B&M 15000 Hopper Cars

Boston & Maine 15000 Series Hopper Cars

Index

[NOT A] Builder's Photo

Courtesy Scott J Whitney. Approx Aug, 1973. Cropped to car. Click on photo to view at "full" resolution.

WM Class Diagrams

Courtesy Western Maryland Railway Historical Society, Inc. Used with permission.
Click on image to see original scan at full resolution (or right-click → "Save Picture As" to download black and white image, to view it at full resolution)
After rebuild (probably closer to what the B&M bought)

"Original"?

Specifications From WM Class Diagram

I am assuming this (more or less) continues "as is" after the cars were bought by the B&M

Spec 15000-15499 15500-16499
Builder : Bethlehem Steel Co Western Maryland Ry shops
Order # DF-3421 ?
Quantity 500 1000
Build Date 2/1927 ?
New Body 1952-1953 ?
AAR class HM
Nominal Cap'y 110,000 lbs (55 tons)
Load Limit 125,300 lbs
Lt Weight 43,700 lbs
Max load on rails 169,000 lbs
Description 7 channel ribs (per B&MRRHS Modelers Notes No 37)
Cubic Cap'y 1835 Cu. Ft.
Body Steel underframe, steel superstructure
Floor ⅜"
Sides ¼"
Door operating device Wine
Door opening 30" x 39"
Ladders
Trucks
Air Brake W.A.B. [Westinghouse Air Brake?] "AB" 10" x 12"
Hand Brake Ajax - 22" wheel
Trucks A.A.R. Integral Cast Steel
Lateral Motion Device Barber
Axles A.A.R. 5½" x 10"
Wheels CI [Cast Iron?] A.A.R. 33"
Journals 5½" x 10"
Side Bearings Stucki
Center Sills
Coupler AAR "D"
Coupler Centering Device None
Coupler uncoupling device Carmer
Draft Gear Miner A-22-XB
Draft Attachments Farlow 2-key
Brake Power 31,980 lbs (72%)
Brake Beam Aux. Support Single Economy - Creco
Brake Shoes
Retaining Valve
Angle Cock Holder Hannaford

ORER data and numbers

ORER Size Data
Description 7/1966
(15000 series) 1/1967
(72xx series)
AAR Mechanical Designation HT
Inside
Dimensions Length 30'-5"
Width 9'-6"
Height
Outside
Dimensions Length 32'-3"
Width At Eaves or top of sides or platform 10'-2"
Extreme Width 10'-2"
Height
from
Rail To Extreme Width 10'-6"
To Eaves or top of sides or platform 10'-6"
To Top of Running Board
To Extreme Height 10'-6"
Door - Side
opening Width
Height
Capacity Cu Ft. Level Full 1835
Pounds 110000 154000

ORER History
ORER Date
(Year-Mo.) Car
Numbers # of
Cars Description Renumbered cars
1966 - 07 15000-16467 45 Hopper, Self-Clearing
1966 - 10 (same) Hopper, Self Clearing
1967 - 01 " 25 " 7275-7299 20
1967 - 04 " 18 " 7265-7299 27
1967 - 07 " 9 " 7260-7299 36
1967 - 10 (same) (same)
1968 - 01 (same) (same)
1968 - 04 (same) (same)
1968 - 07 Not listed " 38
1968 - 10 (same)
1969 - 01 (same)
1969 - 04 (same)
1969 - 07 " 36
1969 - 10 " 33
1970 - 01 (same)
1970 - 04 " 31
1970 - 07 (same)
1970 - 10 " 30
1971 - 01 " 29
1971 - 04 (same)
1971 - 07 (same)
1971 - 10 " 27
1972 - 01 (same)
1972 - 04 (same)
1972 - 07 (same)
1972 - 10 " 26
1973 - 01 " 25
1973 - 04 " 24
1973 - 07 (same)
1973 - 11 (same)
1974 - 01 " 22
1974 - 04 (same)
1974 - 07 " 21
1974 - 10 " 19
1975 - 01 " 18
1975 - 04 " 17
1975 - 07 (same)
1975 - 10 " 16
1976 - 01 " 15
1976 - 04 (same)
1976 - 07 " 14
1976 - 10 (same)
1977 - 01 (same)
1977 - 04 (same)
1977 - 07 (same)
1977 - 10 (same)
1978 - 01 " 13
1978 - 04 Not listed

ORER Notes

Discussion, General Notes

Per Don Clerke
Renumbered to 7200 [sic] series cars

per Northern New England Color Guide
ex Western Maryland 15000 series 2 bay "channel side" hoppers

per B&MRRHS Modeler's Notes #39:
15000s were renumbered to 7260-7299

From what I can tell, these are ex-WM "H1" (#15000-15499, built 2-1927 by Bethlehem Steel) and/or "H2" (#15500-16499, built 11-1927 by the WM shops) series cars. Note there is a WM roster available here
KGA: As part of the renumbering, the capacity changed from 110000 to 154000 lbs (rest of dimensions the same).
Unknown (but assumed): trucks were changed at the same time? (or journals replaced? or ???)
from Neubauer, Eric.Evans Products Company Freight Car Roster Notes
In the US Railway Equipment Co. records, lot 567 covers the 45 cars in this series, sold to the B&M
However, the next lot (568) is for 6 ex-WM cars, also sold to the B&M
Lot 568 could either be:

The 6 cars in B&M series 011-016 (i.e. 6 additional cars)
"Roofs" (covers) to equip 6 cars from lot 567 (15000-16467 series) with covers, and those cars so equipped were then renumbered to 011-016

Paint Schemes

References or other data

This includes original WM cars.

Kline, Larry, "Kitbashing a Western Maryland Channel Side Hopper in O Scale" Railroad Model Craftsman January 1999, page 58
Hawkins, Ed, "Western Maryland Channel Side 55-Ton Hoppers" Railmodel Journal May 1997, page 28
B&MRRHS Modelers Notes #48 (May-Jun 1997), p2 they discuss these cars

Photographs

Page Car # Photo Date
yr-mo-day Visible? Markings Paint
Scheme Herald Notes

Northern New England Color Guide
p36 7270 1970-10 Y X A BM R G N N N N N N Black none loaded with stone
Don Clerke inserts into B&MRRHS Bulletin
i 9 photo 14 7266 X B? X BM R G N N N N N N Black none Weathered. Interior partially visible. in MOW service?
Classic Freight Cars - the Series - vol 2
p10 7271 1974 I have not yet seen this photo. Listed in B&MRRHS Modelers Notes #48 (May-Jun 1997)
LSHRA, Ed Wilkommen Collection
7269 [RW=196x?] X B BM R G N N N N N N Black none

Renumberings/Conversions/Dispositions

Date Quantity New Numbers Description
1967 38 7260-7299 Renumbered
1969 6 011-016 Converted to covered hoppers (Metal roof added, hopper chutes modified, etc.)
and Renumbered

Models

Scale Manufacturer Stock number Car number Paint scheme Notes
HO Bowser
(originally Stewart Hobbies) #41392 7243 Plain black, no herald Also available as UNDEC and kits
Currently shown as out-of-stock (7/2020)
HO #41393 7248
HO #41394 7254
N MD Shops / Shapeways? ? (not decorated?) 3D Printed

Revision History

File History for THIS page
Date Who Description
31-Dec-2019 KG Akerboom Initial release
17-Mar-2020 KG Akerboom Standardized Don Clerke "source" link
04-Apr-2020 KG Akerboom Re-did references/photos section
22-Apr-2020 KG Akerboom Updated per B&MRRHS Modeler's Notes #39
25-Apr-2020 KG Akerboom Updated per B&MRRHS Modelers Notes No 37
05-May-2020 KG Akerboom Moved ORER notes into separate section
15-Jul-2020 KG Akerboom Moved 7260-7299 series onto this page, added (not a) builder's photo
16-Jul-2020 KG Akerboom Added Bowser models
21-Jul-2020 KG Akerboom Added WM Class diagram info
21-Jul-2020 KG Akerboom "Photos" table - changed "vertical" text to PNG of "sideways" text; added "Markings" columns
07- thru
16-Aug-2020 KG Akerboom Added ORER data (History only, not dims or notes yet) for 63 more registers, courtesy of James Kinkaid
20-Aug-2020 KG Akerboom Added more Eric Neubauer data
17-Nov-2020 KG Akerboom Standardized formatting of Classification Card(s) section
28-Dec-2020 KG Akerboom Added photos listed in Modelers Notes
21-Aug-2021 KG Akerboom Added Ed Wilkommen Collection photo