Hauling empties

[FowlmereRR]

I would welcome some information on railroad practices in 20's & 30's era around empty cars. I imagine that if, say, fruit was being sent in reefers from a fruit producing area to a fruit consuming area, then once that was offloaded there may not be anything at that end of the journey to send back, and thus utilise the car for revenue earning duties. The same may well apply to livestock, coal, and so on.

While boxcars could, presumably, be filled with return freight, was it common for trains of empties of other types to be seen?

Sorry if this is an obvious question to some - I am UK-based, and trying to work out what sort of traffic may have been seen on my planned ficticious New England pike.

Thanks, Bob.

[BRAKIE]

Bob,PFGX and FGX reefers was sent home empty as was Santa Fe,UP,SP etc reefers.

 

 

Any other type of cars could and more likely return to home rails empty.

 

 

[jrbernier]

  Reefers are a special case.  They usually have 'X' at the end of the reporting Mark's.  These are privately owned cars and the owner pays both the load and empty mileage.  I am sure he does not want to pay mileage for someone else to use it!

  Reefers were usually in assigned service(even railroad owned), and were routed empty to assigned locations if there was no load available.

  Most box cars were available for re-loading, but there were car service rules that governed pointing an off-line car back to it's home territory.

[Water Level Route]

Railroads would want to load their own cars first, then, if none were available, load another railroad's car if available, with preference given to the car which would end up closest to home due to the destination of the load.  Otherwise, railroads were keen to get other's empties off of their lines as there were fees associated with having them.  

[dehusman]

There are different types of cars.

General service cars are plain boxcars, flat cars, gondolas and hoppers.  They can normally be re-loaded when empty.

Assigned service or pool cars are specially equipped cars, reefers, automobile boxcars, plug door cars, cars with load dividers, insulated boxcars, covered hoppers, etc.  They are assigned by the railroad to specific service and shouldn't be reloaded, they should be returned empty.  A car stenciled "When empty return to..." is in a pool.

Private owner cars, whose reporting marks end in an "X", are owned by a company other than a railroad and can only be used in the service the owner allows, which is normally to and from the owner.  They are normally returned empty.

Some private owner cars may be leased to a railroad and can be used like pool or assigned service cars (i.e. RBOX, TTX).  That would be unusual in the 1920's or 30's (except for reefers).

There are exceptions, a railroad can file a "car service directive" with the ICC that can be an exception.  For example the N&W had a car service directive that all N&W hoppers were to be returned empty.

Often reefers would be reloaded, instead of returned empty, with a clean, expedited commodity, such as magazines, newspapers and express.

 

[csxns]

dehusman

Often reefers would be reloaded, instead of returned empty,

Here in NC Union Pacific Fruit Express reefers came here loaded from California and return back with Cannon mills towels.

[NittanyLion]

A curious one that I've actually seen photos of was northbound fruit being unloaded in Pittsburgh and the empties being loaded with fresh cut Christmas trees bound for the south. 

[FowlmereRR]

All great information - much appreciated. Thanks to all.

Bob