Freight car rosters

[Anonymous]

Is there a source book to tell MR's when various types of freight cars were introduced on U.S. railroads? For example, when were bathtub gons first used by the D&RGW? When did refrigerated reefers replace the old iced reefers on the Pacific Fruit Express? I'm modeling in the mid-60's, and I just don't know when new car types appeared. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

There is a book that came out every year for sure and possibly even monthly that lists every car owned by all the railroads. I've only heard of them but I think the title is something like Freight Car Equipment Registry. I know they have them for every year, the farther back the harder they are to find obviously. But I know they pop up on ebay and swap meets sometimes. Good luck with your hunt.

[CShaveRR]

That's the Official Railway Equipment Register, published quarterly. They're expensive when bought new...I just ordered a single copy for $100 (they were $5 when I bought my first one!).
They list the cars currently in service by number series, and give dimensions, capacity and quantity...maybe a small description. But that's about it.

I don't think it sounds quite like what you're looking for, though, which would be a thorough history of freight cars, brought up to date. You'd probably be better off going to the Historical Society of the railroad in question. There are a couple of freight-car-interest groups on Yahoo: MFCL (Modern Freight Car List) and Freightcarworld, both of which have reputable people monitoring them and posting responses to specific questions.

D&RGW had Bathtub gons? Oh, yeah...series 5000-5119...secondhand, ex-PLMX, from 1981 until about 1984.

[CShaveRR]

Hi. 'Tis I again. I looked over your original question, and your first respondent may be right, in that you should probably look for an equipment register from the period you're modeling, at a swap meet or on an auction. It would at least show the types of cars that were in service.

Again, getting specific: Bathtub gons were definitely not a mid-Sixties thing (and I'm sorry...the D&RGW cars I mentioned before were standard coal gons, not the bathtub variety); they came along probably in the mid- and late 70s.

As for PFE, they had a few mechanical reefers by the mid-60s, but ice-cooled cars would last into the 70s.

[Anonymous]

Carl, where are you acquired the Official Railway Equipment Register? Also I would be interested the purchase of one copie.
Finally on this book there are also photo of the freight cars?
Thank's in advance.

[CShaveRR]

You caught the part about one copy being $100.00, right?

I ordered mine directly from the publisher,
Commonwealth Business Media
1-888-215-6084.

No, there are no pictures in the Registers; just tables giving descriptions, dimensions, capacities, and quantities for each series of cars. If you get a current copy, you'll no longer have to ask which railroad or privite company has those reporting marks (initials)
...always a good thing to know.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your information Carl.