We have an old all-wood boxcar on our site in Campo, CA. Old photos show it on the ground near the 1916 depot since around 1916. Some people speculate that it might have actually been the "depot" while the regular one was being built. In the last few days we have put it on trucks on a snap track, and are considering how to best "un-remodel" it. One question has come up: there is a relatively small door mounted high on one end. Was it part of the original boxcar? Was it something added when it may have been in MOW service? What was it used for?

One suggestion is that it was for loading lumber that was too long to load through the regular side doors.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jim Baker, PSRM

My understanding is that you are correct - the door was for loading lumber.

Yep that is a lumber door, used to load long lengths of well, lumber.

Richard Wilkens

Thanks for the information. I wonder why the lumber door is only on one end. Seems that could complicate loading sometimes. Did some cars have a lumber door at each end?

Thanks again.

Jim Baker, PSRM

Usually the lumber door is on the "A" end but I guess it would be possible to have it on the "B" end as well. I have included a photo of the lumber door on NP 14794, a single sheathed boxcar built by the Northern Pacific in 1932.

Richard

From an article entitled “The Development of the Outside Braced Single Sheathed Box Car” by Colin K. Hatcher (23 July 2002) at the Alberta Railway Museum Website (http://www.railwaymuseum.ab.ca/?q=node/26): “. . . the cars featured two small end doors in the center of the "B" end of the car. The "B" end can be identified as the end with the brake wheel. The upper end door called a lumber door facilitated the loading and unloading of long lumber stock while the lower end door called a rail door accommodated the loading and unloading of steel rails.”

The Western Pacific rebuilt cars with a lumber door in the “A” end: http://people.virginia.edu/~ggg9y/boxcar.html

Great Northern 31000-series (built 1923) had a lumber door in the “A” end:
http://www.sunshinekits.com/sunimages/sun77.pdf

Additional information on lumber doors:
Sacramento Northern On-Line: http://people.virginia.edu/~ggg9y/nebox.html

Query Google books (http://books.google.com/) with the term “lumber door” for several publication that might have more information.

Some of these doors were also used for grain loading. The Soo Line's outside braced Fowler style used this approach.

That's because the use of this door is misunderstood. It's not used to put the sticks into the car, it's used to poke the end of long lengths out so the other end will clear the door post, kind of like poking the ends out the window on a stairway landing when carrying long lengths up to the second floor. If the car only had a lumber door in one end, the loading crew just had to load toward that end.

Remember, back in the days when boxcars were only 36' long, lumber was commonly available in 22' and 24' lengths, and those lengths were required for two story buildings built with the "balloon framing" common in those days.

Herb,

Can you substantiate this? Cite period text or trade publication? Grain was normally loaded using a flexible spout that came in over the grain doors and was dragged down towards EACH end of the car. Why would someone want to drag the spout twice as far from one end, and how would they get out after they had filled the car to the end?

I think you are confusing the function of the lumber door with the grain loading doors the Soo put in some of their 50' plug door boxcars in the early sixties, before covered hoppers really took over grain loadings. These grain loading doors allowed a larger total toor opening, because no grain door was required; the main door became the grain door and loading was accomplished through the smaller door in its uppermost panel, which is in the same location that was traditionally left open when coopering a car with grain doors.

Dennis: Your explanation as to how the cars were loaded makes perfect sense. Thanks a lot.

Jim Baker

Richard -

Care to tell us where NP #14794 is located? Looks like it is in a shop building for restoration purposes.

Les

The NP boxcar is located inside the Conservation and Restoration Center in Snoqualmie, WA. Here is a brief overview: http://www.trainmuseum.org/RHC_CRC.asp

--The other Richard