Hot Rodding??

[cidchase]

Hi all,
I've been searching without much success for a picture of the brake rodding and airline layout for the underframe of a truss-rod type car. It's an old Westerfield pickle car kit with Cal-Scale Westinghouse KC brake equipment, and the instruction sheet is somewhat vague on the details. Anybody have an idea?
Thanx

 

[Vic]

Hi Cid, Other than the fact that the KC system was banned from use in 1953 this is all that I could find.

 

[cidchase]

Hi Vic,
That's similar to the dwg on the instruction sheet but definitely shows the main airline tucked right up to the underside of the floor, which was one of my main questions!
Thanks very much!

 

[BillD53A]

This isn't a truss rod car; its a N&W bathtub gondola, turned over on its side to display the KC brakes and rotary couplers. It's from the Norfolk Southern image collection at the Virginia Tech website:
http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase/norfolksouthern/full/ns1754.jpeg

 

[cidchase]

Thank you, Bill,
I'm saving that photo for reference, excellent pic!

 

[N Gauger]

Originally posted by Vic
Hi Cid, Other than the fact that the KC system was banned from use in 1953 this is all that I could find.

Ok Vic - for us people that weren't around in '53, Why for was it banned???

Thanks (as always) in advance.......

 

[Vic]

Sorta Stumped ???

Originally posted by N Gauger


Ok Vic - for us people that weren't around in '53, Why for was it banned???

Thanks (as always) in advance.......

Hi Mikey....In 1953 I was but a wee 8 year old

But...this one has kinda got me stumped It appears that the Westinghouse AB system was required on all new cars built as of 1941. The FRC (Federal Railway/Railroad Commission????) issued an order effective August 1953 that cars with the KC system were banned from interchange service.

Now just why I haven't been able to deterimine. From what I have read so far the AB system was vastly superior and much more reliable but beyond that I have yet to determine the exact reason for the ban.

All of my model narrow gauge cars (D&RGW) seem to have the KC system but then again they were not used in interchange service and even though the D&RGW NG lasted well into the 60's.

Probably the answer is buried in some governmental/railroad/Westinghouse archives somewhere but I'm gonna save this one for a rainy day LOL!!!!

 

[N Gauger]

Thanks!! I'll be on the lookout for an answer for both of us! LOL

 

[sumpter250]

This is a guess, but I'd assume the KC system was banned from interchange service because it wasn't completely compatible with the AB system.
Pete