COTS and ACI what is it?
- Thread starter meanjean
- Start date
Rico
BN Modeller
Clean, Oil, Test, and Stencil and Automatic Car Identification( also called AEI).
I do the COTS but I'm not certified to sign anything.
The ACI are the barcodes that once kept track of railcars, still see them around from time to time.
I just found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Equipment_Identification
I do the COTS but I'm not certified to sign anything.
The ACI are the barcodes that once kept track of railcars, still see them around from time to time.
I just found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Equipment_Identification
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cv_acr
Well-Known Member
The COTS stencil block is the white bordered black box with data stencilled in it.
Example in the top right of this photo:
http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?o=thb&i=thb2808_2
As already mentioned, ACI (also known by the brand name Kartrak) was the old bar-code panels for car identification, which was used from the mid 1960s to about 1977. These panels can still be found on some older cars from the 1970s that are still in their original paint.
Another common lettering detail to be aware of is the U-1 wheel inspection dot. In the late 1970s there was a batch of wheels from a certain supplier that was found to be defective, so there was a huge program in 1978 to inspect cars to find and replace any of those wheels. Cars that had been inspected and did not have any of those wheels received a marking in the form of a yellow circle on a black square. Brand new cars in 1978 also received these to show they didn't have bad wheels. Anything 1979 or newer would not have this detail; anything 1978 and older definately would if you model 1978 or later.
Example in the top right of this photo:
http://canadianfreightcargallery.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?o=thb&i=thb2808_2
As already mentioned, ACI (also known by the brand name Kartrak) was the old bar-code panels for car identification, which was used from the mid 1960s to about 1977. These panels can still be found on some older cars from the 1970s that are still in their original paint.
Another common lettering detail to be aware of is the U-1 wheel inspection dot. In the late 1970s there was a batch of wheels from a certain supplier that was found to be defective, so there was a huge program in 1978 to inspect cars to find and replace any of those wheels. Cars that had been inspected and did not have any of those wheels received a marking in the form of a yellow circle on a black square. Brand new cars in 1978 also received these to show they didn't have bad wheels. Anything 1979 or newer would not have this detail; anything 1978 and older definately would if you model 1978 or later.
COTS was applied to freight cars starting in 1972. It only had air brake info. A few years latter lube info was added so now they are called Consolidated Stencils. Now there are 3 parts to them. Glad my era is pre-70s era so don't worry about them much less ACI!
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meanjean
Member
Thanks for the info. I knew you all would know. So answer this. I model SP in the 80s so most cars would have the ACI decals? Where do I find them so I can add them to my fleet (HO Scale)? Also was there a standard location on boxcars vs hoppers vs flat cars? Or just where ever there is a clear spot on the car?
Not as worried about the COTS label but if I could find those also that would be great.
Not as worried about the COTS label but if I could find those also that would be great.
Rico
BN Modeller
Here's a few for you:
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...e=MC-4126&Category_Code=DATA&Product_Count=23
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...e=MC-4280&Category_Code=DATA&Product_Count=11
Dig around here: http://www.microscale.com/ under data and the year you need, should turn something up.
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...e=MC-4126&Category_Code=DATA&Product_Count=23
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...e=MC-4280&Category_Code=DATA&Product_Count=11
Dig around here: http://www.microscale.com/ under data and the year you need, should turn something up.
cv_acr
Well-Known Member
Highball Graphics also has decals for some these items.
You say you model the 1980s, so here goes:
1.) Any cars 1977 and older will have ACI plates.
http://mgdecals.com/Accessory Decals/AD-7.htm
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MD&Product_Code=MC-4280
2.) Any cars 1978 or older with 33" wheels (70 ton cars and under) will have U-1 inspection markings (massive inspection program in 1978 for a defective batch of wheels) which are the yellow circle on black square marks that can still sometimes be seen on older cars in original paint:
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2...ct_Code=MC-5012&Product_Count=&Category_Code=
3.) Here's older style consolidated stencil blocks to use:
http://mgdecals.com/Accessory Decals/AD-3.htm
http://mgdecals.com/Accessory Decals/AD-4.htm
(Microscale only seems to offer a COTS collection in N scale...)
4.) Other useful things:
Hazmat placards
http://mgdecals.com/Accessory Decals/AD-13.htm
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MD&Product_Code=87-975
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MD&Product_Code=87-228
Now, you'll probably want a small variety of these different markings, so you can add up to $20 pretty quick.
ACI is not AEI. ACI was an optical system that predated AEI. A plate with a barcode was put on the cars and an optical reader read the info. It fell out of favor because the tags were difficult to read when dirty.
AEI is a RFID chip in a plastic housing riveted to the car sides. Its a plastic housing about 8 inches long and a couple inches wide (usually grey). A reader sends out a radio pulse and the chip echoes with the car ID. Works very reliably.
ICG/SOU
HO & O (3-rail) trainman
On the wheel dots: if wheels were proven defective after inspection, they got a white dot (not yellow) and the wheels had to be replaced within the year.
For the ACI plates, different railroads had different practices. I model SOU, ICG, and a little GM&O. The GM&O, even into the ICG era, did not always have ACI plates on their equipment, especially cabooses, while the ICG was pretty good about having ACI plates on theirs. Consult prototype pictures of the era you're modeling.
If you get the set from Microscale, there is a diagram on proper placement on various cars.
For COTS plates, the first ones started as a single box, then they went to two and three sections as time went on. The ones you see on cars now (3 sections) are generally from the 1980s cars. Though, each railroad had their preferences, so check out prototype pictures.
For the ACI plates, different railroads had different practices. I model SOU, ICG, and a little GM&O. The GM&O, even into the ICG era, did not always have ACI plates on their equipment, especially cabooses, while the ICG was pretty good about having ACI plates on theirs. Consult prototype pictures of the era you're modeling.
If you get the set from Microscale, there is a diagram on proper placement on various cars.
For COTS plates, the first ones started as a single box, then they went to two and three sections as time went on. The ones you see on cars now (3 sections) are generally from the 1980s cars. Though, each railroad had their preferences, so check out prototype pictures.
