W.C. Coup placed heavy connecting plates between cars so strings of wagons could be hitched together, pulled along the flats and down the runs. How many wagons depended on horse or elephant power handling the pull in the early days. When Caterpillar tractors, or smaller units as seen in this film, were used, the number taken off then depended on what the trainmaster wanted on the ground at the time. There were many bad runaways of wagons coming down the runs, either due to too heavy a dismount, or to wagons toppling over from speed, weight, or being top-heavy. But it was Coup who taught circus men how to unload flatcars, and history does not show that he patented his concept.
5 comments:
How early were circus trains
made up as roll on roll off
Are those braces just to support the
exhaust pipe & the front push grid
# 42 was electrical cable wagon.
Extra wheels means extra heavy
Sorta like a rubber wagon today
Big cable might be worse
W.C. Coup placed heavy connecting plates between cars so strings of wagons could be hitched together, pulled along the flats and down the runs. How many wagons depended on horse or elephant power handling the pull in the early days. When Caterpillar tractors, or smaller units as seen in this film, were used, the number taken off then depended on what the trainmaster wanted on the ground at the time. There were many bad runaways of wagons coming down the runs, either due to too heavy a dismount, or to wagons toppling over from speed, weight, or being top-heavy. But it was Coup who taught circus men how to unload flatcars, and history does not show that he patented his concept.
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