MTH Schnabel car - a cosmetic defect, and a couple of questions

That is quite the monster.

Couple of questions for you.

Have you tried running the thing on the rail yet?

How does it handle switches and curves? Did you discover any limitations?

Finally but not last, where is the COG on the load? Is it good and low or riding high and tippy?

1) I was with Westinghouse/ABB Power Systems during the 20 final years before the Muncie plant was closed and large power transformer assembly was moved to Cordoba, etc.  I rode on 201 once - just a short distance across the yard, but it was an impressive experience.   I do not think there ever were 210 and 212 road numbers.  I think there were just the two - I remember scheduling issues with deliveries because of that limitation, etc. - if there were more than the two I see no reason why the next two would not be 203 and 204 - no reason for them not to be. 

2) I have the MTH (W) Schnabel car from the previous production run a number of years ago.  I have not run it - its actually here in my office at work in a display cabinet.  It did run it once when I first bought it.  It has a fairly low CoG (the transformer "box" is very light and with all the wheels and trucks, the chassis is the only heavy part).  With friction from 14 axles and 28 wheels, and its  relatively light weight, it won't roll very far on its own, either.  I've never run it on anything other than 72 and 60 inch curves.  On my layout, curves were not the problem --neither is stick out on curves -- that's no worse than some long scale passenger cars.  But it shares the problems big intermodal double stack cars have - height - it is too high to go through some tunnels or go under some overpasses.

I received the W schnabel car about a month ago, been running it continuously on the layout. It is very free wheeling, have towed it with large diesels and little beeps. It has been run on 054, 072, and 081 curves, I have nothing smaller on my layout. It has not derailed being backed into sidings with Gargraves or Ross switches.

I have not run the new car yet, but I have run the earlier ABB version, which is mechanically identical. I ran it at our museum, which has approximately 0-96 curves; needless to say there was no problem making the curves. The only problem happened when it took out a trackside light signal due to a protrusion on one side of the load. Reversing the car solved that problem, as the other side of the load didn't stick out. I ran it prototypically, with just a caboose, a boxcar, and a flatcar in the train. Then, just for fun, I ran it behind a 3rd Rail Harriman Mikado. 

Hi Lee

We may have worked together with these in the past. I was at AEP and we received deliveries with these cars. WECX 201 and 203 were 14 axle cars are were the most frequently used. There was a WECX 200 which was a 12 axle car  and W's first. It worked Sharon and Muncie but could handle only lighter shipments .WECX 202 was a 20 axle car and could handle the very largest transformers turned out at Muncie. WECX 204 is a former GE car.

There were also WECX 101 and 102 which were 20 and 22 axle cars and these handled turbines and generators from East Pittsburgh. Finally WECX 301 a 22 axle car was used for Nuclear Vessels for the Nuclear Division.

I have a couple and run them. They have always run well, no problem with switches, the only problem, once, on my club layout, we wiped out a couple of signals! The were moved.

Having fun, pulling with a Baldwin.

They are real crowd pleasers.

Dave's photos bring to mind a question I intended to ask in the original post, but forgot. Were the prototypes ever run two or more in a train? The photos I have seen do not show than one loaded schnabel in a consist. 

I would think one at a time. Considering these cars transported transformers to power stations under construction, the logistics involved with just one would have been enough work. Incidentally, we had them here in Australia, when lots of power stations were built in the 50's and 60's.

I've only seen one real one . They must have road pretty good . The big transformers are filled with oil but are shipped dry to reduce weight and the 15 and 20 foot high insulators are removed. I saw one 765,000 volt to 500,000 volt transformer brought in by the Schnabel. They brought it into the sub-station yard and off loaded it with a crane . The transformers that were transported by the Schnabel have a lot of eternal bracing in the steel work. You can see it in the model and in Lee's picture.

I thought it also interesting that the transformers that could be transported by a normal low profile car that were being sent back to Westinghouse for rebuilds were set on the car and the Norfolk Southern guys would actually weld it to the car. No straps or bolts  they welded it to the car. I don't know how they got it loose when it got to Westinghouse but the only way it was coming off there is if the car turned over.

David 

The Production schedule and manufacturing slots in the factory production line was often based on the availability of these cars to accept the finished transformer as it was ready to go. A large transformer would ship on one schnabel car in a dedicated train , generally with two locomotives , idler flats sometime with the transformer accessories and bushings loaded aboard and rider cars , usually cabooses for the Westinghouse folks and the purchasing company representatives that traveled with the train.

So far no one has identifed a prototype (W) Schnabel car with road number 211 or 212.

Does anyone have a copy of “The Official Railway Equipment Register” from sometime in the 1970’s or 1980’s to verify?

I didn't know that the first MTH (W) Schnabel came in two road numbers.  I have #203.  Does anyone have a #201? 

Bill

For Transformers WECX 201 and 203 were 14 axle cars are were the most frequently used. There was a WECX 200 which was a 12 axle car  and W's first. It worked Sharon and Muncie but could handle only lighter shipments .WECX 202 was a 20 axle car and could handle the very largest transformers turned out at Muncie. WECX 204 is a former GE car.

There were also WECX 101 and 102 which were 20 and 22 axle cars and these handled turbines and generators from East Pittsburgh. Finally WECX 301 a 22 axle car was used for Nuclear Vessels for the Nuclear Division.

These 7 carry Westinghouse reporting marks. 211 and 212 do not exist in the prototype