Q: Although I’m an N scale modeler, I read the review of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy HO scale buffer car on Trains.com. Reading the description brought up a question. Do railroads designate cars to dedicated buffer service? If so, how are these cars identified as used in buffer service only? — Perry A. Pollino
A: Thanks for reading the review, Perry. Before answering your question, let’s first talk briefly about what buffer service cars are. They’re freight cars placed between the locomotive and cars carrying hazardous cargo to protect the train crew in the event of a derailment. The buffer car not only puts extra space between the crew and the rest of the train, but it also keeps flammable materials away from a potential ignition source. Some unit crude oil and ethanol trains also have a second buffer car at the end.
A variety of car types can be used in buffer service, including boxcars, covered hoppers, gondolas, open hoppers, and tank cars. The one exception is flatcars. Buffer cars are loaded with non-hazardous material that won’t shift in transit (sand and rocks are a couple of examples). Information on the Union Pacific website lists additional specifications, including car length (45 to 75 feet), minimum gross weight (45 tons), and coupler type (grade E).
With that practical information covered, let’s get to your questions. Yes, railroads designate cars for buffer service. I spotted the Southern Ry. Pullman-Standard three-bay covered hopper above in a Canadian National unit train on June 16, 2017. Below the last two digits of the road number is a red stencil that reads “Buffer.”
BNSF Ry. has a large fleet of buffer service cars. In 2011 it started reassigning General American 4,180-cubic-foot capacity Airslide covered hoppers to buffer service. The former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and Burlington Northern cars were given BNSF reporting marks and renumbered into the 808000 through 808299 series.
As the need for buffer cars grew, BNSF introduced the 808300 through 808731 and 808900 through 808966 series. In addition to Airslide covered hoppers, the railroad began using covered hoppers traditionally associated with grain service as buffers, including FMC and Pullman-Standard cars.
Along with renumbering the cars, BNSF applied “Buffer Service (or Svc) Only Do Not Load” stencils to the car sides. Some cars were further lettered “Hatch Covers and Outlet Gates Welded Shut”.
BNSF Ry. buffer cars have been offered commercially by several manufacturers, including Athearn Trains, Atlas Model Railroad Co., Fox Valley Models, Micro-Trains Line Co., ScaleTrains, and Tangent Scale Models. Buffer service decals are available from CMR Products in multiple scales. Circus City Decals offers decals for HO scale cars.
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