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Re the underbody detail on these cars —
The diagram says the brake gear is AB-1B. I recall a post from Dennis Storzek on STMFC or somewhere on exactly what it is. From memory, it’s basically the same as a freight car AB brake with a few enhancements that might not be visible from trackside.
And of course, there’s the steam line, which was wrapped with asbestos insulation. I’m not positive about the line size or the insulation thickness, but I believe you’d end up with an effective 4″ diameter or so line under the car. MoPac had the steam line running close up under the floor from each end through the bolster, then dipping down a few feet past the truck so that it cleared the crossbearers. And of course the steam connection was on the left side of the coupler at each end, so it also crossed over the centersill. As such, it’s pretty visible under these cars.
RG7
