More progress on the East Broad Top

Bartman-TN · **Joined:** Tue Jul 02, 2013 10:45 pm **Posts:** 332

Yes - freight cars can have their sides replaced.

The term is to rebody a car. It is a fairy standard practice where the frame lasts longer than the wear points on a freight car. Companies like FreightCar America even advertise the parts to rebody a rail car. A friend of mine had a several-year contract to rebody a series of hopper cars to turn coal cars into scrap metal cars. Basically, the car sides were replaced and all of the other parts were inspected and repaired as needed.

jayrod · **Posted:** Mon Jun 15, 2020 10:08 am

Gondolas and hoppers took such a beating in everyday service that they were continuously cycled through the car shop until they were so structurally beat up that they were uneconomical the repair. Side sheets, stiffeners and top angles were common repairs. Car rebuilding was and is still big business.

On the P&WV in the early ‘60s and being short on cash to do repairs to their hopper fleet, they sold a bunch of thrashed hoppers to Greenville Steel Car who rebuilt them and leased them back to the P&WV.

So yeah, you could feasibly rebuild them ad infinitum.

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

ebtrr · **Posted:** Mon Jun 15, 2020 10:22 pm

The unfinished hopper remains where it has been at the south end of the yard.

In addition to unused side sheets int he Car Shop, there are stacks of hopper height extenders in the Boiler Shop.

As noted all these hoppers were moved 15 years ago. The flatcar had several pine trees growing up through it. As a cooperative project between the EBT and FEBT the flatcar was rehabilitated and put back in service. It spent several years with the K4 boiler setting on it. I believe it currently has the privately owned Tuscarora Railroad combine car setting on it.

All the NG locomotives were evaluated before #14 and #16 were chosen, however the details of all were not disclosed. I believe #16 is the 1st priority and #14 second. They do not plan to finish them at the same time so they do not expire at the same time.

As for Facebook, it is the best bang for the buck. I don't love it, but is a real force in modern communication. More info on the work sessions will be posted to the FEBT site as well as soon as it can get accomplished.