF DAVE HANAS: Nos.11 & 12

Our good friend, Dave Hanas, was a zealous modeler and collector of model trains and prototype photographs.  He often visited our house to work on his models and the layout.  The photo here was taken on one such occasion in 2006 after a fine meal prepared by my good wife. 
Over the years, he painstakingly acquired and modified all the requisite passenger equipment to accurately model the trains appropriate to the Canadian Pacific Railway.  In the process of acquisition and detailing he generously offered to place them on our layouts for the enjoyment of all who gathered to operate or view them.
In addition, he was a very, very fine friend and I had the good fortune to know him and share the hobby with him for about 20 years as did many of our mutual friends from the model railroading community in greater Vancouver.  From early in our relationship, Dave and I made many trips to the BC interior for field research and to talk with the KVR veterans or to simply enjoy our beautiful province.  In a memorial tribute to him we present here images and film of his beloved CPR passenger equipment.  Dave Hanas died Yesterday at the age of 63.  RIP.

We begin with this panorama shot of No. 12, the Kettle Valley Express with assisting engine 3628 on the point.  Road engine is 5120, a long time KV passenger engine.  She would originate in Vancouver at the downtown station and take the train all the way to Penticton where she would hand it over to another 5100 engine for the trip East to Nelson.  A third engine would complete the run to Medicine Hat, Alberta.  In the final years of steam, the newly rebuilt 5200's would often power this train and its opposite, No. 11.

Here is the pusher engine, 3628, still coal-fired but sporting a nifty power reverse.  This engine was described in a June post.  It is owned and operated by Q-Man.

The road engine is a Samhongsa product marketed by Van Hobbies in the 70's.  They are somewhat rare and a very good model.  Herb Mason (RIP) did some brass work to change the running boards and a smaller tender was added to match the prototype.  We will do a post on the 5100's one day.  Another iron horse from Q-Man's stable.  She needs a repaint.

We now turn our attention to the consist in detail beginning with the head-end.  "PASSENGER MERCHANDISE SERVICE" was the name applied to the boxcars that were added to passenger trains in the 40's and 50's.  They carried express lcl freight to and from customers in the major towns across Canada.  Each car in a train could be destined for a particular city or two such as Nelson, Cranbrook, or Penticton.  They were boxcars randomly taken out of the series 226000-228799.  They were originally built in 1937 and when selected for the new service were assigned a number in series 29019-29094.  They were "EQUIPPED FOR PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE" with passenger-style cut levers, steam and signal lines.  Their paint scheme was modified by colouring the roofs and ends black.  They retained the flat panel roof and square corners, 5/5 dreadnaught ends, Canadian ladders and wood roof-walks.  The basis for this model was an Intermountain Railway Co. model kit (40799) with these specific features added.
The next car is an express refrigerator car from series 5500-5749.  This wood reefer has been beautifully hand-built by Andy W Scale Models who manufactures many unique Canadian cars in small batches.  See his current offerings at:  http://www.readytrain.com/catalog/index.html

Here is a the first of three smooth side Light weight passenger cars, sometimes referred to as "Grove Cars" by modelers, imported by Van-Hobbies in two sets of three cars each.  The model cars are of brass construction.  Unfortunately, the three needed for a Kettle Valley Train come from the two different sets.  These cars were custom painted in a very authentic maroon by Andy W. although my photo does not reproduce the colour here as well as the shot of the mail car following it.  Dave spent a great deal of time tuning and modifying the trucks to operate well.  This Baggage and Express Car, No 4234, is from series 4202-4246 and was likely built in 1948.

Mail and Express Car 3637, is one of 20 cars built in 1948 from series 3619-3638.  Nicely reworked (in brass) baggage compartment and windows.  As with the baggage car above the windows are neatly done with the security bars.  Brass work and finishing by Andy W.

This First Class Coach (with Smoking Room) is one of the second set of smooth sides from the 2108-2128 series built in 1937.  There was a later third order of narrow window coaches with a slightly different window configuration in series 2129-2178 which also appeared on the KV.  Another, final series of smooth side coaches were built in 1947-49.  They featured wider windows in a series numbered 2200-2298 and it was these cars which were eventually acquired by the British Columbia Railway for the Royal Hudson excursion train that ran to Squamish for many years.  They did occasionally appear on the Kettle but the 2100 series were far more common.  Coaches with single vestibules were usually run with the vestibule at the forward end.  Again nicely finished by Andy W.  A steady hand was needed for all those window frames!

The usual position for diners was between the day-coaches and the sleeping cars.  This separated the cheap seats from the higher paying passengers occupying berths.  (I know this from having worked one season in sleeping car service for the other national railway.)  Diners were run on Nos. 11 and 12 between Vancouver and Coalmont where the Eastbound would set out the diner with her crew on the siding for pick-up by the Westbound.  But actual meal service was only offered between Vancouver and Hope.  By April of 1952, diners were replaced by buffet-parlor cars that ran through.  This car is an "A" diner: as in "Aylesford".  Car built and finished by BGR models: http://home.cogeco.ca/~bgrgroup/ 

 Bringing up the rear of No. 12 are two sleeping cars of a variety known as "12 and 1".  This configuration of 12 Sections and One Drawing Room was the most common sleeper of the twenties to the early fifties and the Kettle Valley was no exception.  First we have "Naples" of the "N" series built in 1921-24.  GTC Collectibles has a Stan Styles photo of this car at Hope on No. 12.  Note the older Commonwealth trucks.  This car has ice-activated air conditioning.  Model built by BGR.

The second sleeper is one of the slightly more modern "S" series of 12 & 1, built in 1930-31.  Severn Falls features improved Commonwealth trucks and the very obvious air conditioning duct work.  Another nice model built and finished by BGR.

In the early 1950's, "R" sleepers began to appear and largely replaced the "N" sleepers after they had been modernized.

Here she is in a run-by further down the grade near Tunnel 3,  Mileage 20.3.  Someone had the foresight to take motion pictures in the last years of steam - and in colour!.

Next week we will continue our tribute to Dave Hanas with a close look at train Nos. 45 & 46.  Thank you Dave for you fine work and for your friendship.  May you find joy and peace in the presence of the Lord.

Coquihalla Man

LOG LOADS FOR THE LOG FLATS

Having dealt with the log flats in the previous post, we take another look at the A-frame loader and the modeling of the logs.  Here is an elevated view.  As we have indicated, this loader would eventually be replaced by fork-lift trucks but it is the "state-of-the-art" technological marvel for my era.  It is also an interesting and unique model. 

As we mentioned before, there were two of these in existence in the Okanagan and Similkameen districts of BC.  One was owned and operated by Oliver Sawmills which, according to a newspaper report from 1955, had "seven active log spurs which supplied 60% of the mills log requirements, the balance coming in by trucks."  The mill processed ten to eleven million board feet of lumber annually.  The report continued, "After taking care of local building and shook requirements, the balance of the lumber is exported at the average rate of a car a day throughout the year." We know of spurs at Kettle Valley (Mi. 10.2), Princeton, Coalmont, Brookmere, and near Kingsvale on the Merritt sub (Mi. 54.9).

Penticton Sawmills owned and operated the other A-frame loader.  The sawmill was located in Penticton at the west end of the railway yard.  For much of the 40's, 50's and 60's, they had spurs at Myra, Princeton, Coalmont, Tulameen, Thalia (Mi. 99.6), and possibly others. 

Turning to the logs themselves we note that some logs were huge as can be seen in the following photo.  This log has been rolled up on two small logs and tied back with a chain.  The bark is very coarse and it would take a good while to count the rings on this one.

Here is a typical load from the late 50's.  The truck has just been loaded at the "Jammer" in the bush near to the actual logging site and seems to be ready to go although the left rear mud flap is in need of some attention.  For more logging truck photos we suggest again this most interesting link:  http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/hank_rabe_misc_bc.htm 

Here is a look at the load on our model truck showing the chains used to secure the load.  Lengths of wire are added to the ends which are easily inserted into the stakes of the log bunks.  The stakes are hollow brass tube to replicate the prototype's stakes made from steel pipe.  This allows the truck to be posed as loaded or unloaded for a little variety in the scenes.
The scale logs are made from branches of Lilac trees or bushes which look especially good in the larger scales.  The bark is amazingly realistic.  This is a case of nature imitating nature.  It is best to harvest them in the Fall when the sap is dried up and the newer growth - a green layer - does not show so much.  Other tree or bush sticks can be used for variety but they are not as good a Lilac.  Look to the photos above for diameters.  As to length, the sticks are cut to represent 16 foot logs which means that they are actually longer by a foot or two, so that the mill can get a finished 16+ foot length out of them or two 8 footers.  Longer lengths of logs were cut and shipped by rail into the sixties after the fork lifts arrived but the so-called "short logs" were still prevalent into the diesel era as evidenced by the photos we have mentioned in the previous post.  As progress ensued, logging trucks got bigger and more powerful.  Ironically, one retired truck logger said to me: "In our early days, we had small trucks and big logs; today we have the opposite, big trucks and small logs." 

Here is a selection of Lilac sticks before cutting to length and bundling up.
The brass gizmo in the background is a rack to assist with building a load.  It is the exact width of the flat car on the inside and is made of 3/32" brass square stock.  The logs are cut to length, placed in the rack and glued together with a generous amount of hot melt glue, running the bead on the inside (and out of sight of course).

Now a look at the finished bundles and their "wood" stakes.


The wood stakes are made from a piece of 3/32" aluminum rod (K&S) which is painted a tan colour.  This is sanded to a taper towards the top.  At the lower end we make a pointed end shaped to insert into the stake-pocket.  This permits removal of the load which is a benefit to the car forwarding system we use on the layout.  (All open loads on our freight cars are removable.)  Holes are drilled in the stakes and two small pins are inserted through each stake into the logs and glued.  You can just glimpse the whitish head of one or two of the pins that secure the stake to the logs.  The bottom of the load is identified with a sharpie pen: for example: "T - B" which stands for Tichy - B end.  I have also used wood stakes to simulate wood stakes but the aluminum ones are more robust.  It bears mentioning that these "wood" stakes are placed on one side only as the other side is placed against the log bunk's rail stake.


We conclude our posts on KV railway logging with a set of car numbers of the log flats we have been examining in the recent posts.

• 306553
• 306680
• 307041
• 307919
• 308512
• 308689
• 336280
• 336411
• 336515
• 336524
• 336535 

These car numbers can be  found within the various groupings of flat cars listed in the table to the right.  All appear to have been built in the 1920's.  It would appear that individual cars were randomly selected from several specific series for conversion to log flats with the addition of permanent log bunks.  (This table is taken from a page in a book that the CPR issued every three years.  It was entitled SUMMARY OF EQUIPMENT and listed all the motive power and rolling stock of the railway.)



The car numbers show up repeatedly traveling from log landing to sawmill by way of the Penticton Track Scale, suggesting that the cars were captive to the Kettle Valley Division.  On a statistical note, we can report that in 1961, these cars carried 223 loads of logs over the Kettle Valley to the sawmills at Penticton and Oliver.  Most loads originated at Coalmont and Tulameen with a few loaded at Brookmere. 

 Happy Logging!

Coquihalla Man