My BL2 and Rider Car

[Tom Kepshire]

Here are the BL2 and Rider Car that I modeled during the 90's. I believe they are still in operation in Bloomington, IN. On Bob Simunic's layout.

[Justin Asbery]

Here is the rider car I built for use on our clubs layout. I basically built it on an old TYCO flatcar. Decals still need to be added. It was one of those scrapbox builds!

[Joe Land]

Looks good!!

[Donald Bailey]

I want a HO scale Rider Car so bad I can taste it.  I did acquire an Overland Models Inc. brass (see attached pic), but I am afraid of ruining it with wrong color. Also no decals came with it.

You did a nice job on the scratch built.  Are there mechanical drawings available for the Rider Car?  I have scaled the dimensions from photographs, but those are estimates.

Can MRHTS get Accrail or someone to to make it in HO, to be sold through the Monon Store.  I should think it would be a money maker.  That car is very unique to the Monon and frequently appears in photographs.

Thanks, Mike Bailey

[Robert Gibson]

Mont Switzer has decals for the rider car and there are several photos in the picture of the week archives on Monon.org

[Robert Gibson]

Here's a picture of your model 81224.

[Donald Bailey]

Robert,

That's a helpful picture!
Do you have a source of mechanical info i.e. drawings, dimensions, on the Rider Cars?

Thanks

[Robert Gibson]

I don't have the mechanical drawings.  Your brass model should be pretty accurate.

[Ron Marquardt]

Rider car equipment drawing and information courtesy of Steve Dolzall.  / Ron

[Tom Kepshire]

Mike. I have worked with Accurail on other Society projects. Most of their kits come from parts molded by other companies. Example, most every railroad used the 7700 series two bay composite hopper, so they get thousands of stock kits then finish them in individual schemes and roads. It would be great to have a kit of the rider cars, but it was such a unique item that the cost for tooling to make the molds would not justify a low volume run.

With 3d computer printing and other methods coming available, it may not be long before someone has the capability to do these.

Chad Boas did make resin kits at one time, but I don't know if he has any left.

[Chuck Stewart]

Very nice models, Tom!  When I Googled "railroad rider car" I came up empty.  When I Googled "Monon rider car", I found some info on the Society's site.  My questions: was the Monon the only railroad to use rider cars?  What time period were they used?

[Robert Gibson]

Monon wasn't the only railroad to use a "rider car".  Some railroads used a regular caboose as a rider car.  Monon's built the rider cars for a special purpose.  I think the rider car was used on locals because of the Indiana full crew law that required and engineer, fireman, conductor, flagman, and brakeman for a train of less than 70 cars.  An extra brakeman was required on trains of 70 cars or more.  I assume that because the main function of a local was switching along the way a rider car was more convenient for the brakeman.  If there wasn't a seat in the engine for the brakeman, he could ride in the "rider car".  The rider car may have been used for LCL freight and company supplies on locals too.  Princeton, Indiana (where I live) was a crew change point on the Southern Railway Louisville-St. Louis line.  Eastbound trains with more than 70 cars stopped at Mt. Carmel, Illonois to allow the extra brakeman ride the 12 miles to Princeton.  Westbound trains with more than 70 cars had to have the extra brakeman ride to the state line at Mt. Carmel.

[Donald Bailey]

Ron Marquardt,

The information provided by Steve Dolzall is great.  This gives me some actual measurements that I can use to gauge the estimates I made from photographs.

Thank you so much!

Mike Bailey 

[Tom Kepshire]

I've told the story, but I am partial to the Rider Car and #32 because they were the only ride I ever had on the Monon. Between Pleasant Ridge elevator and Monticello. Since Junior Cooper was one of the brakemen, we rode in the Rider Car instead of the caboose. It was 1964 and I was 9 years old.

[Donald Bailey]

Tom,

That's a nice ride between Monticello and Pleasant Ridge.  I was 15 in 1964.  My dad took me night fishing for Silver Bass on Lake Freeman.  We would tie up our boat under the car bridge (Tiago bridge?) seen behind the Monon Deck bridge in Dick Fontaine's picture attached.  This shows a Rider Car attached heading south toward Delphi.  It was so impressive to watch Monon trains cross that bridge, while sitting a water level looking up.  Actually scarey for a young boy.  I grew up in Frankfort where my dad would take us to the depot to watch the Monon passenger arrive on its way to Chicago.

I never got to ride the Monon.

Mike