chi500 3 axle flat car

[cteno4]

interesting, never seen a 3 axle flat car like this before. i guess wartime. probably to carry heavy stuff.

 

in the model the center axle is flangeless to allow better movement and travels up and down some as well. anyone know if the prototype was like this?

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10162510

 

jeff

[Nick_Burman]

Jeff,

 

Yes, they they were just like this, and as you've said, they were mainly a wartime adaptation (can't remember where I read that). They weren't exactly a sucess. The only thing missing AFAIK on the Moriya model are the stake pockets.

 

Incidentally, JNR did try creating a 3-axle version of the WaMu8000, I think it was called the WaShi 1 and there were two prototype cars.

 

Cheers NB

[cteno4]

Nick,

 

thanks mucho, thought you might know about this! very interesting model, im usually attracted to the odd stuff! also has an interesting back story. 

 

jeff

[marknewton]

I'll have to look for them, but I have some photos of these flat wagons, and also some 3-axle open wagons. But Nick, my recollection is that the centre wheelset was flanged. I'd be very surprised to find a wagon with flangeless/blind wheelsets.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[Nick_Burman]

I'll have to look for them, but I have some photos of these flat wagons, and also some 3-axle open wagons. But Nick, my recollection is that the centre wheelset was flanged. I'd be very surprised to find a wagon with flangeless/blind wheelsets.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

 

Oh, I see now what Jeff meant - no, the wagons had flanges on the centre wheelsets.

 

Cheers NB

[foxhsu]

I will guess that was adopted from Germany. They have this kind design before.

[marknewton]

I found a couple of photos of three-axle freight cars, but my scanner has gone walkabout again! 

 

Quoting from "A History Of Japanese Railways 1872 - 1999", "The standard wartime freight wagon was the open high-sided six-wheel class Toki 900, designed to carry loads equivalent to bogie wagons with minimum structural materials and reduced overall length. In addition. a special 'extra tonnage' measure was introduced for other freight wagons to allow temporary overloading."

 

Another publication I have mentioned before, "Album of Types Of Cars Used For Imperial Japanese Government Railways" lists the 3-axle flat and open wagons. It lists 2 types of flat wagons, Chisa 1 and 100, and four types of open wagon, Toki 1, 10, 900 and 66000. Unfortunately it doesn't give build dates, only the number of cars in service in 1947.

 

J-train volume 31 of Autumn 2008 has a photo of a Chisa 100 in service in 1969, loaded with logs. If I've read the caption correctly, at least some of these cars were built pre-WW2, and some remained in service until 1975. 

 

JNR may have been influenced by German or European practice, but I note that the IGR had 3-axle bolster wagons as early as 1889. There were also early examples of 6-wheel passenger cars with Cleminson radial axles.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.