# New idea, need some help identifying the rolling stock



## Roundhousecat (Mar 22, 2013)

So as I also dabble in amateur astronomy on clear nights, I saw the PBS documentary Journey to Palomar: http://www.pbs.org/programs/journey-to-palomar/ awhile ago and now that I'm getting back into railroading again, I saw an interesting picture of the primary mirror being transported across the country. I've decided to replicate the car transporting as well as the crane that accompanied it. So here's the pics I found of the low bed car as well as the crane. Can anyone tell me what style and what type of cars they are? What can I use to hand build the cars and who would have them. I guess this will be a scratch build from the looks of it. Can anyone help out?









http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L7DYxiIu4..._AiPgoMBg/s400/Mystery+History+Pyrex+disc.jpg


The mirror was loaded onto the car April 10, 1936. Railway company? Not sure, The crane car I also need some info on as well.So any help would be appreciated.

thanks guys


----------



## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

Looks like a standard flat car to me. The Santa Fe crane in the background looks like a Bucyrus Erie model, which is very common in O scale thanks to the large numbers Lionel has made over the years.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

That crane car looks a lot like Lionel's TMCC model.


----------



## Roundhousecat (Mar 22, 2013)

I found a Bachmann crane with the Santa Fe logo. Are their cars any good? I've heard that their quality isn't what it used to be.
Suggestions for the well car?
Thanks.


----------



## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

I think their cars are fine, perhaps the engines aren't as good as their best period, but I have no complaints with my (I assume modern) bachman spectrum steam engine :thumbsup:


----------



## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I've got a set of the Bachmann Silver series crane/tender car. They work just fine.

Flat car looks like a regular 50 footer.


----------



## Roundhousecat (Mar 22, 2013)

Actually the well car was a 36"6" car. did they make those? And the loco was supposedly a 2-8-2 short. Can anyone help identify the loco?


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

The 2-8-2's were generally referred to as "Mikados" ... several freight lines and engine mfrs had them.

See wiki ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-8-2

The 2-8-2 saw great success in the United States, mostly as a freight locomotive. In the second decade of the 20th century it largely replaced the 2-8-0 Consolidation as the main heavy freight locomotive type. Its tractive effort was similar to that of the best 2-8-0s, but a developing requirement for higher speed freight trains drove the shift to the 2-8-2 wheel arrangement.

The Mikado type was, in turn, ousted from the top-flight trains by larger freight locomotive wheel arrangements such as the 2-10-2, 2-8-4, 2-10-4 and articulated locomotives, but no successor type became ubiquitous and the "Mike" remained the most common road freight locomotive with most railroads until the end of steam. More than 14,000 were built in the United States, about 9500 of these for North American service, constituting about one-fifth of all locomotives in service there at the time. The heaviest Mikados were the Great Northern’s class O-8, with an axle load of 81,250 pounds (36,854 kilograms).

Almost all North American railroads rostered the type, notable exceptions being the Boston and Maine, the Delaware and Hudson, the Cotton Belt and the Norfolk and Western. The largest users included the New York Central with 715 locomotives, the Baltimore and Ohio with 610, the Pennsylvania Railroad with 579, the Illinois Central with 565, the Milwaukee Road with 500 and the Southern with 435.[6]​
I'm not sure which type that is, but perhaps the above will begin to help narrow it down.

TJ


----------



## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

If this load travelled across the country, the engines handling it would have changed frequently. It wouldn't have been hauled the whole way by the same engine.


----------



## Roundhousecat (Mar 22, 2013)

Great. Thanks. now to find one that isn't $300.


----------

