History of Railroad Pump Cars

History of Railroad Pump Cars. . , Did you know that this style of pump car dates back to approximately 1880? The relatively low weight allowed a crew of four to six people to easily lift it on or off tracks to clear the way for approaching trains. The cars were fitted with a brake consisting of a wooden shoe that bore against the wheels. Sometimes a leather pad was added to increase the friction and stopping power., Pump cars could be ordered with one of two gear ratios depending on the steepness of the territory in which they were to be used. In mountainous areas where grades were greater than 2% they were difficult to pump and push cars were used instead., A "Section Gang" of four to six people would inspect and repair a section of track, up to twelve miles long. Tools of the trade were generally carried on the car, consisting of a spike removal claw, spike hammer, shovels, picks, track wrench, rail cutting chisels, signal flags, spikes, bolts, water, oil cans, hack saw, files and a monkey wrench. Normal operating speed was about five miles per hour although on downhill tracks it was not uncommon to go fifteen miles per hour. At intervals along the right-of-way a "set off" platform was provided. This allowed the crew to take the car on and off the track without removing the tools., Pump cars fell into disuse around 1910 with the introduction of the motorized speeder car. One main problem of pump cars was that by the time the crew pumped to the location to work, they were already too tired to perform much work. Motorized cars moved faster and required fewer men to operate., As these cars were retired, immediate labor savings became apparent. From 1910 - 1915 the pace of retirement of these cars quickened, similar to the steam locomotives retirement in the 1950's.