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Saw a boxcar with roof walk today on the mainline - what's going on here?

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  • Member since
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Saw a boxcar with roof walk today on the mainline - what's going on here?
Posted by fieryturbo on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 11:48 AM

There was an interesting UP consist going northbound at IL 41 and 137 at around 7:48 this morning.  In it was an old Hydra Cushion car in its original paint scheme (unfortunately with graffiti all over it) and an ADM 40' box in the old yellow paint and old ADM logo.  The latter moved too fast to see the ladders or position of the handbrake, but there clearly was something that looked like a roof walk running across the top of it.

Can anyone explain why this car in interchange service would still have a roof walk?

Julian

Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)

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Posted by cx500 on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 2:17 PM

Might have been cars used for years as "storage sheds on wheels" at one of the railroad's terminals, now heading for a date with the scrapper.  In the past you could often find interesting survivors from long ago lurking in the back corners of a yard; very rarely now after years of programs to clean out to the bare bones.

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Posted by BaltACD on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 4:02 PM

I recall Chessie system having a series of cars that looked like box cars, however they had segmented top loading hatches.  I don't know the exact commodity they handled, I think it was various grades of plastic pellets - loaded by gravity and unloaded by vacuum.  Roof walkway was for industry personnel and I don't think there were side ladders to reach the roof.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by jeffhergert on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 6:00 PM

I've seen old box cars from the UP family (railroads that have gone into the UP) now used in UP company service that still had the roof walk.  One was even an old 40 foot box car.   

Jeff

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  • From: Calgary AB. Canada
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Posted by AgentKid on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 9:02 PM

BaltACD
cars that looked like box cars, however they had segmented top loading hatches

I've seen cars like that on the Rochelle Webcam.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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