# What's a "Murphy Roof"?



## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

The back inside cover of the new GR has an ad from Bachmann showing off their new 1:20.3 box cars "now available with a Murphy roof design."


Okay, I'll display my ignorance in front of everybody -- what's a Murphy roof? Who had them and when? (Are we talking about the walkways?)


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## Trains West (Oct 4, 2008)

wood roofs would leak so they came up with a interlocking tin cover plates to go over the roof and ribs on the roof ... some also had dogs along the edge to help hold them on though they where known for falling off


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Check out the photos on the "New Bachmann Boxcar" thread: 

*New Bachmann Boxcar thread*


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Fortunately, Murphy was much more welcome as a roofer than as a lawyer... 

Later, 

K


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

This Murphy guy sure gets around, pretty good at making beds too.


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## Andre Anderson (Jan 3, 2008)

When metal roofs for cars were first stated there were several styles of said roofs, Murphy was one of these.

Andre


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Murphy roofs are easy to spot, they are flat with wide seams. They were among one of the earliest common metal roof designs.


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## astrayelmgod (Jan 2, 2008)

Like those roofs weren't dangerous enough on a dark rainy night, they cover it in slippery metal. Why not just shoot the brakeman, and get it over with?


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By SteveC on 03 Sep 2010 11:49 AM 
This Murphy guy sure gets around, pretty good at making beds too.










I think they were 8 brothers who made things one of which was a law maker


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

If you go to the thread I started on the new Bachmann box car as suggested by Pete, you will see the new "Murphy roof" on the box car. The AMS cattle cars in the background have the same type of wooden roof that the previous Bachmann box cars have.

New Bachmann Box car 

Chuck


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks guys for all the info! I've got the general idea, I think, but there is one thing that still confuses me. Spule 4 says the roofs were flat with wide seams. But if I'm looking at the right pix of the right box cars (in the *New Bachmann Boxcar *thread) the roofs seem to have perpendicular ribs across them. Was the tin sheet between these ribs?


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Gary

Maybe the following will be of some help.

U.S. Patent No. 414,069[/b]
P.H. Murphy[/b]
Metal Roof[/b]


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Gary, sorry for the confusion, should have read "flat panels with wide seams". Steve C hit the nail on the head with the patent drawing. The ribs is where they interlocked. 

Back in my HO prototype modelling days there was a need to know such things like roof types, ends, etc.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Although at times it gets hard to tell just which is which. Murphy filed a patent infringement suit against Jennings, however the court dismissed it later on.

U.S. Patent No. 446,780[/b]
C. M. Jennings[/b]
Car Roof[/b]


P. H. Murphy Manufg. Co. v. Excelsior Car-Roof Co.[/b]
August 21, 1896[/b]


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Gotcha! That patent drawing is pretty darned self-explanatory, isn't it? It also gives me a patent DATE of 1889, which I was curious about. Thanks everybody, for the lesson!


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Neither patent looks like what Bachmann calls a Murphy roof. I looked in the 1922 Car Builder's Cyclopedia and it looks closer to a National Flexible roof.


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Just commentary, but what is called Jennings roof looks an awfull lot like a 'Standing Seam' roof used today. 

Bob C,


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

Safety was one of the reasons wooden roof walks were not painted.


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