Car Information (continued)
We now have a little more insight into the working of the car company. If they were dealing direct with a mill in 1888 that was cutting the Yellow Pine for the car sills, it may have been prudent to buy the rest of the production and use it for other framing on the cars they built. The Yellow Pine forests were also very close to Dayton, Ohio, which would keep transportation costs lower. This lumber may have been cheaper than buying Ash on the open market. The use of the Yellow Pine in the car's wall posts was most likely an economic decision rather than a design decision.
Also regarding the structure was the construction of the end platform and Miller Hook coupler. We went to the Nevada State Railroad Museum to measure the Virginia & Truckee #18. This car was built by Barney and Smith in 1890 and is similar in many dimensions to our MLS&W #63. The V&T #18 still retains its original platform on one end and some of the parts from the Miller Hook coupler. We compared the dimensions of the V&T #18 to the remains of the MLS&W #63 and found that the platforms were most likely the same dimensions. We also found that the dimensions match the drawings in William Voss's book (see below). This may be more than a coincidence since at the time of writing his book, Voss was working for Barney and Smith Car Company.
We now have a little more insight into the working of the car company. If they were dealing direct with a mill in 1888 that was cutting the Yellow Pine for the car sills, it may have been prudent to buy the rest of the production and use it for other framing on the cars they built. The Yellow Pine forests were also very close to Dayton, Ohio, which would keep transportation costs lower. This lumber may have been cheaper than buying Ash on the open market. The use of the Yellow Pine in the car's wall posts was most likely an economic decision rather than a design decision.
Also regarding the structure was the construction of the end platform and Miller Hook coupler. We went to the Nevada State Railroad Museum to measure the Virginia & Truckee #18. This car was built by Barney and Smith in 1890 and is similar in many dimensions to our MLS&W #63. The V&T #18 still retains its original platform on one end and some of the parts from the Miller Hook coupler. We compared the dimensions of the V&T #18 to the remains of the MLS&W #63 and found that the platforms were most likely the same dimensions. We also found that the dimensions match the drawings in William Voss's book (see below). This may be more than a coincidence since at the time of writing his book, Voss was working for Barney and Smith Car Company.
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