Choosing Reweigh dates

What would you expect to see looking in a group of freight cars in December 1944?  What should be the oldest NEW/Reweigh date?  Service date on the brakes?  In that era, the brakes needed to be inspected and truck journals repacked every 12 months.  Cars in revenue service other than those billed by gallonage, e.g. tank cars, had to be reweighed every 30 months.  So while Patton's Third Army was struggling to relieve the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, car knockers in Richmond and Oakland were sending cars last weighed on or before June 1942 to the scales to update their weights.  But what combinations of BLD and Reweigh dates would you see?  By December 44, cars built in June 42 or earlier should have been reweighed at least once.  Santa Fe's original curved line map scheme that was applied Dec 40 to April 41, what would the dates be on those unique cars?  If they were done right on time, the repack dates would range from 6-10 1944 and the reweigh dates would be 6-43 to 10-43.  The table below shows the dates at 30 month intervals you would see if a car was in continuous service and weighed on time.

RW date	Brake date	BLD 1	BLD 2	BLD 3	BLD 4	BLD 5	BLD 6	BLD 7	BLD 8	BLD 9	BLD 10
12-44	12-44	6-42	12-39	6-37	12-34	6-32	12-29	6-27	12-24	6-22	12-19
11-44	11-44	5-42	11-39	5-37	11-34	5-32	11-29	5-27	11-24	5-22	11-19
10-44	10-44	4-42	10-39	4-37	10-34	4-32	10-29	4-27	10-24	4-22	10-19
9-44	9-44	3-42	9-39	3-37	9-34	3-32	9-29	3-27	9-24	3-22	9-19
8-44	8-44	2-42	8-39	2-37	8-34	2-32	8-29	2-27	8-24	2-22	8-19
7-44	7-44	1-42	7-39	1-37	7-34	1-32	7-29	1-27	7-24	1-22	7-19
6-44	6-44	12-41	6-39	12-36	6-34	12-31	6-29	12-26	6-24	12-21	6-19
5-44	5-44	11-41	5-39	11-36	5-34	11-31	5-29	11-26	5-24	11-21	5-19
4-44	4-44	10-41	4-39	10-36	4-34	10-31	4-29	10-26	4-24	10-21	4-19
3-44	3-44	9-41	3-39	9-36	3-34	9-31	3-29	9-26	3-24	9-21	3-19
2-44	2-44	8-41	2-39	8-36	2-34	8-31	2-29	8-26	2-24	8-21	2-19
1-44	1-44	7-41	1-39	7-36	1-34	7-31	1-29	7-26	1-24	7-21	1-19
12-43	12-44	6-41	12-38	6-36	12-33	6-31	12-28	6-26	12-23	6-21	12-18
11-43	11-44	5-41	11-38	5-36	11-33	5-31	11-28	5-26	11-23	5-21	11-18
10-43	10-44	4-41	10-38	4-36	10-33	4-31	10-28	4-26	10-23	4-21	10-18
9-43	9-44	3-41	9-38	3-36	9-33	3-31	9-28	3-26	9-23	3-21	9-18
8-43	8-44	2-41	8-38	2-36	8-33	2-31	8-28	2-26	8-23	2-21	8-18
7-43	7-44	1-41	7-38	1-36	7-33	1-31	7-28	1-26	7-23	1-21	7-18
6-43	6-44	12-40	6-38	12-35	6-33	12-30	6-28	12-25	6-23	12-20	6-18
5-43	5-44	11-40	5-38	11-35	5-33	11-30	5-28	11-25	5-23	11-20	5-18
4-43	4-44	10-40	4-38	10-35	4-33	10-30	4-28	10-25	4-23	10-20	4-18
3-43	3-44	9-40	3-38	9-35	3-33	9-30	3-28	9-25	3-23	9-20	3-18
2-43	2-44	8-40	2-38	8-35	2-33	8-30	2-28	8-25	2-23	8-20	2-18
1-43	1-44	7-40	1-38	7-35	1-33	7-30	1-28	7-25	1-23	7-20	1-18
12-42	12-44	6-40	12-37	6-35	12-32	6-30	12-27	6-25	12-22	6-20	12-17
11-42	11-44	5-40	11-37	5-35	11-32	5-30	11-27	5-25	11-22	5-20	11-17
10-42	10-44	4-40	10-37	4-35	10-32	4-30	10-27	4-25	10-22	4-20	10-17
9-42	9-44	3-40	9-37	3-35	9-32	3-30	9-27	3-25	9-22	3-20	9-17
8-42	8-44	2-40	8-37	2-35	8-32	2-30	8-27	2-25	8-22	2-20	8-17
7-42	7-44	1-40	7-37	1-35	7-32	1-30	7-27	1-25	7-22	1-20	7-17

For my December 44 scenario it should hold true for most cars built in 1937 or later, as they are likely to have been active in the war build up.  As the weighing and inspection wasn't required if the car wasn't in service, the Depression likely caused deviations from the schedule above.

What is the point of the table above?  Striving for the impression that my layout really is in December 1944.  Any car with a reweigh prior to 7-42 needs to go to the scales and get re-lettered.  If I have two 1937 builders photos, one of a car with an 11-37 NEW date and the other with 4-37, reasonable reweigh dates are 11-42 and 10-44.  That will help me choose what decals to pick from the available RW stencils.  It could also be fun to enlist the aid of my operating crew to note the dates and have the crews route the MTYS to the scales if the weight date is out of range or the RIP track to repack the journals.

John Barry

Washington, DC

22 August 2015