As we work to complete restoration of what we believe to be the last surviving ACL Class O-25 boxcar, I am wondering what the original running board lumber dimensions might have been. This was a Pullman-Standard car manufactured in 1942, and was originally fitted with wood running boards. Length is not a question, only the board widths and thicknesses.Would currently available dimension lumber (2-inch thick, or 1.5 inches actual thickness) be appropriate? Given a span between supports of close to 3.5 feet, it seems anything thinner would flex too much. Does anyone know what the original (standard?) thickness and width was for wood running boards?Thanks,

Wood running boards on steel cars-- some dimensions for you:Three main pieces running parallel to center sill are 1 1/8" thick by 5 3/4" wide by as long as possible (keep joints to a minimum). Brackets should be on 41" centers, which is what you have on that car. There should be a one-inch horizontal space between the boards.A modern "2x6" run through a planer to take it down to 1 1/8" should do it; I doubt anyone will notice the missing 1/4" of width on each board.Hope this helps; send photos of the job, before, during and after, please!!

Boards were generally 1" or 1 1/8" thick.

In the lumber industry, 1 1/8" thick finished lumber is known as "five quarter stock", normally written 5/4. Nominal 5/4 X 6 (actual 1 1/8" X 5 3/8") is commonly used for decking on residential decks, and is available in several species, both treated and un treated. Material for this purpose has to be reasonably clear and free of knots, but nothing available today will be of the quality that the railroads and car builders used to specify.Where is this car ultimately going to be displayed? If it will be indoors, then untreated lumber of any species will be sufficient, but if it will be displayed outside, treated lumber is a must, although the arsenic free "Thompsonized" lumber available today may not have that much additional life expectancy. Keeping it painted will also be an issue, since the paints available today are formulated first and foremost to meet EPA regs, with performance a secondary consideration. I've said it before on this forum, if this car will be displayed outside in the weather, I would give serious consideration to using Trex plastic / wood fiber composite lumber http://trex.com/ This is also available in 5/4 X 6. Yes, the 41" span exceeds the recommendations in the span tables, indeed, it exceeds the recommendations for 5/4 lumber for flooring use, but these boards are only going to be cosmetic anyway. Based on how this material is holding up on my deck, running boards made of this material may have life equal to the steel roof beneath them.

Howard,Thanks for that information. I still need to take some critical measurements on the roof, but I have been able to determine the arrangement of the boards based on positioning of double brackets (where boards butted against each other) and from photos.Based on the dimensions you give, the overall width of the running board would be 19.25 inches, about what I had guestimated.For Dennis, thanks to you also. I checked the Trex web site. Unfortunately, the closest dealer is in Columbus, GA, a good 90 minute drive from Albany. I will probably check locally for the 5/4 material since we do not have access to a planer to thin 2"x6" lumber as Howard suggests. The width difference between the 5/4 lumber (at 5 3/8") versus the 2"x6" lumber (5 1/2" wide) will be insignificant when viewed from the ground.I had hoped to have this car and all the others in the collection (restored, being restored and awaiting restoration) under cover, but the museum BOD would not approve the installation of a second track and a wider shed to cover 2 tracks and part of the platform. Perhaps in the future, IF we can acquire some adjoining property on which to expand, and IF we can then come up with the necessary funds to errect a larger display shed/building...too many IFs for me, but it was the BOD's decision.Anyway, the car will be exhibited outside for the time being.Some photos of the railroad artifacts (but not the boxcars) at Thronateeska are at the web site:http://www.heritagecenter.org/transportation.php3Thanks,

If you are using douglas fir then good quality wood is in fact available through most lumber yards. You would just have to specify clear fir and it is available. This is clear without ANY knots. If this is a full service lumber yard and not Home Depot you can have the wood milled to any dimension that you specify. They will run it down in a surface planer and then cut to length.Douglas fir will not like the weather though and you must stay on top of the maintenance. Clear deck quality redwood is available and will weather better than the douglas fir. Then if you want real tough weather resistant wood try Teak, generally sold by the pound. Got a fat wallet?

It’s going to be interesting when Stephen actually tapes the length of the boards to make up his Bill of Material; a quick look at the 1940 Car Builders’ Cyc. Shows that it appears that some boards cross five roof panels (but this is just a guess, as only a half plan of the roof is shown.) If that is correct, then some of the boards are 205” long, or 17’-1”. Not a problem years ago, when 18’, 20’, and 22’ lumber was commonly available, but definitely gets into custom order territory today. Let us know what you come up with for length, Stephen.