Model Railroading 101 Freight Cars For Beginners

[@deanroddy3066]

Great overview. My Dad was on the SOO LINE for 46 years. In the 60's and early 70's when I was a little kid, I got to ride in his caboose from Gladstone Michigan to Rhinelander Wisconsin and back. Great memories.

[@logicreversed18t]

Me 35 minutes ago: No way I can watch an entire video about freight cars. Me 35 entertaining minutes later: Well, turns out I'm nerdier than I thought. I didn't realize that was possible.

[@MLW-M420]

Your still a nerd 😂 😂

[@fvni]

You guys are awesome - Dan is a wealth of knowledge and John asks great questions that us viewers are thinking about. Love it.

[@tsgmultimedia]

That was the idea behind this format, in any case!

[@signolias100]

covered hopper cars also move plastic pellets so polymers is a plastic pellet car

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Some railroads do not allow crews to get on the car to set the brake, they have a Brake Stick they use to access and turn the wheels while standing on the ground. Ringling Brothers had a bunch of 89 foot flats for hauling equipment at the end of their trains. The round hopper that looks like a tank car is called a "whale belly pressure differential hopper" and were used to haul cement and lime, Their brand name was called "Pressure Slide". I actually modeled one in Blender for Minecraft Immersive Railroading The caboose on class A railroads were mainly killed off by the EOTD / HOTD system. There are still a few shortlines that use caboose.

[@_TRASH_LORD_]

Welcome to freight cars menu here we have all the different types of train cars box cars 1:07 40' box cars 2:07 50' box cars 3:39 longer box cars 5:05 Refrigerated box cars 7:06 Mechanical reefers cars 8:43 Insulated box cars 9:30 Stock cars 11:16 Tank cars 11:51 Flat cars 13:25 89 foot flat car aka T.O.F.C. 16:01 Intermodal cars 16:34 well cars 17:24 cool train shot 17:45 Log cars 19:50 Auto racks 20:28 Hopper cars 21:09 Covered hoppers 21:38 Different cover hoppers 22:51 Gondolas 23:48 How they unload gondolas 24:58 Wood chip gondola 26:06 Sugarbeet car 26:23 Technically classified as gondolas 27:16 M.O.V. cars aka maintenance cars 28:19 Cabooses 30:43 End of train device 32:57 Hope this helped :)

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks for creating this list!

[@_TRASH_LORD_]

No problem

[@_TRASH_LORD_]

@@tsgmultimedia I might do future list

[@jennifermunnings9127]

Polymer cars carry granulated plastic pellets for plastic bag manufacturing and injection molding manufacturing. The bag of chips and my computer case are in front of me thanks to polymer rail cars. Terrific series! I look forward to the finish on the 6,000 dollar sd40-2. :)

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks for the information and thanks for watching!

[@jamurphy8386]

Jennifer - Thanks! It was on the tip of my tongue.... ;-)

[@BlackheartChimera13]

HOLY SMOKES!!! I knew I've seen hopper cars before amd even work close with them at my job but I never knew the ones I work with are covered hopper cars. If your going to ask I work the raw material department of a plastics company and part of my job is to unload the pastic resin from the cars into the silos via hoses into the main line.

[@peterjhillier7659]

I really enjoyed this Video, and apart from the factual Contents, what is really good about your Videos is that it is almost like having two Friends in your Home discussing Railways. As a 70 year old Briton, I did have some idea of American Railway Wagons etc, however, you helped fill in more Detail, great!

[@MrJohnB-qs6dp]

Another awesome instructional video!! Learned a lot about all the different types of cars & their uses. Stay Safe & God Bless!!!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@corinschick8172]

Thanks guys, that was cool. I always thought a caboose was for passengers, so thanks for tidying that up

[@atshinkansen7439]

There were a few rare instances of cabooses that accommodated passengers, usually for branch lines. One type in particular was the drover caboose, which allowed cattle drivers to tag along on livestock trains.

[@TPW900GP35]

Thank you for the video! I love watching the whole train, not just the engines! I have an interest in freight cars, especially after working as a railroad clerk in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s.Just thought I’d add a few things to your info. I’ve never researched deep enough to find the difference between the XLI type car (the ATSF “beer car” and the Evans produced lumber box, the RBL. Both are equipped with sliding bulkheads and are insulated. Both used to be used for shipping canned food products or wine from California to the midwest or eastern U. S. Or lumber, as in the Evans (USLX) built car. Most or all of the Santa Fe’s insulated box cars were XLI. They did have RBL’s stenciled with SFRB or SFRE reporting marks. I commented below on the fatty acids subject. As to lumber shipments, most are now shipped on the Center Beam car. I haven’t seen lumber shipped on a bulkhead flat since the 1980’s or 1990’s. Bulkhead flats can load steel beams or sheets, pipe or any number of loads, but haven’t seen any lumber. Incidentally, when unloading a center beam, care must be taken to follow the instructions on the inside of the bulkheads. If you leave one side too heavy, the car could tip over on it’s side! The same goes for loading, as well! Again, thanks for the video!

[@beavis6363]

Excellent. Nice presentation. I learned a couple things.

[@JERRYR708]

Im learning a lot on this channel. Thanks.

[@richardjayroe8922]

The last digit on the well cars tells you how much is in an articulated set. 1 is just a single car, 3 is a set of three, and 5 is a set of five

[@25mfd]

@ 6:02... auto parts are divided into two parts as it relates to rail transport, castings and stampings... castings are the engines/transmissions, heavy stuff that goes into the 60ft high cube car... the stampings, doors hoods fenders, are lighter and move in the 86ft car... @ 9:28... best way to identify a insulated car is to look for the "moveable bulkhead" symbol on the plug door... @ 22:14... hoppers with round hatches are usually cars that haul a granulated product, salt, plastic pellets, potash, roofing granules... nice vid

[@nosadonions3231]

Polymers are basic "plastic" beads that are shipped to manufactures that make plastic items like bottles, lawn chairs, toys, etc...

[@georgecoventry8441]

Very good! What I like best is all the old stuff from the age of steam.

[@bhargabchakraborty6483]

I am getting into the model railroading bought a couple of engines and some random box cars, running them on a Bachmann ez track, this video is core to the detail. Helped me a lot to understand not only for model railroading but actually the real freight cars.

[@Inflatix]

Really good informations! As a new beginner i can decide what I can use for modern era railroading now :D

[@wadepenley7380]

I remember when norfolk southern (back then it was southern railway) had stock cars. Here in Asheville NC we had one of the largest stockyards in western North Carolina and southern would move animals from their to where ever they were to go.

[@gailyncookMilwRR]

Please Note, I have copied my [edited] comment from another channel to avoid a retype! This is the first of your videos I have watched. I will be looking for more soon! I have read most of the comments below. There really is a lot of different types of cars in use. I know I have many, most of us understand their use . I would like to share with you and others something I have learned over the years. I bought my First locomotive when I was just 16 y/o, a Milwaukee road SD9 which I still have today! I'm now 65 and proudly show it to my Grand kids! I said all that just as a background so you know I have done this for a long time! My layout when I was young, I could never seem to get it right. I would spend hours and hours with tiny details. Then when people came to see my Trains the remarks were '' how cute little trains.'' ------------- WHAT??? I could not believe my ears NO one, noticed the DETAILS..... Hours I have spent, I thought wasted??? That's when I learned that all people are on different levels. I have used most all types. The basic and cheaper ones never run on the main line. They just sit along buildings and yards as props. The better more Detailed ones are used in service. Most of my rolling stock is now Passenger coaches pulled by PA's FA's, E's and F's which are my favorite Trains. And of course the best Geeps for freight service. Because that's what I grew up with in the 60's and 70's. So I have learned you can use all these types to build the best layout you can. So enjoy it all, whatever you chose to use! After all it IS your layout, you are the boss!!! Soon I will watch your 101 Ep. 7 on Passenger coaches, I hope it's not too basic so I can still learn something! P S I did Sub. your channel!

[@kiwitrainguy]

The #1 rule of model railroading is: It's your layout, you can do what you like to do to have fun. The #2 rule is: if anyone disagrees, refer to rule #1.

[@josephschuster1494]

Another informative video teaching me many facts about rolling stock is truly appreciated and enjoyed! Thank you! 🚂

[@thomasnativo6491]

I've seen the Lumber cars by Emerson NJ more when Norfolk southern does Local freight services Randomly on the Pascack Valley line

[@JoeG-firehousewhiskey]

Thats cool, I never knew what about the white stripe on the high cube! Awesome information, thanks for this series.

[@tsgmultimedia]

I notice stuff like that. :D

[@gailyncookMilwRR]

@@tsgmultimedia I thought everyone knew that, like on the car carriers on the white stripe in black letters is printed EXCESS HEIGHT CAR I have only 2 CONCOR Milwaukee Rd. car carriers that have that. "NOTE'' Maybe not all Roads put that on their cars. What do you guys think about doing a video on trivial facts like that? That is if we could find enough of them to fill a video!

[@alderusdmc]

"They look like Slim Jims." Could be a nice way of serving Slim Jims (or other similarly-shaped hors d'oeuvres). Just need to find a way of incorporating the layout into the rest of the dining table with the other hors d'oeuvres the train _can't_ carry. Wheat Thins in the gondolas, mixed nuts in the hoppers, Slim Jims or mozzarella sticks on the log cars, among other varieties.

[@bobriddle6068]

Thank you. Spine cars are very interesting.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thank you! I guess you could say spine cars have a "backbone" of their own!

[@johnnypsr]

Very nice video. I have been in the hobby for 20+ years and still learned a couple things! Thank you.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks for the compliments! If you know anyone else who might enjoy this kind of content, please share it!

[@aqualungs77]

Cracking me up this morning about the syrup container and Asian passenger train loads

[@geomodelrailroader]

thanks for the introduction to Rolling Stock this will give me more insight into the types of cars used on the Railroad and what era they come from

[@swiv99]

great channel, great information...thanks!

[@biguncle554]

Awesome video!

[@dwightatnorthernstar1820]

Gee, I sure did learn alot! Thanks, good for all KZbin Modelers

[@jdcunnington]

As I learned this year in Black History Month, Frederick McKinley Jones took Thomas Carrier's air conditioning concepts, miniaturized the equipment, hooked up a diesel generator, and in the early 50's, the mechanical reefer was born, his Thermo-King equipment running on the first specially-built cars.

[@hectorguzman8435]

I died with the slim Jim part 💀

[@annhatch2974]

Thank you. Very interesting. Caboose are still my favorite.

[@colnagocowboy]

when i worked near a GM assembly plant they got a lot of 86' high cube cars at thier siding

[@Balerio2357]

Well done guys Thanks for posting Dan and John! - Balerio

[@ericwilliams1023]

This was so helpful! I'm a newbie so this info was very helpful, especially since I'm trying to add variety to my scene.

[@rexremedy1733]

cabooses were used to observe the friction bearings of the bogoes. they had to be observed to detect overheated bearings and grease the bearing of the detected caboose. they became obsolete with automatic bearing heat detection alongside the track.

[@tsgmultimedia]

FREDs also provide information to the crew if memory serves...

[@sparky107107]

very interesting video.. lots of information . thanks for sharing.

[@dandanpowell1]

love 5:100 Cracking me up. thank you for all the great info. keep it up.

[@coryandrews4177]

I am a total newbie and I learned alot! I will have to take a trip to my train yard to look and see what all cars are what now since I learned alot about them! Awesome content. Subscribed also

[@thetobin8or]

I thought you ..of ALL people would explain better why the roof walks where band.!!! Sorry but especially senses you do a Great job on the Super Detailing You do on all of the model you've done & posted ,But i'm liking these posts

[@kennethpotenberg985]

When I was a ""Kiid" I Loved to Run on top of the "Old" Ice Box Cars Coming Out of The "Stockyards In Chicago in the "Early to Mid 1960 Era,,,(Not a Very Bright idea) But All the Kids Did this Dangerous Game of Chance,,,

[@RogerPerkins1939]

I like KZbin videos to have "closed caption" = subtitles. I awake early in the morning and like to watch, but do not want sound to disturb those who are still asleep. Thank you.

[@tsgmultimedia]

We do not have the time or resources to hire someone to transcribe. I love this idea though. If you know someone who likes to take dictation and they are willing to type up transcripts of our videos I think there is a way to use that with KZbin to create subtitles in the video. If you would like to help, let me know and I will learn about how to add CC on KZbin and then let you know what kind of file we need to make it happen.

[@derekalexander4030]

Headphones?

[@charlieh3335]

Hi. Just found this series of videos and as a beginner, just starting in the hobby. I love them! Very informative and easy to understand! Question, do you guys know of a company that makes the rail cars that haul the plane fuselage sections?

[@tsgmultimedia]

I have seen examples of the models you're asking about. Your best bet would be to search online. Let us know what you find!

[@outbackwack368]

Wow, what a wealth of information! Thanks!

[@Jkrailroad]

I've learned a lot from this video! Thank you!

[@unstoppablegameryt6703]

7:31 I have the exact same car I have 2 cars 1 caboose and 1 engine (broken but can be fixed) The engine is an American Flyer 302

[@caverjam]

This is an excellent tutorial learned a lot from it

[@matthewmillar3804]

Up here in Canada we call an EOT an SBU. Sense and brake unit.

[@kend3900]

Wow that was extremely informative thanks for producing

[@kamala2111]

Excellent explanation in cars thanks

[@billaichast4419]

Great video. Thanks for all the information.

[@calbearstein9196]

Matson pioneered containerized freight in the late fifties and was entirely intermodal by the seventies.

[@jamesrhayden7818]

Nice information video. Good job guys. Thanks. By the way, ( no pun intended ) I think doing a video on maintenance of way cars would be a good idea. Happy New Year!

[@chrisrobertson9717]

Nice job guys! Thanks

[@billvassar7473]

the gray water car is used to fight fires along the tracks

[@bowiebear6302]

What a great day I had today. I watched all 5 episodes & learned a lot! Now that I just retired, I got all excited that I'm really thinking of starting the hobby! Gotta sit down & really do some serious thinking! Thanks a lot for the videos. I really enjoyed them! I'm a subscriber now! I'll be looking forward to more of your videos! Thanks again!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@SGTGhost]

great information dan and John, i like the models and enjoyed the video

[@deltanine6497]

Excellent introduction and series.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Thank you for watching!

[@EagleValleyModelRailroad]

Great info for this "newbie". Just subscribed... Ed

[@tsgmultimedia]

Awesome - thanks for checking it out! If you know anyone else who might enjoy this content, please share it!

[@Sakura-lu7uk]

Awesome! I really like Model Railroading 101 videos

[@SFCRambo60]

Thank you, I am very happy you highlighted the different cars. I paused the video and snapshot them and even wrote some other things to help me out. Now I hope to print the picture off and put them in my Railroad library to help me out. Thank you. One question, why didn't the Railroad not take the Caboose and not put it behind the locomotives so they could run an extra crew, that crew could sleep while the 1st crew worked and switch and keep on rolling.

[@heavyj4805]

Great vid guys, i enjoy your banter

[@nicholassheard]

Excellent series guys! Nice and clear for beginners and enough detail to be interesting for some more experienced people. Please keep this up!

[@donaldshroyer8633]

Nice vid. I happen to have a PMA box Car in N scale and didn't realize it's insulated. I can barely see a RBL (not RBI) code. Is that what you mean?

[@dannydanbo58]

Thanks. Great video and very informative.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cmcgloughlin]

This is the video I have been looking for! Thank you! I was always wondering what that walkway on top of the car was for.

[@tsgmultimedia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@westrew63]

Awesome review!

[@joelstrain6664]

great western railway hauled beets, Strasburg Railroad #90 in Strasburg Pennsylvania is Preserved Great Western Rwy #90 I don't know if they used cars like that SP one but I know that beets were a staple on the Great Western

[@luke_atthat]

Very instructive

[@jamesusher3144]

the first tank car is still in use as they haul syrup, UTLX is one of the manufactures

[@ezragonzalez8936]

love your show guys!! but does any model railroader care to show the model buildings structures dioramas etc??? hardly anyone even shows them or talk in detail about the buildings other than modelermanmike or woodland scenics etc a 101 on buildings would be awesome!

[@tsgmultimedia]

Great idea! So great that it's on the list for upcoming shows. The list is pretty long but I will get to it!

[@knightingalesaid]

Awesome. Video, that is very helpful.

[@ReadingAreaRailfan]

Ive seen Penn Central use the old wooden refrigerator and livestock cars in videos before

[@maximocastillo8829]

This is awesome I love the models I work in railcar repair how can I get my hands on the model train cars ?

[@magicyeti5630]

17:20 Trinity Deepwells= withdrawal

[@michaeleaton9106]

I like the video, I'm a big fan of trains HO scale size and real size trains, I got a collection of trains and 4 18 wheelers

[@mgr_video_productions]

Great video!

[@trainguy3]

In case you guys didn't know, Boeing still uses these to ship aircraft parts to their factories in Everett and Seattle via BNSF. They ship engines and other large pre-assembled parts like engines. TRhey take apart the cars adn use cranses to move the pares

[@trainguy3]

Daniel Cortopassi of course! I apologize for my atrocious typing. I just got a new keyboard and I didn't even think to check for errors.

[@philfodera6294]

Great video looking forward to more videos

[@blackswan4183]

Thanks for the video! Can you comment on your personal impression which brands offer the best quality freight cars?

[@tsgmultimedia]

We are developing some content for a program about this topic. Stay tuned...

[@alderusdmc]

7:02 "I don't smoke that reefer!"

[@ianisaacs2340]

That’s ok, I do

[@benniehazelwood3088]

The one car for plywood is also used for all lumber

[@peridotfacetflcutxg-qb7bp]

That 86 foot box car is longer than a superliner car!

[@TheLocutus70]

Interesting. I'm subscribing. 😁👍

[@ricknorth77]

Bananas are the most temp sensitive produce. Must be 54 degrees on the dot.

[@oldschool7743]

Awesome! learn a lot. "newbie"

[@Soryueva02]

I am a beginner and want to start with HO Scale but I can see the variety of locomotives and cars... Some particular Locomotives used here in my country are the General Electric: U10B - U12B - U6B.... these are already very old but still work nowadays. I would like to see if I can find these from any manufacturer of HO scale locomotives... Thx!

[@austenmaximillian9086]

At 20:27 that's a really nice Athearn Genesis Auto Max you got there, I know it was released in 2002 or 2003, but could you possibly make a review or Dan's Models on it?

[@cernokit]

the large Blue modern Hopper normally carries plastic pellets..

[@tsgmultimedia]

We have the best viewers on KZbin!

[@specs.weedle]

For part 6, make an explosion effect explode over another one on John's face in the intro, where his face is seen, behind the camera.

[@greenclover2027]

White Pass and Yukon claimed on their tour that they developed the shipping container, but I'm not finding google support for that.

[@gamerfan8445]

You forgot the iron ore hopper

[@Captain_FixIt]

Where is the part Where you said that some Hobo Left the Foor Open?

[@ATSFVentaSpurNscaler]

Hey guys, you did a good job explaining different freight cars for newcomers to the hobby. However, you forgot to show a type of flat car that has been phased-out and no longer used. Just like cabooses, stock cars and 40' boxcars, the 89' OPEN 2- or 3-level auto racks were a frequent site in the 1960s and early 1970s until their open-air design made them obsolete due to graffiti and vandalism concerns. It would have been helpful for newcomers if you would have better explained the evolution of this flat car into modern, closed auto racks, the latter which you did show in this segment.

[@emiliogreenwood8190]

I miss seeing the Caboose it really let you know that end of the train was coming

[@TravelingRailfan]

I am in the Cincinnati area and still see cabooses from time to time on one of the local csx industrial switching jobs across the river. Pretty neat for someone that never saw one on the mainline such as myself. If anyone has any info on why they may still do this please message or reply, I'd love to hear it.

[@philipwebb960]

I suspect that arrangement was negotiated with the union.

[@Alex-wi1mx]

3 years late but theyre shoving platforms! during some switching manuvers the locomotive is blind, so they are a place that crew can stand and direct the crew in the locomotive

[@dandanpowell1]

5:51 pack em in