Erie
Furniture Car, 1911
(from a 1911 magazine, in the public
domain)
A special form of furniture car has recently been put in service on the
Erie Railroad. It has a steel underframe and wooden superstructure. The
capacity of
the car is 80,000 lbs., and 100 of them have been built by the Pressed
Steel Car Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. Among -them 25 are equipped with
end doors.
The length of the car over end sills is 50 ft. 7 1/4 ins., and the
width over side sills is 9 ft. 1 3/4 ins. The distance from centre to
centre of bolsters is 40 ft., and
with a truck wheel base of 5 ft. 4 ins., the total wheel base becomes
45 ft., 4 ins. Inside the car is of ample dimensions, measuring
inside of lining 50 ft., 41 1/4 ins., and width 9 ft. The height of the
floor to the top side plate angle is
10 ft. The door opening is 10 ft. wide by 9 ft. 5 ins. high. The length
over the running board is 51 ft. 833 ins. Tlie distance from top of
rail to top of brake mast
is 14 ft. 7 9/16 ins., which is practically the clearance of the car.
Altogether the furniture car is a good example of an excellent
design of vehicle intended for a special purpose.