# Vertical clearances:steam vs modern.....



## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

I've been looking at pictures from the steam era trying to find what were the highest cars and it seems that most if not all cars didn't exceed the height of the highest locomotives.

However,when looking at modern trains,seeing cars (double stacks for instance) that exceed the height of the locomotive is most usual.Is it that the locos are lower?Not this much it seems.

This has me thinking...since we see pictures of steamers coming out of tunnels where the overhead barely clears the smoke stack,could it be that these tunnels have been re-bored to accommodate the modern rolling stock or is it simply that these rolling stocks are forbidden in these tunnels.The same for bridges,were some raised (or the tracks lowered)?Or am I completely wrong and the modern equipment only seems higher or there were higher rolling stocks in the steam era?

I'm curious about the historical datas but also have a purpose behind the question.I'm actually designing/building my medium sized N scale layout and I'm faced with a choice,or worse,a geometric problem.If I favor high vertical clearances,I'll have to build steeper grades to go over them.Since I'll run steamers,I feel I can go for the minimum.I don't mind not being able to pull double stacks but would like to pull anything from the steam era though.Did they have high rolling stocks then?


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Cars have gotten taller and clearances increased over time (or, like you said - some cars can't travel certain tracks.)

Here's a DDA40X next to a 4-8-4, and a line-up of various diesels, turbine, etc - they're almost the exact same height.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

I have found that most rolling stock from the Steam era was not only shorter in height but also shorter in length!


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I am not a serious rivet counter but I only run 40 footers behind steam.
Auto carriers and Hi-cubes and most 50 footers just don't look right to
me behind steam. Different era. Except passenger cars of coarse. I think
there are some routes where some of the higher more modern cars can't
run.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

Most cars have a build-date printed on them. If the car was made after steam disappeared, then it wouldn't have been pulled by steam power.

I'd have to say the 40ft cars were the most common during the steam era.


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