Yes, the Western & Atlantic RR had cotton cars. Other lines, such as the Memphis & Charleston RR, since Memphis was a huge distribution point for cotton, could have had them as well. But I do not know for certain, strictly a presumption. However, a member of our group sent me a brief article from one of the Georgia newspapers. It specifically indicated that special box cars were being built at the state penitentiary. These were designed to haul bales of cotton. The change in the boxcar was an increase in the width of the freight car's door to allow for the large cargo of cotton bales. The article also referenced that these cars were commissioned by the state-owned W&ARR.
Another member, who has much experience with 3-D printing, was reading about this and started producing a cotton car... in HO scale! Gerry used to have few items available through the now-defunct Shapeways site.
There are a few parts that make this a relatively quick build. Gerry is a stickler for detail. He referenced John White's book on freight cars and found a drawing.
The following are photos of his car parts and the result of my build. Painting is next.These are the result of his programming for HO and printing.
These are his wood beam trucks. He even provides a jig to attach the side frames.
One of the first steps was to clean the slightest amount of flashing. Took all of 45 seconds. Next was to remove the middle section of the one cross beam, then center the coupler shank.
Once the trucks were assembled, they were attached with a nut and bolt through the bottom of the car.
And the final product, sans paint. The other resounding comment in that newspaper clipping, the cars were painted yellow! This is huge, as so much of what has been written rarely indicates the colors of freight cars. We learned that many W&A cars were also a dark slate blue. My plan is a straw or medium to light yellow. That term has been seen in other writings, such as the W&A passenger cars and the baggage cars, which were also painted a "straw yellow".
