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Close the door?


Hermdog

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...sorry herm...it's pretty much impossible without a forklift or something like that...those doors are really heavy and when you apply pressure at the base of it, like you would if you were to push it closed, you would need an extrodinary amount of force to counter the static friction that is keeping it open...i have seen doors slam shut when cars are being humped, but i guess you'd need an engine to do that...

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It's possible, but difficult

 

Modern boxcars (called "plug-door" boxcars) are of a design that requires the doors to be closed before the car can be pulled over the road. The doors have brackets that allow the door to be pulled out away from the door jamb, and rolled on rollers that bear on an external door track. These rollers are supposed to be periodically maintained, greased, etc., but they almost never get maintained except at scheduled maintenance stand-downs. We grease the door on the boxcar on display at Britt every year before the Hobo Convention, and it can be opened and closed by two strong men. Taz actually rolled it closed mostly by himself this year, the rest of us there really weren't needed. But he's a really big guy, probably weighs over 250.

 

The older boxcars (called "revenue" boxcars) that can legally run with the doors open, are much more difficult to open or close. We rolled one open to get a view out both sides back in the day, but it took four guys and a lot of effort. These doors usually require a vehicle to open, either a forklift or a pick-up truck with a chain. I have seen warehouse workers open a sticky door with a Hi-Lift farm jack set horizontally too.

 

If you want to close one, do it from inside the car if possible (better leverage), and BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOCK YOURSELF IN. I never heard of anybody locking themselves inside a boxcar by accident, but I guess anything is possible. In other words, be sure the door on the other side is open enough to get out of the car. I'd roll it as far closed as I could from inside, then get out and finish closing it from the ground.

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Most but not all boxcars are always well maintained-

If a door doesn't open or close the customer/shipper can refuse a load or an empty on delivery due to the door not opening, Thus pissing the railroad off cause now they now have to pay for the car to be hauled back to the yard & off to the HOME SHOP FOR REPAIRS.

Most boxcar doors have a latch or lock located on the bottom of the track at the end of the door- look carefully at the mechanics.

I unlatched & unlocked a few boxcar doors to catch flicks of an e2e

Just watch your fingers!

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Guest schick1

one time at a really chill spot me and my freinds were bored so we opened the door of a boxcar to see what was in it,,,,,,,,,it took 3 of use to open it and there was just a bunch of paper laying around inside it.!

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Originally posted by LugKnut

how about just going on to the next car.I rather someone miss a good catch then come on here and read a thread called "chopped off fingers on boxcar door" or "locked in boxcar for hours till rail police escorted me out of it"

:lol: :lol:
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