Another help request for my forums friends: Does anyone know where I might find 70s era pictures of the MILW 97700-97999 series of covered hoppers? The only picture of the series that I managed to find is located here: http://freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=milw97950&o=milw. This picture is a Pullman-Standard picture that shows a sample as manufactured. For what I need, this pic is too early.
As usual, any help that can be provided will be welcomed.
I don't know if you looked here?
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/milw/milw-f.html
Scroll down about 3/4 to the LO listings and you will find a few photos that might be close.
Or here?
http://www.railcarphotos.com/Search.php?SearchBatch=Lot+9174&Search=Search
Hope that helps, Ed
Railroad Historical associations are a great source of information. The Milwaukee Raod has one: www.mrha.com If your a CMSt.P & P modeler, you may want to join, only $30.00 perr year.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Dated 1994 but may be of some use:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3103036
Rob Spangler
gmpullman I don't know if you looked here? http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/milw/milw-f.html Scroll down about 3/4 to the LO listings and you will find a few photos that might be close. Or here? http://www.railcarphotos.com/Search.php?SearchBatch=Lot+9174&Search=Search Hope that helps, Ed
I had tried the first link already without success. I hadn't seen the second link but those images didn't help either.
wp8thsub Dated 1994 but may be of some use: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3103036
Unfortunately, that image doesn't help either.
What I am looking for is an idea of where the "dreaded" (my quotes) ACI plates were placed on this series of cars. (I really hate dealing with ACI plates but then of course that's what I get for modeling the era I do.)
NP2626 Railroad Historical associations are a great source of information. The Milwaukee Raod has one: www.mrha.com If your a CMSt.P & P modeler, you may want to join, only $30.00 perr year.
I don't model the CMStP & P as my primary railroad. Where the Milkwaukee works its way into my layout is that it operated in the same general area as I model and the cars would seem to have reasonably interchanged. (Primary foreign road is BN [ex-NP cars mostly with the occasional SP&S, "Q" and GN] with appearances by Milwaukee, Soo Line and a few others.)
I may be forced to contact the Milkwaukee Road Historical Association to see if they have any ideas, but that does give me another avenue to explore.
FRRYKidWhat I am looking for is an idea of where the "dreaded" (my quotes) ACI plates were placed on this series of cars.
In all likelihood they were in random locations. If the car retained factory paint, many of the ACI labels were probably added by contractors who got a "bounty" for getting cars into compliance. If you can find a photo of one car, it may be the only one with the ACI in that location.
FRRYKidWhat I am looking for is an idea of where the "dreaded" (my quotes) ACI plates were placed on this series of cars. (I really hate dealing with ACI plates but then of course that's what I get for modeling the era I do.)
If you follow this diagram, no one will be able to pick your nit about where the ACI label is...
The box with the arrow indicates the recommended label location, the single stripe diagonal boxes are permissable locations, per AAR Mechanical Division instructions.
I'd be willing to bet that the ACI label was located in the same panel where the "Consolodated Stencil" is shown in the current photos, in the panel below the last E of MILWAUKEE just above the inboard axel.
Just tryin' to help, Ed
gmpullman I'd be willing to bet that the ACI label was located in the same panel where the "Consolodated Stencil" is shown in the current photos, in the panel below the last E of MILWAUKEE just above the inboard axel. Just tryin' to help, Ed
That's where I was thinking it might have been, but I wasn't sure. Given that another person thought that, I think that is what I will go with. Thank you for all the assistance.
OK, this won't help you one tiny bit, but the Wiki entry on KarTrak ACI has an image of the ACI plate in the same panel as the consolidated stencil. Why it won't help you one tiny bit is that this seems to be a PC covered hopper (H54b class) but then again it doesn't hurt you either.I find it somewhat amusing that the ACI standards, mandated starting in 1968, used in their illustration a boxcar with roofwalks. I also didn't realize till I read the Wiki article that ACI used only 4 colors types - Red, Blue, Solid Black, White/Checkerboard. For whatever reason I thought it used a much bigger spectrum.
The Milwaukee Road Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment Vol. 2 (p. 89) has a 1978 photo of MILW 97836 with an ACI label attached to the bottom of the rib between the E and E of the road name, as well as a 1975 photo of MILW 97963 with no ACI label.
-- John
While it is true the Fallen Flags website linked above does not include the series of covered hoppers being asked about, it DOES illustrate that within a given series of Milwaukee Rd covered hoppers there was some variation in where the ACI label was placed.
Dave Nelson
Just found a picture of one of one of the ex-Milwaukee hoppers with evidence of the ACI under the "A" and the "O" along the bottom edge of that panel. (In an eBay listing for a Hopper modeling CD, so pic sources can come from most anywhere.) That may be another option as well.
One of the reasons given for abandonment of the ACI system was that the plates too often became obscured by road grime. But I wouldn't be surprised if "improper location" or "failure to apply" were also issues.