What is it?

Post by **Greg46m** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:53 am

Guys, saw this on Sundays 34N at NE. I heard the crew talking to 21T as it passed saying "Hey, check out whats on the end of our train". They responded with "I dunno what that is but it looks expensive!" So I got the camera out as the end was nearing and got a photo. Not sure if anyone knows what this thing is, but I'd sure like to know.

CIOR · Post by **CIOR** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:19 pm

Its a former Westinghouse "Schnabel Car" used to carry large transformers, it actually uncouples in the middle to hold the transformer in the middle.
Muncie use to be home to a couple of these (at the former, now closed Westinghouse/ABB "Large Transformer Division") They use to say "Muncie Division" on the side of them.

Howard · Post by **Howard** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:57 pm

I just ran across some picts of an even larger Schnabel car in use at http://www.lswci.com/schnabel2005.html
Looks like this one has 32 axles.

Post by **Greg46m** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:55 pm

Wow, thanks CIOR, I never would have guessed. It really doesn't look like it could hold anything bigger than what could be handled on a normal 8 axle flat car though.

OhioTom · Post by **OhioTom** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:19 am

Looks like an overhead bridge crane...possibly a ladle crane for a steel mill.

OT

Michael Meisener · Post by **Michael Meisener** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:55 am

Do you happen to have any reporting marks for this car?

Hotbox · Post by **Hotbox** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:27 pm

Mike Meisener wrote:Do you happen to have any reporting marks for this car?

Greg, are you SURE about the "18" axels? Looked like I count 20, the trucks on the ends being 3 axels apiece.

Making me think it is probably ABB's PTDX 202 http://southern.railfan.net/schnabel/ca ... dx202.html

Other interesting Schnabel links

http://southern.railfan.net/schnabel/schnabel_cars.html?

http://southern.railfan.net/schnabel/schnabel.html?

Some of the modeler's info on Schnabel cars for the home layout (on the last link) will probably have some of you fretting about the cornering radius of your home layouts

Post by **Greg46m** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 11:53 am

It looks like 202, but I can't be sure after blowing the picture up. And yes, it is 20 axles, not 18 like I labeled it in the picture. Shortly after posting it I realized this.

-Greg

jett37 · Post by **jett37** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:01 pm

Greg46m wrote:It looks like 202,
-Greg

I looked through my slides and found the following:
WECX 202 Muncie, In, 2-13-1976 (special)
N&W 1776 departing E/yds 2-13-1976 (W/special)

Also in my collection:

WECX 101 BLUE 1-16-1977 LOAD (TRANSFORMER)

WECX 200 (RED) 2-15-1974 EMPTY (SMALLER THEN THE 202)
WECX 200 (YELLOW) 3-11-1988
WECX 200 (RED) 6-25-1988 LOAD (TRANSFORMER)
WECX 201 (RED) 2-1967 LOAD (TRANSFORMER)
WECX 201 (BLUE) 10-1973 LOAD (TRANSFORMER)
WECX 202 (GRAY) 2-13-1976 LOAD (TRANFORMER)
WECX 202 (GRAY) 1-8-1972 EMPTY

WECX 301 (BLUE) 9-5-1987 (GENERATOR)

I also have a slide given to me from Westinghouse of a gray and black car that looks like the WECX 202 but I can not distinguish the numbers for sure. jett37

CIOR · Post by **CIOR** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:44 pm

Thanks for posting those photos JETT. I had the chance to pull one of those out of the Westinghouse plant. I also pulled the last transformer out of that plant then owned by ABB on the L82. Sad to see that big plant empty.

jett37 · Post by **jett37** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:44 pm

[quote="CIOR"]Thanks for posting those photos JETT.

Glad the slides were still half way decent, they are starting to get a little age on them. One correction, the WECX 101 has a Generator not a transformer on it. It looks exactly like the WECX 301. The slides were taken ten years apart. I wonder if those are the same cars renumbered?

jett

The Fort Wayne Railfan

What is it?

What is it?

Schnabel Car

Mystery Load