EBT Billmeyer & Smalls Open End Coal Dump Body

In 1874, the EBT awarded a contract for 75 wooden, flat bottom coal dump cars to Billmeyer and Smalls of York, PA, to move coal along the line. These cars were 23.5 feet long and 6 feet wide and featured Z-braces for strength. Over time, modifications were made to strengthen the car and address durability problems. The changes included adding outside truss rods, increasing wheel size from 20 inches to 24 inches, and enlarging the journals. Capacity remained at 20,000 lbs. The wooden car sides extended to the end Z-braces, leaving the triangular areas formed by the Z-braces and vertical posts at the car ends open.

We are pleased to offer one piece 3-D printed car body models in HO, S and O scales to represent this early modified B & S coal dump car. The picture, courtesy of Ric Case, shows the HO version unpainted. Trucks, couplers, truss rods, and brake "wheel" shown in the photo are not included. Car body is unpainted and may have excess material from the 3D printing process that must be removed using a knife, nippers, or other similar tool.

See the article in the Timber Transfer, Vol. 34, No. 4, Winter 2022 issue, for an in-depth article about these early EBT coal cars.