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What is Southern 100? It does not fit usual railroad language. It's called a car but it's a very special kind of car. It is a series of pin-jointed units that can be linked together in combinations of various lengths and total capacity ( in the present case four "car modules " constitute the car). Standard couplers are used at the "car" ends.
Sixteen doors per unit open to discharge 65 tons in 15 seconds. |
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The car body structure is all aluminum. The trucks on which the car rides are of a new design, each unit has single axle trucks at the ends. There are two sets of springs in the car trucks, one for use in the unloaded state, the other coming into use when the car is loaded. Disc-type air brakes are used and railroaders will miss the sight of the familiar brake shoes working on wheel treads. There are many other departures from traditional design but the car as built meets all requirements which the Association of American Railroads lays down for guidance in the working, strength, and safety characteristics of railroad rolling stock.
Huge capacity and light weight are evident to these men looking over Southern 100 during the Middletown display. |
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Southern 100 was engineered by men accustomed to the very rigorous standards of aeronautics design, men who, as they say, must know that something will fly before it is ever put into the air. Southern100 doesn't fly but it has already performed well in tests, doing exactly what was expected of it.
An inverted-V aluminum hood attached to the units spans open space and spreads coal into the units as they are loaded while in movement. |
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Such things, for example, as riding perfectly, empty and under load, at high/speeds. And, of dumping each module's 65-ton load of coal in about 15 seconds. That means that a 100-unit "car" carrying about 12,000 tons of coal can be dumped in a little over 30 minutes as it moves over track pits at a speed of two miles an hour . The cars can be loaded while moving, too.
Car trucks are of a new design concept and give excellent riding characteristics for both loaded and empty units. |
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So far, Southern 100 is the only thing of its kind in the railroad transportation world. But it has aroused more interest, probably, than anything since the diesel locomotive. In Mr. Brosnan's words, "the car seems truly to hold great promise for reducing transportation costs and saving people money." .