B&M 5400 Pulpwood Cars

Boston & Maine 5400 Series Pulpwood Cars

Index

Builder's Photo

Does one exist?

B&M Classification Card(s)

Does one exist?

Specifications From Classification Cards

?

Spec Value
Builder International Steel (1954 annual report says Concord, NH shops?)
Lot #
Car Numbers CIX: #101-106
B&M: #5400-5411
Quantity CIX: 6
B&M: 12
Build Date 1954
AAR class LP
Lt Weight 48,000 (average)
Description Steel Bulkhead flatcars with inward sloping floors for pulpwood loading
Cubic Cap'y 23 cords (approx)
Floor "Retractagrid" 11⅜" slope downward from side of car to centerline
Bolster Symington pattern BO-5297
Trucks CSS side frames
Journals 5½" x 10" (110,000 nominal capacity)
Side Bearings Stucki roller #656-C
Springs AAR D-2 with Miner snubber
Wheels 33" one wear wrought steel
Air Brake AB with 10" x 12" cylinder
Center Sills Fabricated
Coupler AAR type E bottom operated
Coupler Yoke AAT[sic - AAR?] Commonwealth key yoke
Draft Gear Miner A-22-XB
Brake Beam AAR #3

ORER data and numbers

ORER Size Data
Description 1/1955
AAR Mechanical Designation LP
Inside
Dimensions Length 45'-9"
Width 9'-2"
Height 8'-2"
Outside
Dimensions Length 50'
Width At Eaves or top of sides or platform 9'-4"
Extreme Width 10'
Height
from
Rail To Extreme Width 3'-4"
To Eaves or top of sides or platform 12'-5"
To Top of Running Board
To Extreme Height 12'-9"
Door - Side
opening Width
Height
Capacity Cu Ft. Level Full
Pounds 100000

ORER History
ORER Date
(Year-Mo.) Car
Numbers # of
Cars Description
1955 - 01 5400-5411 12 Pulpwood, Steel
1955 - 04 (same)
1955 - 07 (same)
1955 - 10 (same)
1956 - 01 (same)
1956 - 04 (same)
1956 - 07 (same)
1956 - 10 (same)
1957 - 01 (same)
1957 - 04 (same)
1957 - 07 (same)
1957 - 10 (same)
1958 - 01 (same)
1958 - 04 (same)
1958 - 07 (same)
1958 - 10 (same)
1959 - 01 (same)
1959 - 04 (same)
1959 - 07 (same)
1959 - 10 (same)
1960 - 01 (same)
1960 - 04 (same)
1960 - 07 Not listed

ORER Notes

Discussion, General Notes

Another series of cars (2nd I've found) that had no attrition.
"V-floor" steel pulpwood racks
Per Tim Gilbert
In 1954, the Champion International mill in Haverhill, MA began to receive pulpwood from a debarking operation in Bow, NH. For this service, the B&M purchased 12 bulkhead flats (BM #5400-5411) especially built for pulpwood loading by International Steel Co. At the same time, Champion acquired another 6 cars (CIX #101-106) of the exact same design.
These cars were acquired for an specific purpose. When the need to serve that purpose ended around 1958, all eighteen cars were sold to the Maine Central and numbered in their #7669-7677 series. The CIX cars on October 13, 1958 and the B&M cars on February 18, 1960. The #5400s were the only bulhead flats that the B&M ever owned which were designed to carry pulpwood. The other bulhead flats that the B&M had were designed to carry gypsum board out of Newington, NH. These included the #5300-5309 series converted from #33500 flatcars in 1953 and the #5320-5339 series converted from the PS-5s purchased in 1957.

Car Book and/or Car Disposition Data

Car Books (1923-06 thru 1936-10, then 1944-05 thru 1960-03)

Volume number refers original book number
Part number refers to PDF file part as posted on B&MRRHS site
Page numbers refer to pages in PDF file(s) (L/R = Left or Right side of that PDF page)

Car Number(s) Vol Part Page Date Action Location Notes
5400 4 1 4R 1954-11-30 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5401 4 1 4R 1954-11-30 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5402 4 1 4R 1954-11-30 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5403 4 1 5L 1954-12-01 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5404 4 1 5L 1954-12-01 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5405 4 1 5L 1954-12-01 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5406 4 1 5L 1954-12-03 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5407 4 1 5L 1954-12-03 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5408 4 1 5L 1954-12-03 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5409 4 1 5L 1954-12-08 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5410 4 1 5L 1954-12-08 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)
5411 4 1 5L 1954-12-08 Built new Concord
5 2 8R 1960-02-09 Sold to MEC (SO 3639)

Paint Schemes

References or other data

B&M RR Magazine Jan-Feb, 1955 (vol 23 No. 1), p8 - Article on "new" CIX / 5400 series pulpwood flats
Bowden, Bruce C. "CIX/B&M/MEC Pulpwood Cars" B&MRRHS Modelers Notes #90 (May-Jun 2004), pp1-2
Kitbask of Walthers #932-5780 model for these cars.
"Kitbashed Pulpwood Flat Car" B&MRRHS Modelers Notes #144 (2008), p2
Very brief write up and photo of an O scale model by Bruce Clouette

Photographs

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

B&MRRHS Modelers Notes Issue No. included in "page" column
No.90 p1 CIL 103 p B CIL sister to B&M cars
No.90 p2 CIL 103 X X CIL sister to B&M cars
1954 B&M Annual report (available at B&MRRHS web site)
36 / inside rear cover 5405 ca 1954 X X Only known photo of one of the B&M cars, somewhat blurry?
Is that the "different" B&M herald applied to these cars, on bulkhead on car to its right?
B&M RR Magazine Jan-Feb, 1955 (vol 23 No. 1)
p8 CIL 103 1954? X X original CIL 2 (or 3?) CIL cars, article on both series

Renumberings/Conversions/Dispositions

Per Tim Gilbert

Date Quantity New Numbers Description
1958 6 (CIX cars) MEC 7660-7677 Sold to MEC
1960 12 (B&M cars) MEC 7660-7677 Sold to MEC

Models

Per B&MRRHS Modelers Notes #87 (Nov-Dec 2003) the "new" (at that time) Walthers #932-5780 cars are "very close"

Revision History

File History for THIS page
Date Who Description
03-Jan-2020 KG Akerboom Initial release
04-Apr-2020 KG Akerboom Re-did references/photos section
05-May-2020 KG Akerboom Moved ORER notes into separate section
30-May-2020 KG Akerboom Added B&M RR [Employees] Magazine photos
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
18-Oct-2020 KG Akerboom Added Car Book Data
30-Dec-2020 KG Akerboom Added Modelers Notes data
04-Jul-2021 KG Akerboom Reorganized Car Book and/or Car Disposition Data (Car # to 1st column, 2nd/other changes to new rows)